375 



AIX SPONSA. (BoiE\ 



♦ 



THE WOOD DUCK: SUMMER DUCK. 



Specific Character. — Adult male. — Chin throat and foreneck pure white^ 

 sending off laterally two branches, the first across the cheeks, back of and nearly 

 to the posterior angle of the eye, the second across the lower part of the neck, 

 almost to the nape ; both bars tapering toward the end, and somewhat curved or 

 falcate in shape ; a narrow white line begins at the point of the maxillary angle 

 and is continued back on each side of the crown, widening considerably on each 

 side of the crest ; a second white line commences about half an inch behind the 

 eye, and nearly the same distance above the end of the white cheek bar and 

 follows the lower edge of the crest, where considerably wider than anteriorly ; 

 remainderof the head silky metallic green, violet and purple as follows : cheeks 

 and space behind the white cheek bar soft violaceous black, in the latter region 

 extending up to the lower white, stripe but in the anterior area 

 bounded above and anteriorly by dark metallic green, the orbital region 

 and anterior half of the crest between the white lines metallic reddish 

 purple, forehead, crown and posterior portion of the crest metallic green; 

 terminal portion of the crest above, laterally, and beneath dark metallic violet. 

 Jugulum rich purplish chestnut, with a metallic purple gloss laterally, the front 

 and lower part marked with deltoid spots of white, growing larger toward the 

 breast ; breast and abdomen immaculate white ; sides of the breast with a broad 

 transverse bar of white and a wide black one immediately behind it ; sides and 

 flanks pale fulvous buffdelicately undulated with black, the broad feathers form- 

 ing the upper border, each beautifully marked with two black crescentic bars 

 inclosing a white one ; crissum dull black fading gradually into dull rusty fulvous 

 on the anal region. Back, lesser wing coverts, and rump dark slaty brownish 

 very faintly glossed with bronze, the wing coverts more slaty, the rump much 

 darker, and gradually deepening into black towards the upper tail coverts, which 

 with the tail are deep black, the latter with bronze green reflections in certain 

 lights ; a somewhat ovate patch pointed posteriorly, of rich dark metallic maroon 

 purple on each side of the rump immediately behind the flanks ; just behind this 

 the two or three elongated lateral upper tail coverts are marked with a central 

 stripe of deep fulvous falling gracefully over the sides of the crissum. Tertials 

 and posterior scapulars intense black with rich velvety reflections of blue green 

 and purple chiefly, the first in certain lights ; the longest tertial tipped with a 

 wide bar of white, the next black to the end, the third much shorter, much nar- 

 rower than the rest, pointed and of a dull greenish bronze colour ; middle and 

 greater wing coverts steel blue narrowly tipped with black ; secondaries (speculum) 

 purplish steel blue narrowly tipped with white and with a narrow subterminal 

 black bar ; primary coverts slate colour ; primaries with the exposed ends of the 

 inner webs steel blue, the ends of the outer webs grayish or glaucous white, becom- 

 ing slate colour basally ; lining of the wing spotted with slate colour and white. 

 Sagittate longitudinal space on the culmen and terminal nail of the bill deep 

 polished black ; an oblong space of milk white from nostril to the nail, a line or 

 border of gamboge yellow following the basal outline of the bill, rest of bill dark 

 purplish red, deepening into scarlet just behind the nostril ; iris bright orange 

 red ; eyelids deep vermillion ; legs and feet dull chrome yellow the webs and 

 joints dusky. 



Total length about 19.00 inches ; extent, 29.00 ; wing, 9.00 ; culmen, 1,40 ; 

 tarsus, 1.40 ; middle toe, 1.70. 

 29 (c.) 



