WATER FOWL OF INDIA AND ASIA. Vivi 
the pinion-quills are silvery-grey on the outer and steely- 
blue on the inner webs. There are other elegancies in 
_ this little harlequin’s plumage, but it would take too much 
space to describe them here, and the presence of the 
orange ruff and wing-fans, or of either separately, is 
quite enough for identification. The bill is rose-red. 
the eyes dark, and the feet dull orange with black webs, 
The female is a sober-looking but dainty little bird, 
but always recognizable by the conspicuous silvery-grey 
and steely-blue primary quills, which are like those of 
the male. Her general colour above is plain brown, 
without any markings, shading to grey on the head and 
erest. There is a narrow white line round the eye, pro- 
longed back into a streak. Her sides are mottled with 
creamy-bufi, and the abdomen white as in the male. 
She has a horn-coloured bill and olive feet. The male 
in undress is almost exactly like the female, more so than 
in any other Duck, which is curious, seeing his extrava- 
gance in attire when in full plumage. The white round 
the eye, however, is less pronounced, and the head 
greyer. The only easy distinction, however, is the 
colour of the feet—in a fresh specimen—for they always 
remain orange in the male ; though his bill sometimes 
turns dull like the female’s and sometimes retains the 
beautiful rose tint of the full dress. Young males are 
lke the old male in wndvess, and young females like 
their mother. The male is about seventeen inches 
long, with the bill and shank each about one and-a- 
quarter, and wing nine and-a-half. This extremely 
beautiful Duck, though well known as a captive in 
India—as, probably in all countries where there are 
Zoological Gardens and fanciers—is a very rare 
straggler there in the wild state, its proper home 
being Eastern Siberia, China and Japan. It also visits 
Amoorlandinthesummer. Itisavery active Duck, a 
surface-feeder, and very nimble on land, in spite of its 
affinity to the Cotton-teal. It perches freely, and lays 
