PINTAL-DUCK, OR SPKI^liTAIL. 325 



hind-part of the upper half of the neck black, bordered on each 

 side by a stripe of white, which spreads over the lower part of the 

 neck before ; sides of the breast and upper part of 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 Avith 

 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, bor- 

 dered 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 full 

 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 th& neck above black, each feather elegantly waved with broad 

 lines of brownish white — these wavings become rufous on the scapu- 

 lars ; 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." 



