WOOD DUCK. 61 



dull orange, claws black. Upper part of head, and space between the 

 bill and eye deep green, and highly glossed ; below the latter space a patch 

 of dark purple, and a larger one of the same colour, but lighter, behind 

 the eye ; sides of the neck, its hind part under the crest, and the middle 

 all round very dark purple. A narrow line along the base of the upper 

 mandible and over the eye, meeting on the occiput, pure white, as are 

 some of the feathers of the crest ; another from behind the eye, meeting 

 below the occiput, and including several of the lower elongated feathers. 

 Throat, for more than three inches, pure white, with a process on each 

 side a little beyond the eye, and another nearly halfway down the neck. 

 Sides of the neck, and its lower part anteriorly reddish-purple, each feather 

 on the latter with a triangular white tip. Middle of the neck beliind, back 

 and rump, very dark reddish-brown, the latter deejaer, and tinged with 

 green; upper tail-coverts and tail greenish-black ; some of the lateral tail- 

 coverts dull reddish-purple, a few on either side with their central filaments 

 light red. Smaller wing-coverts, alula and primaries dull greyish-brown; 

 most of the latter with part of their outer web greyish-white, and their 

 inner towards the end darker and glossed with green. Secondary quills 

 tipped with white, the outer webs green, with purple reflections, those of 

 the inner secondaries and scapulars velvet-black, their inner webs partially 

 glossed and changing to green. The broad feathers anterior to the wings 

 are white, terminated with black ; breast and abdomen greyish-white ; 

 feathers under the wings yellowish-grey, minutely undulated with black 

 and white bars; lower wing-coverts and axillar feathers white, barred 

 with greyish-brown ; lower tail-coverts dull greyish-brown. 



Length 20^ inches, to end of claws 17i, extent of wings 28 ; bill 1 /^ ; 

 tarsus l^^g, middle toe and claw S/^ ; wing from flexure 9, tail 41. 



Adult Female. Plate CCVI. Figs. 2, 4. 



The female is considerably smaller, and differs greatly from the male 

 in colouring. The feathers of the head are not elongated, but those of 

 the upper part of the neck behind are slightly so. In other respects the 

 plumage presents nothing very remarkable, and is similar to that of the 

 male, only the feathers anterior to the wing, the upper hypochondrial 

 the inner secondaries and the rump-feathers are not enlarged, as in him. 

 Bill blackish-brown ; feet dusky, tinged with yellow. Upper part of 

 head dusky, glossed with green, sides of the head and neck, with the hind 



