128 COMMON PINTAIL. 



white one: the two middle tail-feathers are greatly 

 elongated, and are blackish-green : the legs are red- 

 dish-ash or blackish. The female is small, and has 

 the head and the neck of a clear reddish, varied with 

 small black dots : all the upper parts are blackish- 

 brown, irregularly marked with reddish-yellow lu- 

 nules : the under parts are reddish-yellow spotted 

 with clear brown : the speculum is reddish-brown or 

 yellowish, edged above by a yellowish band, and 

 below by a whitish one : the tail is conical, but its 

 two middle feathers are not elongated : the beak is 

 black : the legs are reddish-black. The young males 

 have the head of a red-brown, spotted with black : 

 the belly is yellowish, and the speculum is olive- 

 green without gloss. The Pintail varies much during 

 the periods of moulting, the male at such times often 

 occurring with the plumage very similar to that of 

 the female. Latham says the trachea of the male 

 ends in a bony arch, to which is attached a nearly 

 round bony bladder, about the size of the end of the 

 thumb, the upper part of which is about even with 

 the bony arch, but the bottom greatly below it : from 

 one of these, one of the divisions arises to pass into 

 the lungs, and from the other the second. 



This beautiful bird inhabits the northern regions 

 of Europe, Asia, and America : it is frequently taken 

 in our decoys in winter, but it does not breed with 

 us. On the northern coasts of Ireland and Scotland 

 it is said to be much more abundant ; and also in 

 Holland and France. It makes its nest in the shallow 

 fresh water marshes, among the rushes, the female 

 laying eight or nine blue-green eggs. It is a shy 



