THE GADWALL 291 



the general cut is rather that of a Mallard toned 

 down in every way, unless of course the birds are 

 viewed through powerful glasses, or unless they 

 are close enough for the naked eye to detect the 

 conspicuous white patch on the wings, which is 

 by no means readily seen as the bird flies above 

 a level line of vision, and then only at certain angles 

 of the light. 



The Gad wall's garb, if sober, is pleasing, but 

 there is nothing specially attractive in its appear- 

 ance, for the drake's upper-parts, excepting the 

 rump, which is glossy black, are washed with black 

 and whitish bars on an otherwise brown surface. 

 The under neck-feathers and breast are a mixture of 

 sootiness and white, which, as the bird flies over- 

 head, creates a uniform dark appearance. The rest 

 of the under-parts, however, are like etiolated 

 sateen. His wings alone deserve high commenda- 

 tion ; on them you will admire a bold pattern of 

 black, white, and chestnut. The duck has a 

 plumage of brown with creamy-buff markings, and 

 shows no black on the upper tail-coverts. Her 

 throat and neck incline to fulvous, and below she 

 is not so conspicuously bleached, but apart from 

 the chestnut she enjoys the same wing-decoration. 

 This description of the plumage, however, must 

 be taken as that seen through binoculars a sort of 

 bird's eye view, so to say. 



The position of one nest I saw may be thus 

 described : A curving riband of steely stillness the 



