PINTAIL DUCK. 217 



Head of moderate size, compressed, the forehead rounded. Neck 

 rather long and slender. Body full and depressed. Wings rather small. 

 Feet very short, placed rather far back ; tarsus very short, compressed, 

 at its lower part anteriorly with two series of scutella, the rest covered 

 with reticulated angular scales. Toes obliquely scutellate above ; first 

 very small, free, with a narrow membrane beneath ; third longest ; fourth 

 a little shorter, their connecting webs entire, reticulated, at the edge pec- 

 tinate ; claws small, curved, compressed, acute, the hind one smaller and 

 more curved, that of the third toe with an inner sharp edge. 



Plumage dense, soft, blended. Feathers of the head and neck short, 

 on the hind head and neck elongated. Wings narrow, of moderate 

 length, acute, the first quill longest, the second nearly equal, the rest 

 rapidly graduated ; outer secondaries broad and rounded ; inner elongat- 

 ed and tapering, as are their coats, and the scapulars ; first quill serrated 

 on the outer edge, somewhat like that of an Owl. Tail of moderate 

 length, tapering, of fourteen tapering feathers, of which the two middle 

 project far beyond the rest. 



Bill black, the sides of upper mandible light blue. Iris brown. Feet 

 greyish-blue ; claws black. Head, throat, and upper part of neck ante- 

 riorly greenish-brown, faintly margined behind with purplish-red ; a small 

 part of hind neck dark green ; the rest, and the upper parts in general 

 beautifully undulated with very narrow bars of brownish-black and yel- 

 lowish-white, smaller wing-coverts, alula, and primary quills grey, the 

 latter dark-brown towards the end ; speculum of a coppery red, chang- 

 ing to dull green, edged anteriorly with light brownish-red, posteriorly 

 with white ; the inner secondaries, and the scapulars, black and green, 

 with broad grey margins. Upper tail-coverts cream-coloured, the outer 

 webs blackish and green ; tail light grey, the middle feathers dark brown, 

 glossed with green. On each side of the neck is an oblique band of 

 white, of which colour are the under parts in general, the sides however 

 undulated like the back, the lateral feathers of the rump cream-coloured, 

 the lower tail-coverts black, those at the sides edged with white. 



Length to end of tail 29 inches ; extent of wings 66 ; bill along the 

 back 2-/j, along the edge of lower mandible 9.^^ ; tarsus 1/j, middle toe 

 2, its claw /jj ; wing from flexure 11, tail h\. Weight 2 lb. 



Adult Female. Plate CCXXVII. Fig. 2. 



Tlic Female, which is much smaller, lias the upper j)arts variegated 



