STELLER'S WESTERN DUCK. 307 



the Eider Duck, and I have accordingly placed it next in 

 succession to that species. 



In the adult male the bill is brownish-black ; the irides 

 pale brown ; round the eye a narrow ring of black ; 

 between the beak and the eye, and on the occiput, a patch 

 of pale green ; head, cheeks., and part of the neck behind 

 white ; below the white on the neck there is a collar of 

 black, which ends in a broad stripe, passing the whole 

 length of the middle of the back and upper tail-coverts, 

 this latter portion tinged with raven blue; the wing 

 primaries and tail-feathers brown ; the secondaries in part 

 white, with a steel blue outer web forming a rich specu- 

 lum ; the terminal portions white ; each tertial feather 

 white on the inner web, rich blue on the outer web, 

 and curved downwards towards the end: wing-coverts 

 white ; scapulars elongated, and like the tertials, with 

 the narrow inner web white, the broader outer web rich 

 blue ; chin and throat rich brown ; below the broad 

 bluish-black collar is a narrow collar of white, the colour 

 extending over the sides of the neck to each wing ; just 

 below the point of the wing, some of the white feathers 

 have black at the tip, forming a dark patch ; middle of 

 breast and belly rich chestnut brown, passing off into a 

 buff colour on the front, sides, and flanks ; vent, and 

 under tail- coverts dark brown; legs, toes, and their mem- 

 branes black ; the hind toe with a deep lobe. 



The whole length of the bird nineteen inches. From 

 the point of the wing to the end of the longest quill- 

 feather nine inches. 



Our figure of the female Western Duck was taken from 

 M. Nilsson's coloured plate, and has the greater coverts 

 and the secondaries tipped with white, forming two bars 

 enclosing between them a bluish-black speculum. 



x 2 



