THE GADWALLS. 273 



Nest. Although generally carefully concealed, the nest is 

 rather loosely made of grass and rushes, and is lined with the 

 bird's own down. 



Eggs. From eight to ten or twelve in number, though as 

 many as sixteen have been found ; greenish or greenish- 

 white in colour, sometimes inclining to buffy-white. Axis, 

 2'i-2'35 inches ; diam., i'6. 



Down. Mostly light brown, with whitish thread-like tips, 

 but mixed with a considerable number of pure white downy 

 plumes. 



.THE GADWALLS. GENUS CHAULELASMUS. 



Chaulelasmus, Bp. Comp. List B. Eur. & N. Amer. p. 56 

 (1838). 



Type, C. strepems (L.) 



Two species only of Gad wall are known, the widely distributed 

 C. streperus, and Coues' Gadwall, C. couesi^ which is only 

 known from the Fanning Islands. The bill is not so broad as 

 in the genus Anas and is shorter than the head, and has no 

 fringe of soft membrane near the tip ; the lamellae of the upper 

 mandible are quite prominent (Salvadori). The colouring of 

 the two sexes is not nearly so different as in the generality of 

 Ducks. The central tail-feathers scarcely extend beyond the 

 lateral ones. 



I. THE GADWALL. CHAULELASMUS STREPERUS. 



Anas strepera. Linn. S. N. i. p. 200 (1766); Saunders, ed. 



Yarr. Br. B. iv. p. 370 (1885); Seebohm, Br. B. iii. p. 



530 (1885) ; Saunders, Man. p. 413 (1889); Lilford, Col. 



Fig. Br. B. part xv. (1890). 



Querquedula strepera, Macg. Br. B. v. p. 59 (1852). 

 Cluiulelasmus streperus. Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 487, pi. 424 



(1873); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 125 (1883); Salvad. 



Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 221 (1895). 



Adult Male. General colour above dusky-brown, the hind- 

 leck, mantle, and upper scapulars freckled with wavy bars 

 " black and ashy-white ; the lower back darker and scarcely 

 :kled; the rump and upper tail- coverts velvety-black; the 



8 T 



