SHOVELER. 143 



with brown. The abdomen sometimes immaculate white. Bill, 

 olive brown, sometimes speckled with black; base of maxilla 

 and all of mandible, orange. Iris, yellow. Legs and feet, orange. 

 Total length, about 19 inches; wing, 8f; culmen, 2^; tarsus, i-f$. 



Young Male. -^-Resembles the female, but has the head and 

 aeck mottled with black, and the black feathers on top of the head 

 are edged with reddish buff. The upper part of breast and back 

 is pale reddish buff with V-shaped marks of dark brown. Rest 

 of upper parts like the female. The under parts, pale chestnut; 

 but there is much individual variation in the coloring of lower 

 breast and abdomen. Wing very like that of the adult male. 



The male, in full breeding plumage, is not commonly met 

 with; but this species, in all its variety of dress, with the excep- 

 tion of the Downy Young, is readily recognizable by the pecu- 

 liarly shaped bill. 



Young Female. Speculum, dusky, with little or no metallic 

 reflections, and tipped with brownish white. Wing coverts, 

 slate color. 



Adult Male, when moulting, resembles the female, but is 

 darker, and the speculum more brilliant. 



Downy Young. Middle of crown, nape, and hind neck, olive 

 brown; rest of head and neck, and lower parts, pale fulvous. A 

 dark brown stripe from bill through eye halfway to occiput, and 

 a similar one across ears toward nape. Upper parts, olive 

 brown, with yellowish spots on each side of back and rump. 



