308 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



the back white, thickly and elegantly marked with transverse, 

 undulating lines of black, here and there tinged with pale buff; 

 throat and middle of the belly white, tinged with cream; flanks 

 finely pencilled with waving lines; vent white; under tail-coverts 

 black; lesser wing-coverts brown ash; greater the same, tipped 

 with orange ; below which is the speculum or beauty-spot of 

 rich golden green, bordered below with a band of black and 

 another of white; primaries dusky brown ; tertials long, black, 

 edged with white and tinged with rust ; rump and tail coverts 

 pale ash, centred with dark brown ; tail greatly pointed, the 

 two middle tapering feathers being fall five inches longer than 

 the others, and black ; the rest brown ash, edged with white ; 

 legs a pale lead color. 



"The female has the crown of a dark brown color ; neck of a 

 dull brownish-white, thickly speckled with dark brown; breast 

 and belly pale-brownish white, interspersed with white ; back 

 and root of the neck above black, each feather elegantly waved 

 with broad lines of brownish-white — these wavings become ru- 

 fous on the scapulars ; vent white, spotted with dark brown ; 

 tail dark brown, spotted with white; the two middle tail feathers 

 half an inch longer than the others. 



" The Sprigtail is an elegantly formed, long-bodied Duck, the 

 neck longer and more slender than most others." 



