THE PINTAIL. 783 
No. 314. 
PINTAIE: 
IN, OL ING 143. Dafila acuta (Linn.). 
Synonyms.—Spric-TalL. SPIKE-TAIL. 
Description.—Adult male: Head and upper-neck hair-brown, darker or 
warmer brown on top of head, with faint greenish or wine-purple iridescence on 
sides of occiput; a narrow white stripe from occiput obliquely backward and 
downward to join white of breast; enclosed space on hind-neck blackish; fore- 
neck, breast and belly white, faintly dusky-barred on lower belly ; hind-neck, back, 
sides of breast, and sides finely wavy-barred dusky and white; posterior scapu- 
lars and tertiaries lanceolate, heavily striped, broadly with black, more narrowly 
with buffy white, light brownish gray, and fuscous; rump and behind with mesial 
brownish dusky and obscure wavy-barring of fuscous and whitish; central pair 
of tail-feathers much elongated, ‘blackish’ or with metallic reflections; crissum 
white, separated from belly by dull white area and broad flank patches; wing- 
coverts plain brownish gray, the posterior row tipped with cinnamon-rufous ; 
speculum dull bronzy green or faintly glossy with dusky on either side, and 
bordered behind by black and terminal white; axillars white with a little mottling 
of light grayish brown; lining of wings mottled brownish gray and white; bill 
black, edged with grayish blue: feet and legs grayish blue; iris brown. Adult 
female: Obscurely colored; pale ochraceous or whitish on belly; ochraceous- 
buff or brownish buff on remaining underparts; much darker, nearly cinnamon- 
brown on crown; head and neck finely streaked with dusky, except occasionally 
on upper throat; breast variously spotted and streaked; sides with large irregular 
U-shaped markings of brownish dusky; upperparts dusky or greenish fuscous, 
lightly or heavily ~ marked and striped with dull ochraceous or ochraceous-buft ; 
wing much duller than in male, altho pattern traceable; wing-coverts fuscous, 
narrowly white-edged and tipped; the tips of posterior row scarcely broader, 
white; speculum dusky with faint purplish and greenish gloss; axillars more 
heavily mottled with grayish brown. Adult male in breeding plumage: Similar 
to adult female, but wing as in ordinary plumage (Ridgw.). Young male: Like 
adult female but more ochraceous below and more uniformly streaked; slightly 
transverse-barred above, and wing early showing adult characteristics. Young 
female: Similar to adult, but more heavily tinged below, and more heavily 
streaked and striped above; speculum light ‘brown dappled with dusky. Adult 
male length 26.00-30.00 (660.4-762) ; wing 10.60 (269.2); tail 6.25-9.50 (158.8- 
241.3); bill 2.10 (53.3); tarsus 1.70 (43.2). Females average smaller ;—tail 
4.00-5.00 ( 101.6-127 ) 
Recognition Marks.—\Mlallard size or less; lengthened tail-feathers of adult 
male; head hair-brown; fore-neck and below white (adult male). The female 
and young of this bird present difficulties. Look aa for the w edge- shaped tail, 
and top of head suffused with cinnamon-brown and heavily streaked ‘with blackish ; 
then eliminate other species by careful attention to speculum and wing-coverts. 
Nesting.—WNest: on the ground, usually in a bunch of tall grass not far from 
water. Eggs: 8-12, pale greenish gray or buffy white. Av. size, 2.20x 1.48 
(55.9 X 37.6). Season: June I-10; one brood. 
