360 ANATID^E. 



others, the males abandon the females after incubation 

 has commenced. 1 '' Both sexes are active, noisy, and rest- 



The adult male in winter has the nail, and the basal 

 half of the bill black, the intermediate portion pale red- 

 dish-brown ; the irides hazel ; the cheeks and ear-coverts, 

 including the space round the eye, brownish-buff ; below 

 this on each side of the neck an oval patch of dark brown, 

 inclining to chestnut-brown at the lower margin ; forehead, 

 top of the head, back, and front of the neck, and the lower 

 part of the neck all round, below the dark brown patch, 

 pure white ; the middle line of the back, the rump, and 

 the elongated tail-feathers nearly black ; scapulars, tertials, 

 and short outside tail-feathers white ; wing-coverts and 

 primaries dark brownish-black; the secondaries reddish- 

 brown ; the whole of the breast black ; belly, sides, flanks, 

 vent, and under tail coverts white ; legs and toes pale 

 bluish-lead colour, the webs almost black. The whole 

 length, without including the elongated tail-feathers, seven- 

 teen inches : to the end of the long tail-feathers twenty- 

 two to twenty-four inches ; from the carpal joint of the 

 wing to end of the longest primary nine inches ; the first 

 and second quill- feathers nearly equal and the longest in the 

 wing. 



The winter plumage is generally perfected by the 

 middle of October : the summer plumage is assumed by 

 the end of May, and at that time only the space around 

 the eye is pale buff, mixed with a little white; all the 

 other parts of the head, neck, back, wings, and breast 

 black ; the scapulars and tertials black, each feather with 

 a broad edge of rufous-brown ; belly, and under surface 

 of the body white, as in winter ; bill, irides, and legs the 

 same. 



