The Water Fowl. 15 



uniform, without a pattern : black or 

 dark brown in the case of the Sheld- 

 Ducks, the Comb-Ducks, the Whistling 

 Ducks, the Wood-Ducks and the Grey 

 Ducks ; and grey or brown in the case 

 of the Marbled and Stiff-tailed Ducks. 



All the highly-migratory and rapid-flying 

 Ducks have the primaries with the outer 

 web of a very dark colour, and the inner 

 web of a drab colour with a dark tip. 

 The Ducks which have the primaries of 

 this peculiar pattern are the True Ducks, 

 the Golden-eyes, and the Mergansers. 



Another pattern is presented by the 

 Pink-headed Ducks and the Pochards. 

 These have the outer primaries similar 

 to those of the True Ducks, above de- 

 scribed; but the inner primaries are 

 of the same white or pale colour as the 

 speculum, but tipped with dusky. 



The Scaup Ducks have the primaries 

 very similar to those of the Pink-headed 

 Ducks and Pochards, but the inner 

 primaries, instead of being white or of 

 a pale colour on both webs, have only 

 the outer web white or of a pale colour, 

 the inner web being dark. 



The Cotton-Teal is one of the very few 

 Ducks, in fact the only Indian one, in 

 which the pattern of the primaries varies 



