362 ANATDXffl. 



The adult male in winter has the nail, and the basal 

 half of the bill black, the intermediate portion pale red- 

 dish-brown ; the irides hazel ; the cheeks and ear-coverts, 

 including the space round the eye, brownish -buff; below 

 this on each side of the neck an oval patch of dark brown, 

 inclining to chestnut brown at the lower margin ; forehead, 

 top of the head, back, and front of the neck, and the lower 

 part of the neck all round, below the dark brown patch, 

 pure white ; the middle line of the back, the rump, and 

 the elongated tail-feathers nearly black ; scapulars, tertials, 

 and short outside tail-feathers white; wing-coverts and 

 primaries dark brownish-black ; the secondaries reddish- 

 brown ; the whole of the breast black ; belly, sides, flanks, 

 vent, and under tail-coverts white ; legs and toes pale 

 bluish-lead colour, the webs almost black. The whole 

 length, without including the elongated tail-feathers, is 

 seventeen inches : to the end of the long tail-feathers 

 twenty-two to twenty-four inches ; from the carpal joint 

 of the wing to end of the longest primary nine inches ; the 

 first and second quill-feathers nearly equal and the longest 

 in the wing. 



The winter plumage is generally perfected by the 

 middle of October : the summer plumage is assumed by 

 the end of May, and at that time only the space around 

 the eye is pale buff, mixed with a little white ; all the 

 other parts of the head, neck, back, wings, and breast 

 black ; the scapulars and tertials black, each feather with 

 a broad edge of rufous brown ; belly, and under surface 

 of the body white, as in winter ; bill, irides, and legs the 

 same. 



A male killed while intermediate, or in change with 

 reference to the two states of plumage described, had the 

 forehead black ; top of the head and the occiput white ; 

 cheeks brownish-buff; all the neck mottled with black 



