TUFTED DUCK. 355 



wings, and flanks, beautifully marked with fine zigzag lines of 

 dusky; tail dull brown, cuneiform, and composed of fourteen 

 feathers; the primaries, wing-coverts, back and scapulars, are 

 glossed with green; webs of the feet black. The colour of the 

 legs and feet varies: those of the figure in the plate were green- 

 ish ash ; those of the specimen above described were pale yel- 

 low ochre, dashed with black; and those of Mr. Bonaparte's 

 specimen were bluish ash. The above description was taken 

 from a fine adult male, shot by myself on the 1st of April, 1814. 

 On the 8th of March, 1815, I shot from a flock, consisting 

 of five individuals, two males; and an adult female in full plu- 

 mage. 



Female: Length sixteen inches and a half; bill darker than 

 that of the male, without the white at its base, above the nail 

 with a band of dull bluish white; beneath the eyes a spot of 

 white; chin and front part of the lores white; throat spotted with 

 dusky; cheeks and auriculars finely powdered with white; neck 

 without the chestnut band; head, neck, breast, upper parts of the 

 back, lower parts of the belly, and vent, a snuff-coloured brown; 

 belly whitish; lower part of the back dusky; the under tail- 

 coverts pencilled with fine zigzag lines; neck rather thicker 

 than that of the male, but the head equally tufted; the wings, 

 feet, legs, tail and. eyes, resemble those parts of the male. The 

 dust-like particles, which are so remarkable upon the back and 

 scapulars of the male, are wanting in the female. 



In young males the head and upper part of the neck are 

 purplish brown, in some the chestnut band of the neck is ob- 

 scure. 



The stomachs of those specimens which I dissected were filled 



with gravel and vegetable food. The trachea, according to the 



observations of Mr. Bonaparte, resembles that of thefuligula. 



This species is in no respect so shy and cunning as the Scaup 



Duck, and is more easily shot. 



G. Ord. 



