150 Order VIII 



locally from Scandinavia and Holland to Japan, and 

 also to the coasts of France and Spain. It has the 

 bill and its conspicuous basal knob red ; the head 

 glossy green ; the collar white followed by a fine band 

 of chestnut; the speculum green; the remaining parts 

 black and white. 



Sheldrake 



The Wild Duck, or Mallard (Anas boschas], is too 

 well known to need a full description, whether it be of 

 the buff and brown female or of the finely coloured male 

 with his bottle-green head, chestnut breast, and curly 

 tail-coverts. We must, however, notice the " specu- 

 lum " or bar on the wing, which often serves to 

 determine the species in this Family. In the drake it 

 is purple, edged with white, in the duck it is green. 



