196 RIVER AND POND DUCKS 



narrowly margined with whitish, undersurface, ashy; upper coverts, black or black- 

 ish, with ashy or creamy edgings on inner webs; under coverts, central feathers 

 black, edged with whitish, outside ones, yellowish buff. IV ings. Coverts, grey; 

 greater coverts tipped with cinnamon buff; primaries, dull greyish brown, paler 

 on inner webs, inner primaries tipped with whitish; secondaries, with speculum 

 of glossy black outwardly, and metallic green inwardly, bordered in front with 

 bar of cinnamon buff and behind with white on outer feathers; tertials, greyish 

 brown, usually edged with whitish, outer tertial with black stripe on outer web, 

 producing inner border to speculum; lining, pale grey, dusky along forward edge: 

 axillars, white, occasionally with some grey speckling. 



ECLIPSE PLUMAGE: Same as that of Green-winged Teal. 



AUTUMN PLUMAGE: Adult males in early autumn commence a moult from the 

 female-like plumage of the eclipse towards full winter plumage. The wing is as 

 in winter plumage. In early stages the male may be identified by the presence 

 of some of the reddish head-feathers of winter plumage and by the first traces 

 of green colour behind the eye; a scattering of new, veriniculated feathers may 

 be seen on the back, scapulars and sides. With the progress of autumn, the full 

 winter plumage of the head is further developed, the vermiculated feathering on 

 back and sides becomes more and more uniform, and the bird becomes more easily 

 recognizable. Not until spring, in most cases, are the black-and-white scapulars 

 taken on. 



ADULT FEMALE. Head, without crest, and neck, whitish or buffy, streaked 

 with dusky, giving mottled effect, darker on crown; chin and throat, white; dusky 

 stripe through eye and, often, a small pale area at base of bill; bill, blackish, 

 purplish grey at base and spotted with black, same shape as that of male; eye, 

 dark brown. Body. Back, scapulars and rump, dusky brown, scalloped with buff, 

 giving mottled appearance; chest, whitish or buffy, heavily spotted with dusky; 

 sides, dusky brown, feathers broadly edged and marked with buffy white; breast, 

 whitish; belly, obscurely spotted or mottled with pale grey; jeet, same as those 

 of male. Tail, slaty brown, narrowly margined with white; upper coverts, like 

 back; under coverts, like belly but spots darker. Wings, same as those of male 

 but slightly duller. 



JUVENILE. Same as that of Green- winged Teal. 



SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION 



MALE. WINTER PLUMAGE: General effect: A very small, beautifully marked, 

 greyish duck, with crested red head and green face-patch. Chief distinguishing 

 features (a) hind toe without lobe, (b) extremely small size, (c) horizontal white 

 bar along line of shoulder above folded wing. 



See "Specimen Identifications" of male Green-winged Teal. 



AUTUMN AND JUVENILE PLUMAGE: See "Descriptions." 



FEMALE. General effect: A very diminuthe, mottled-brown duck, with whitish 

 breast. Chief features (a) hind toe without lobe, (b) extremely small size (with 

 the Green-winged Teal, the smallest of our ducks), (c) speculum, black out- 

 wardly, green inwardly, bordered in front with white and pale cinnamon buff, 

 and behind with white. 



See "Specimen Identification" of female Green-winged Teal. 



