1919-] Mr. F. E. Blaauw on Plumage-development. 455 



is of a dark brownish grey. The scapulars, which will be 

 red in the adult male, have a faint reddish sheen under some 

 lights. The tail and tail-coverts, primaries and their coverts 

 are deep black. The secondaries are metallic green or blue, 

 according to the light. The white patch on the secondary- 

 coverts, which is formed by elongated and broadened black- 

 tipped white feathers, is present as in the adult male. The 

 chin and throat and fore-neck are of a pearly white, which 

 darkens gradually upwards into the rufous grey-brown of the 

 top of the head. The breast is pale buff finely freckled with 

 brownish -black spots. The rest of the under side is pearly 

 grey marked with darker grey transverse spots. Under 

 tail-coverts dirty white, as are also the two spots at the base 

 of the tail, which are pure white in the adult male. Legs 

 and feet are greyish flesh-colour. Bill pale lead-colour. 



Shortly after the bird has attained its full size and is 

 completely feathered the moult into the dress of the adult 

 male begins. 



In the adult birds the legs are flesh-colour in both sexes. 

 The bill of the adult male is bright blue with black nail. The 

 bill of the adult female is of a slightly duller blue and has 

 a blackish saddle-mark. 



The chick in down of the African Red-billed Teal 

 [Poscilonetta erythroi^hijncha) is marked almost exactly like 

 the chick of Neition torquatum, but the light parts instead of 

 being pearly white are pale lemon-yellow, whilst the dark 

 parts of the upper side are also slightly tinted with yellow. 

 There also is a dark spot between the yellow of the breast 

 and that of the throat, and the dark line that runs from the 

 base of the bill through the eye does not quite reach the 

 brown of the neck as is the case in Nettion torquatum. 

 The legs, feet, and bill are blackish. 



In first plumage the African lled-billed Teal resembles the 

 adults, but all the feather-markings, especially the light 

 edgings of the wing-coverts, are not so well defined. The 

 red of the bill is also duller than in the adult birds. 



In the ' Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum' the 

 African Red-billed Teal is included in the genus Poecilonetta, 



