Vol. xxiii.] 22 



of the other Anatidse in having an eclipse-plumagej though, 

 so far as he was aware, no desci'iption of that plumage had 

 as yet been published. He regretted that he was unable to 

 exhibit a skin in this plumage, but hoped to do so on a 

 subsequent occasion, and could only say that the drake in 

 eclipse-plumage was a very mnch duller bird, showing 

 considerably less black below, while the red band across the 

 mantle showed a large amount of black vermiculation. 



In the case of the duck it would be noticed that the 

 cheeks, forehead, and throat showed a considerable amount 

 of white, and that the feathers along the back of the neck 

 were tipped with brown. The feathers of the mantle were 

 dark grey, nearly black, faintly mottled with rufous, and 

 those of the upper tail-coverts and flanks had dusky tips. 

 On the underparts the chestnut band on the breast was 

 much paler and more restricted in extent and the black was 

 entirely absent, but some of the feathers along the median 

 line showed rufous and dusky tips, many of the feathers on 

 the chest had narrow rufous margins, and the under tail- 

 coverts were practically white with a faint creamy tinge. 

 The bird exhibited was a fully adult female, eight years old, 

 and was killed on the 2nd of September. 



Another living bird was kept for comparison. On 

 the date above mentioned it was found that it exactly 

 resembled the bird exhibited, and some of the feathers on 

 the mantle were marked, in order to ascertain if his was a 

 true eclipse-plumage or merely a transitional phase of moult. 

 This living bird was again carefully examined on the 18th of 

 October and found to be in full moult, but to resemble in all 

 essential points the skin of the full-plumaged adult which 

 was brought up for comparison. 



Mr. Bouhote then showed two of the marked feathers as 

 well as two of the newly-grown feathers, all taken from the 

 living bird on the 18th of October, which showed clearly the 

 difference between the eclipse-feathers and the full feathers, 

 and proved conclusively the existence of the eclipse-plumage 

 and double autumn moult in the female Sheld-duck. So 

 far as he was awai'C, this was the first dcjinilc proof of an 



