PINTA.IL. 7 



composed of grass and reeds, with a little lining of down. 

 Some have been found in ditches, and even in standing corn: 

 it is always well concealed. 



From six to eight or nine egsrs are laid. The young are 

 hatched in about twenty-three days. They at once repair 

 to the water. . 



These birds have repeatedly bred in confinement. Montagu 

 has recorded several instances. 



The winter plumage is as follows: Male; weight, about 

 twenty-four ounces; length, from two feet two to two feet 

 four inches. The bill, which is rather long, brownish black 

 at the base, and on part of the tip, the remainder and the 

 sides, leaden grey; iris, yellow; head on the sides, crown, 

 neck on the back, and nape, rich dark brown, with a tinge 

 of purple red, and mottled with small dark spots. From 

 the back of the head there descends, on the sides of the 

 neck, a white stripe, which widens as it goes down, and 

 extends down the lower part of the front of the neck and 

 the upper part of the breast. The neck is long and slender. 

 Chin and throat, also rich dark brown, the latter mottled 

 with small dark spots; breast above, white, as just mentioned, 

 the middle and sides grey white, transversely lined with fine 

 black pencillings, below white. The back is of a neat grey 

 hue, the result of a series of alternate waved lines of yellowish 

 or greyish white, and bluish black, the upper part is darker 

 than the lower, the lines on the latter being more freckled, 

 less distinct, and paler. 



The wings have the first quill feather the longest. Greater 

 wing coverts, greyish brown, tipped with white and reddish 

 buff; lesser wing coverts, fine grey, produced by alternate 

 waved lines of greyish white and blue black; primaries, 

 dusky greyish brown, the shafts broad and pale; secondaries, 

 black; the speculum or beauty spot, dark bronze, edged 

 with black, which again is green, tipped with white and with 

 a reddish tint near the shaft; it is formed by these colours 

 on the outer web and tip of each feather; tertiaries, long 

 and pointed, the centre of each deep black, the outer web 

 edged with white, the inner one with grey, or yellowish grey. 

 The tail has the middle feathers three inches long, and black, 

 slightly glossed with green; the others dark dusky brown, 

 margined with white; under tail coverts, deep velvet black. 

 Legs and toes, small, and blackish slate brown; webs, blackish 

 slate brown. 



