116 FRANK forester's FIELD SPORTS. 



dorsal line very short and slightly convex, the sides internally 

 erect, Avith about a hundred and twenty lamellae. 



" Head of a moderate size, oblong, compressed. Neck of 

 moderate length, rather slender. Body full, depressed. Feet 

 short, placed rather far back. Tarsus short, compressed at its 

 lower part, anteriorly with two series of scutella, the rest cov- 

 ered Avith reticulated angular scales. Toes with numerous scu- 

 tella above. First toe very small, and with a narrow membrane 

 beneath ; third longest ; fourth about a quarter of an inch 

 shorter ; the anterior toes united by reticulated webs, of which 

 the outer is deeply sinuate. Claws small, curved, compressed, 

 acute ; the hind one smaller and more curved, that of the third 

 toe largest, and with the inner margin sharp. 



" Plumage dense, soft and blended. Feathers of the head and 

 neck very small and slender — of the back and lower parts in 

 general, broad and rounded. Wings of moderate length, rather 

 narrow and acute ; primaries strong, slightly curved, tapering ; 

 the first scarcely longer than the second, the rest rapidly de- 

 creasing ; secondaries broad, the outer obliquely rounded, the 

 inner elongated and acuminate, as are the scapulars. Tail 

 short, rounded and acuminate, of fourteen rather narrow acumi- 

 nate feathers. 



" Bill bluish-black. Iris dark hazel. Feet dull yellow ; 

 webs dusky. Claws brownish-black, with the tips grayish-yel- 

 low. Upper part of the head black ; a semilunar patch of pure 

 white on the side of the head before the eye, margined before 

 and behind Avith black. The rest of the head, and the anterior 

 parts of the neck, of a deep purplish-blue, Avith purplish-red re- 

 flections ; the lower hind neck and fore-part of back brownish- 

 black, glossed with green, each feather Avith a curved band of 

 pale reddish-buff, and a line or band of the same in the centre ; 

 the hind part of the back greenish-brown, the feathers edged 

 with paler. The smaller wing-coverts of a rich ultra-marine 

 blue, silky, Avith almost metallic lustre. Alula, primary coverts 

 and primary quills, grayish-broAvn, edged with pale bluish ; 

 outer secondaries of the same color, those of the speculum duck- 



