12 



The male and female of this were by Linnaeus thought to 

 be different species. We are however well assured of the 

 contrary by our most kind friend Lord Seaforth^ who pro- 

 cured and favoured me with these specimens from Scotland. 



Mr. Simmons gave me a young female which he shot in 

 one of the Orkneys. 



Dr. Latham's description of it in his Synopsis is so good, 

 that we cannot do better than follow him. 



Male. — ** Size of a Wigeon. Length one foot five inches : 

 breadth twenty-six inches : weight eighteen ounces and three 

 quarters, troy. Bill near an inch and half long, and black : 

 irides hazel : between the bill and eye white, in some yel- 

 lowish, or saffron colour*, extending a little over the eyes, 

 and beyond. Crown of the head black, bounded by a reddish 

 streak : on each side of the neck a perpendicular line of white, 

 and above it a white spot ; except this, the whole of the necic 

 is black : round the breast is a white collar, broadest be- 

 hind, where it is marked with black dots, and is bounded 

 by a black band: between this and the wings is a transverse 

 mark of white. The breast, below the collar, blueish ash 

 colour. The back dusky brown, inclined to purple. Rump 

 deep blue black. Belly and thighs black. Sides dull orange: 

 on each side of the tail a spot of white. The prime quills 

 dusky ash colour, some of them tipped with white. Tail 

 brown. Legs blueish black." 



Female. — *^ Length thirteen inches and a half. Bill black : 



irides hazel: the forehead and between the bill and eye 



white : on the ear a spot of the same : head, neck, and back 



brown; palest on the fore part of the neck: upper part of 



the breast and rump rufous brown : lower part of the breast 



and belly barred with pale rufous and white, but the lower 



belly and thighs with rufous and brown: scapulars and 



wing-coverts rufous brown ; the outer greater ones blackish : 



quills and tail dusky, the last inclined to rufous: legs 



dusky." 



♦ Muller. 



