288 BAY, SEA OR DIVING DUCKS 



white bar in front of the wing, may be noticed, and some reddish feathers of the 

 winter plumage on the sides. Later in autumn, the white head-markings start to 

 lose the grey-brown mottling of eclipse, and become more distinct; likewise 

 crown and neck-markings become more noticeable; chest and back take on a more 

 uniform slaty-blue appearance, with more white on scapulars; rump, mostly black; 

 sides, reddish brown, with a few old, slaty-grey eclipse-feathers. The full winter 

 plumage is usually attained in October. 



ADULT FEMALE. Head and neck, dark olive brown, darker on crown; large 

 white spot under eye and two smaller white spots, one in front of and above, 

 and the other behind, eye; chin and throat, paler brown; bill, dusky, shorter 

 than head; eye, brown. Body. Back and scapulars, dark olive brown; rump, glossy 

 brownish black; chest and sides, paler brown, like throat; breast, greyish white, 

 mottled with greyish brown; belly, greyish brown, mottled with greyish white; 

 feet, as in male but duller. Tail, dark purplish brown; upper and under coverts, 

 olive brown. Wings. All coverts, dark brown, washed with olive brown; primaries, 

 secondaries and tertials, dark grey, washed with purplish; lining and axillars, dull 

 brown. 



JUVENILE. In first autumn plumage the sexes are alike and resemble the 

 adult female, except upperparts somewhat paler, and underparts with more 

 spotted appearance. Toward the end of November the young male begins to as- 

 sume the plumage of the adult and by the end of January resembles the adult, 

 except wings are still immature, the underparts are mottled, rump and bill are 

 brown, and black-and-white bars on sides of chest are smaller. Further progress 

 towards maturity is slow and not until second autumn, after the summer moult, 

 do both sexes assume practically adult plumage. Wing of Both Sexes. As in adult 

 female but primaries and secondaries, duller, paler, and without gloss; tertials, 

 shorter and narrower. 



SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION 



MALE. WINTER PLUMAGE: General effect: A small, blue-backed duck, with 

 many white markings and reddish sides. Chief distinguishing features (a) hind 

 toe with lobe, (b) sides, rich reddish brown, (c) slaty-blue plumage, marked with 

 many white spots and stripes, (d) small size. 



The markings of this parti-coloured duck are unlike those of any other species. 

 The Eastern and Western Harlequins, varieties of the same species, are separable 

 as follows: male Harlequin Ducks from the Pacific differ from the Atlantic birds 

 in having heavier bills and a slightly different coloration of the crown. In the 

 Pacific bird the chestnut stripes on each side of the crown do not extend so far 

 forward, and the colour is not nearly so rich, having a washed-out appearance. 

 The transition from chestnut to white is also more gradual. 



AUTUMN AND JUVENILE PLUMAGE: See "Descriptions." 



FEMALE. General effect: A small, brown, whitish-breasted duck. Chief features 

 (a) hind toe with lobe, (b) two small and one large white spot on side of head, 



(c) entire upperparts, including wings, solid olive brown, with no white feathers, 



(d) breast, whitish, mottled with greyish brown. 



The resemblance to the female Buffle-head and to the male and female Ruddy 

 Duck in their winter plumage is superficial only. 



FIELD MARKS 



ON THE WATER. The male is readily identified by distinctive white mark- 

 ings on its slaty-blue body and head; the prominent white crescent in front of 

 the wing is noticeable at a considerable distance; this duck can hardly be con- 



