THE PINTAIL 317 



be a revelation. The beautiful plumage and 

 trim lines of the wildfowl would surprise him 

 greatly. Among these the Pintail drake is in 

 the front rank. He is a beautiful fellow with a 

 brilliant though not gaudy dress. His head and 

 ujjper neck are a deep brown, showing in differ- 

 ent lights a bronze-like sheen with glossy green 

 and purple tints. A line of snowy white run- 

 ning up on the back of the neck on each side 

 of the central strip of black which extends 

 downward into the gray of the back and wing 

 coverts. Lower neck in front, breast and under 

 parts of snowj^ whiteness, save on the flanks 

 where there are fine dusky pencillings as on the 

 back, and the crissum which is jet black, sharply 

 and cleanly defined against the surrounding 

 white. Back silvery gray or whitish, finely and 

 evenly barred with irregular wavy black lines. 

 The scapulars and tertiaries striped lengthwise 

 with black, whitish and silver gray. Speculum 

 a greenish- or coppery-violet, framed about in 

 black, tawny and white borders. Tail feathers 

 yellowish gray, long central feathers black. In 

 length the bird varies from twenty-five to thirty 

 inches, according to the development of the tail 

 feathers. In extent he is from thirty-four to 



