FERRUGINOUS DUCK. 339 



of Iceland, by F. Faber, who published in 1822. Ac- 

 cording to M. Temminck, this Duck feeds on insects, 

 small frogs, aquatic plants, and their seeds; and makes 

 its nest near rivers and marshes, laying nine or ten white 

 eggs, slightly tinged with green. The egg, as figured by Dr. 

 Thienemann, measures two inches and one eighth in length, 

 by one inch and a half in breadth. 



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

 white ; the whole of the head, the neck all round, to the 

 upper part of the breast, and the sides, rich chestnut- 

 brown ; round the middle of the neck a narrow ring, 

 rather darker in colour ; the whole of the back and wing- 

 coverts umber-brown, with a tinge of green ; primary quill- 

 feathers dusky black, part of the inner webs white ; the 

 secondaries white, forming a bar of that colour on the 

 wing, but the extreme ends are black ; tail-feathers brown- 

 ish-black ; on the chin a small triangular spot of white ; 

 lower part of the breast arid the belly white ; the flanks 

 brown ; vent greyish-brown ; under tail-coverts white ; 

 legs and toes bluish-black, the membranes darker. The 

 whole length sixteen inches ; the wing, from the carpal 

 joint seven inches and three-quarters. The first quill- 

 feather the longest in the wing. 



In the female the irides are not quite white ; the whole 

 head and neck deep reddish-brown, darker in tint, and not 

 so rich in appearance as the same parts in the male ; wings 

 like those of the male; lower breast and belly dingy 

 white ; the female bird is rather smaller than the male. 



The young bird of the year, during its first winter, is 

 still smaller than the adult female, and has also still less of 

 the red chestnut tint ; the back, wings, and neck are of 

 two shades of brown, the edges of the feathers being of 

 the lighter colour ; breast and belly dull brownish-grey. 



