384 ANATID^. 



head, the chin, and all the neck white ; the back black ; 

 rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers, ash grey ; the 

 point of the wing greyish-black, with two crescentic lines 

 of black pointing forward, one before and one behind the 

 point of the wing ; the small wing-coverts and scapulars 

 white, the latter edged wit^i black ; great coverts and se- 

 condaries black, tipped with white, forming two narrow 

 white bands ; the primaries nearly black ; tertials ash grey 

 passing to lead grey, the inner feathers being the darkest 

 in colour ; all the under surface of the body pure white ; 

 the sides under the wing and the flanks barred with nar- 

 row ash grey lines ; legs, toes, and their membranes bluish 

 and lead grey. The whole length is seventeen inches and 

 a half; the wing, from the carpal joint to the end of the 

 longest quill-feather, seven inches and three-quarters. 



An adult male, which belonged to the Ornithological 

 Society of London, lived more than two years on the 

 canal in St. James's Park, assumed the colours of the 

 plumage of the adult female before the middle of June, 

 remaining in that state during the summer, and re- 

 assuming his white plumage at the regular autumn moult. 

 This bird associated only with a female Golden Eye. 



Adult females have the bill and the irides of the same 

 colours as those of the males, with a black patch at the 

 base of the upper mandible ; all the top of the head reddish- 

 brown ; down the back of the neck a streak of ash grey, 

 which extends to form a collar at the bottom, and spreads 

 thence over the space before the wings and on the upper 

 part of the back ; centre of the back, the rump, upper 

 tail-coverts, and tail-feathers greyish-black : point of the 

 wing ash grey ; smaller wing-coverts pure white ; greater 

 coverts and secondaries black, tipped with white as in the 

 male, but the two white bands are narrower than those 

 of the male ; primaries nearly black ; tertials lead grey ; 



