ANATID^E. 479 



of our other Ducks : it is veiy thickly covered at the 

 sides with a row of small bristle-like teeth, some- 

 thing like the end of a small tooth-comb ; the beak 

 is also very sensitive, so that the bird can easily 

 detect the nutritive parts of anything it may pick up, 

 and by the help of the bristles prevent the escape of 

 such parts, however small or slippery they may be, 

 it is of a lead- colour in the male ; the irides are 

 yellow ; the head and neck dark glossy- green ; the 

 lower part of the neck, scapulars and part of the 

 tertials are white ; the back is dark brown ; the 

 rump, tail-coverts and tail-feathers almost black, 

 the latter edged with white ; the whole of the lesser 

 wing-coverts pale greyish blue; the greater wing- 

 coverts dusky, tipped with white ; the primary quill- 

 feathers brownish dusky ; the secondaries the same, 

 with a dark glossy green speculum ; the tertials are 

 some of them pale blue on the outer web, and some 

 of them glossy green ; the lower part of the breast 

 and belly vinous red ; the thighs pale brown, streaked 

 and freckled with dark brown, nearly black ; the 

 legs, toes and webs reddish orange ; claws black. 

 Like all the Duck family, the male birds lose much 

 of their bright distinctive plumage for about two 

 months towards the end of the summer and the 

 beginning of autumn : so great is this change, that 

 any one not knowing that it takes place would be 

 puzzled to recognize the various species at that time, 

 however well he might have known them in their 



