266 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



Rhynchaspis clypeata^ Macg. Br. B. v. p. 74 (1852). 



Spatula clypeata, Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p, 497, pi. 425 (1873); 



B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 128 (1883) ; Saunders, ed. Yarr. 



Br. B. iv. p. 375 (1885) ; id. Man. Br. B. p. 415 (1889) ; 



Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 306 (1895). 



(Plate L VII.) 



Adult Male. General colour above blackish-brown on the 

 mantle and upper back, becoming deep black on the lower 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, the lateral series of the 

 latter glossed with steel-blue, of which there is also a faint 

 gloss on the black rump ; scapulars white, the long feathers 

 greyish-blue, with a good deal of black towards the base of 

 the inner web and a broad streak of white on the inner side of 

 the shaft; wing-coverts greyish-blue, the greater series dusky 

 internally, blue externally, and somewhat broadly tipped with 

 white; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and primary-quills black- 

 ish, the latter paler brown on the inner web, with white 

 shafts; the secondaries brown, externally metallic steel-green, 

 changing to purple under certain lights ; the long inner secon- 

 daries externally velvety-black, with white centres towards the 

 end of the shafts ; centre tail-feathers black, the rest white, 

 mottled and marbled with ashy-brown, the bars nowhere com- 

 plete, and varying in shape ; crown of head and lores dusky- 

 black, without any metallic gloss ; the sides of the face, neck, 

 and throat black, glossed with green, and especially with 

 purple on the hinder neck and crest ; fore-neck and chest 

 white, extending on to'the sides of the chest, and nearly reach- 

 ing in a collar round the hind-neck, in the centre of which are 

 a few blackish feathers : remainder of under surface from the 

 chest downwards vinous-chestnut, with a large white patch 

 on each side of the vent ; the flank -feathers paler buff at their 

 ends, freckled with dusky, some of the feathers on the lower 

 flanks freckled with dusky lines ; under tail-coverts black, 

 white at base with a few blackish wavy lines ; the lateral 

 under tail-coverts glossed with green or purple ; axillaries and 

 under wing-coverts white ; lower under wing-coverts and quill- 

 lining ashy-grey; bill lead- colour; feet reddish orange ; iris 

 yellow. Total length, 19 inches; culmen, 2*55; wing, 9^5; 

 tail, 3-3; tarsus, 1-3. 



