WILD DUCK. 275 



belly, vent, and flanks, greyish-white, the sides before and 

 under the wings marked with delicate grey lines ; under 

 tail-coverts velvet black ; legs, toes, and their membranes 

 orange yellow. The whole length twenty-four inches. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the wing eleven 

 inches and a half; the second quill-feather the longest in 

 the wing. 



The female has the beak greenish-black, towards the 

 end light yellow-brown, the nail black ; irides brown ; 

 cheeks, head, and neck, pale brown, each feather streaked 

 with black in the middle ; the scapulars, and the whole of 

 the back of the same two colours, but prettily varied, 

 some of the feathers black in the middle and on the 

 margin, with a light brown band between the two dark 

 colours ; tail-feathers the same ; small wing-coverts ash 

 brown; the large coverts white towards the end, and 

 tipped with velvet black ; primaries uniform dark brown ; 

 the secondaries the same on the inner web, outer webs 

 forming a purple speculum, ending in a band of black, and 

 tipped with white ; tertiaries dark brown ; chin and throat 

 pale brown ; lower part of the neck richer reddish-brown, 

 varied with dark brown; breast, belly, vent, and under 

 tail-coverts pale brown, slightly varied with darker brown, 

 which occupies a portion of the centre of each feather ; legs 

 and toes orange, the interdigital membranes darker. 



The females are smaller than males, and measure but 

 twenty-two inches in length ; the wing ten inches and a 

 quarter; the first and second quill -feathers very nearly 

 equal. 



I have seen two instances in which females of this 

 species have assumed to a considerable extent the appear- 

 ance of the plumage of the Mallard, even to the curled 

 feathers of the tail. One of these birds, in my own col- 

 lection, was given me when alive by my kind and liberal 



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