,■28 ARiilGONI DEGLI ODüI. 



-the passagc from thc füll nuplial-dress to tlie moulling- 

 plumage is modified in becoming moro opaqiie, he says 

 -he has obscrved Ihis in birds living in his aviaries. I have 

 nevcr noticed this facL in the several specimens of those 

 Shovellers, Mallards, Wigeons, Pintails, Teals and Gar- 

 ganeys Ihat I have had for some time and have still alive 

 in my garden at Caoddo and the nnmerous specimens of 

 my Colleclion, killed in their moulting-dress in the 

 Summer months, have never olTered the speculum diffe- 

 rent from those killed in füll wedding-dress. 



Hybrid bet-ween the Pintail and Teal 

 Dafila acuta L. X Querquedula crecca L. 



(Nf 265 o' ad. (no date or locality). 



A wide band bnfßsh-bay from the sides of bill passes 

 under the eye and ends abont at half neck; the last row 

 of wing-coverts edgeU with light bntf ; secondaries whil- 

 ish-yellow at the top not very dark and pure, black in 

 the outer web from the first to fourth ; the foUowing gilt 

 and metallic-green which increases from lifth to last ; the 

 black and green form,on the folded wing, two long specu- 

 lums one above the other, anteriorly and posteriorly 

 edged by a light buffish and whitish-yellow band ; tertials 

 entirely brovvnish, blackish round the shafl, outwardly 

 greyish-brown, the outermost with a black stripe along 

 the outer web. 



Bill as to form like Pintail and also as to colour judg- 

 ing from the two lead-blue lines on the sides of it ; irides 

 hazel ; forehead and crown as far as towards nape like 

 cf Pintail both as to design and hue, that is, black with 

 top and edge of feathers dark hair-brown, so that the 

 design appears undulated ; nape bright and metallic blue- 

 black in the centre, bright metallic-green on sides, here 

 and there with small bufiish lines which would incline to 

 show the two white stripes on bind neck of cf Pintail, 

 the lines being to a certain point continuedand beginning, 

 as in the cf of Pintail, on the nape, here the colour is 



