NATATORES. FULIGULA. 345 



rump and tail-coverts, belly and abdomen, ink-black 

 The border of the wings, greater quills, and tail, brown- 

 ish-black. 



The female so closely resembles in her colours the female * 

 of the Common Eider as to render minute description 

 unnecessary. She may, however, always be distin- 

 guished from the other by the form of the frontal 

 plates, which, instead of being horizontal, are nearly 

 vertical. 



The young males resemble the females for the first year, 

 and the changes seem to occur like those of the Com- 

 mon Eider. 



GENUS FULIGULA, RAY, LEACH. POCHARD. 



GENERIC CHARACTERS. 



BILL as long as the head; slightly elevated at thejbase; 

 broad, and nearly equally so throughout its length ; de- 

 pressed towards the tip, which is rounded and armed with a 

 small deflected nail. Both mandibles laminated ; the plates 

 broad, and entirely concealed by the deflected margins of 

 the bill. Nostrils at a short distance from the base, lateral, 

 oblong, rather small. Wings concave, acute ; the first and 

 second quill-feathers being nearly equal in length. Tail 

 generally short, rounded, consisting of sixteen or fourteen 

 pointed feathers. Legs having the tarsus much shorter than 

 the middle and outer toes. Feet large, webbed, with the 

 outer and middle toes of equal length ; hind toe having a 

 large lobated membrane. General form short and broad; 

 with the neck rather thick and short; and the legs placed 

 far backwards. 



The members of this genus, which are numerous, have 

 the bill of similar shape to that of the former subfamily, but 



