448 ANATID^E. 



Coloration. Male. Head and upper fore neck umber-brown,, 

 with a purple gloss on each side of the occiput ; hind neck black, 

 a white band from each side of the nape down the neck joining 

 the white of the lower parts ; lower hind neck, back, shorter 

 scapulars, and sides of body finely barred and vermiculated with 

 black and white ; longer scapulars lanceolate, velvety black, edged 

 with light brown ; upper tail-coverts black edged with grey, the 

 longest black on the outer web, grey on the inner ; median long 

 tail-feathers black, the outer feathers brown ; wings greyish 

 brown, the greater secondary coverts with rufous tips ; secondaries 



Fig. 116. Head of D. acuta. 



bronzed, changing from purple to green on the outer webs, with 

 a subterminal velvety- black band and white tips ; outer web of 

 innermost secondary black with a whitish bar on the inside; tertiaries 

 grey, part of the inner web and inside of outer web black ; breast 

 and abdomen white, lower abdomen speckled with grey ; lower 

 tail-coverts black, white at the outside ; lower flanks buff. 



The drake moults all feathers except the primaries, secondaries, 

 wing-coverts, and 6 pairs of outer rectrices at the end of June, and 

 assumes plumage very like that of the female, the usual male 

 plumage being resumed by a complete moult in October. 



Female. Greyish brown above, with concentric buff or white 

 bars on the feathers of the back and scapulars, and pale streaks 

 elsewhere ; no speculum ; the secondaries and greater secondary 

 coverts tipped with whitish, making two distinct bars on the wing ; 

 chin and throat white ; sides of head and neck and the fore neck 

 white, speckled brown, lower neck more distinctly spotted ; lower 

 parts whitish, much streaked and tinged with dusky. 



Bill black, the sides of the upper mandible, not the culmen, 

 bluish plumbeous ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet greyish 

 black. 



Length of male 22 to 29 ; tail 5 to 8-5; wing 11 ; tarsus 1-6 ; 

 bill from gape 2*25. Eemales are smaller, wing about 10, and 

 have shorter tails. The tail usually consists of 16 feathers, but 

 sometimes contains 18. 



Distribution. Nearly the whole Northern hemisphere. The 

 Pintail breeds chiefly in the neighbourhood of the Arctic circle,. 

 and in winter is found throughout India, Burma, and Ceylon in 

 suitable localities, though by no means universally distributed. 



Habits, $"c. Pintails in India arrive about the beginning of 

 November and leave in March ; whilst in this country they are 



