WOOD DUCK. 91 



Middle and greater wing coverts, steel blue, with black tips. 

 Primaries, slate color, changing to steel blue at their exposed 

 ends, and with the terminal portion of the outer web, silvery 

 white. Lower portion of throat and breast, extending onto the 

 upper back, purplish chestnut, dotted in front with inverted 

 V-shaped white spots, growing larger as they reach the breast. 

 On sides of breast, above the shoulder of the wing, a broad 

 black bar, above which is another of white. Sides and flanks, 

 fulvous buff, crossed by fine, undulating black lines, the feathers 

 on the upper borders having at their ends two crescentic black 

 bars, inclosing a white one, the subterminal black bar being 

 edged also on its upper side narrowly with white. Lower breast 

 and abdomen, pure white. On each side of the rump is a patch 

 of metallic dark purple. Some lengthened black upper tail 

 coverts, with deep fulvous centers, fall over behind this purple 

 spot. Under tail coverts, dark brown, grading into black at 

 tips. Tail, black, with metallic green reflections. Bill, deep pur- 

 plish red, becoming scarlet behind the nostrils, with a length- 

 ened, pointed, black spot on the culmen, and the nail black. An 

 oblong spot of white, from nostril to the nail, and the basal out- 

 line, gamboge yellow. Legs and feet, chrome yellow; webs, 

 dusky. Iris, orange red; eyelids, vermilion. Total length, 

 about 1 8 inches; wing, 9^%; tail, 4 T 7 ff ; tarsus, i; culmen, i^j. 



Adult Female. Head, plumbeous gi'ay. Front, and a line 

 on side of bill at base, space about the eye, extending backward 

 to a point, chin and throat, pure white. Top of head and crest, 

 the latter much shorter and thinner than the male's, glossed with 

 metallic green. Back, rump, and upper tail coverts, hair brown, 

 glossed with bronze and purple. Wings, similar to those of the 

 male, but the secondaries widely tipped with white, and the 

 speculum, metallic bronzy green, separated from the white tips 

 by black. Breast, reddish brown, spotted with buff or buffy 

 white. Rest of under parts, white. Flanks, umber brown, spot- 

 ted with white. Tail, hair brown, glossed with bronze green. 

 Bill, dark lead color, space on culmen, and nail black. Legs 

 and feet, yellowish brown. Eyelids, chrome yellow. Iris, sienna. 

 Total length, about 17 inches; wing, 8-fo; tarsus, i^, culmen, i T 8 ff . 



Downy Young. Top of head and upper parts, dark brown, 

 darkest on head and tail. Sides of head, lores, and stripe over 

 eye, bright buff; blackish brown stripe from eye to occiput. 

 Spots on shoulder of wing, and on each side of rump, dull white. 



