684 ANATID^E. 



ffadbk. Zool., &c., Sind, p. 235; td. t Vert. Zool. Sind, pp. 291,292; 

 Hume and Marsh., Game Birds Ind. p. 151. ( Vern. Niroji, Sind). The 

 MALLARD. 



Male. Head and upper half of neck rich dark metallic glossy green, suc- 

 ceeded by a white ring; lower down on the back of the neck greyish chestnut 

 brown, with fine transverse greyish waved lines ; back above or mantle chest- 

 nut brown, the feathers margined slightly paler ; scapulars greyish white, the 

 feathers finely marked with transverse wavy brown lines, the outermost ones 

 chestnut ; rump and upper tail coverts blackish green, the sides of the former 

 greyish white, finely vermiculated with brownish; primaries greyish brown, 

 also the secondaries, the outer webs of which are rich shining purple, mar- 

 gined by a velvetty black band and tipped with white, the speculum formed by 

 the shining metallic purple patch is bounded on each side with a bar of black 

 and white ; tail with the four middle feathers velvetty black, glossed with 

 greenish, and curled upwards, the rest greyish brown, bordered with white ; 

 lower neck and breast deep chestnut ; rest of lower parts greyish white, tinged 

 in some specimens with dull yellowish, and marked with close-set transverse 

 undulating brown lines, indistinct in many, and in others strongly marked ; 

 under tail coverts velvetty black ; bill dingy olive, greenish at the tip ; 

 nail at the tip black ; irides brown ; legs and feet reddish orange to ver- 

 milion. 



Length. 22-5 to 24-5 inches; wing 1075 to n ; tail 4-2 to 4*8; tarsus r6 

 to 1*9. The female is smaller, averaging 21 inches in length. 



Hab. Sind, Beloochistan, Persia, Afghanistan, Punjab, N.-W. and Central 

 Provinces, Oudh, Bengal, Rajputana, Kutch, Guzerat, the Concans, and a 

 straggler in the Deccan. 



1388. Anas psecilorhyncha, Forst., 2nd. Zool p. 23, pi. 13; 



Jerd. t B. Ind. iii. p. 799 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs Ind. B. p. 643 ; Blyth, B. 

 Burm. p. 165 ; Hume and Marsh., Game Birds iii. p. 165, pi. ; Legge, B. 

 Ceylon p. 1073 ; Murray, Vert. Zool. Sind, p. 292 ; Oates, B. Br. Burm. ii. 

 p. 282. The SPOTTED BILLED DUCK. 



Top of head to the nape behind dark sepia brown, also a line from the base 

 of the upper mandible through the eye, ending in a point behind ; superci- 

 lium, sides of the face and neck dingy fulvous, minutely speckled with 

 brown ; lower neck, breast and abdomen the same, the brown spots larger 

 than on the upper neck, and increasing in size on the breast, abdomen and 

 flanks; chin and throat unspotted fulvous; upper back, scapulars and lesser 

 and median wing coverts hair brown ; lower back and rump black ; primaries 

 deep brown ; secondaries brown on their inner webs ; speculum on their outer 

 webs, rich emerald glossy green, tipped with black, the black tips of the 



