THE TUFTED DUCK. 145 



In the characters which come under " form," this bird differs only from F. cris- 

 tata in the shape of the upper mandible, which is narrow generally, and increases 

 more in breadth towards the point. 



CoLOTjR. In several points of view it appears the young male F. cristata as- 

 suming in part the adult plumage, which the next moult would have rendered com- 

 plete. It has the entire head and neck, except in the foUovving particulars, marked 

 with the green and violet or purple reflections of the tufted duck, though less bright, 

 also the crest only partially developed ; the exceptions are that the throat is pure 

 white for an inch from the base of lower mandible ; and that, about 2^ inches from 

 upper sm-face of head, the neck is sm-rouuded (except for four lines at the back) with 

 a pure white collar about a quarter of an inch in breadth. This collar is not exactly 

 transverse, but rises higher in front than elsewhere. Plumage of the back, rump, 

 and tail only differing from that of F. cristata in being less dark in general hue. 

 Wings differing only in the primaries and greater coverts, and in the latter on the 

 left wing only, but here in a remarkable manner. In the right wing the first five 

 primaries are pure white including shafts, the sixth has white down its centre on the 

 inner web only, the succeeding are of the ordiaaiy colour of those on the old 

 male tufted duck ; in this wing the greater coverts are hlach. In the left wing the 

 greater coverts are pure white, including shafts ; the first three primaries are pure 

 white, including shafts ; the fourth, fifth, and sixth pure white, except the shafts and 

 a narrow hue of black on either side of them, which is carried to the point ; the 

 succeeding ones are entii'ely dark at the tip, but above it, as in the right wing, are 

 of a dull white on the outer web, like that of the old male F. cristata. The entire 

 breast and the under parts have the plumage partly of the immature, and partly of the 

 mature male tufted duck, — in this respect just like the head. The colour of the bill 

 differs only from that of F. cristata in having the nail of the under mandible white, 

 and a considerable part of this mandible pale horn-colour. The legs and feet differ 

 in colom- from those of the tufted duck in being generally of a rather paler hue; in 

 having the outer nail on both feet white and pale horn-colour, and a blotch of white 

 on the adjoining web ; this latter marking, too, being present on both feet towards the 

 margin of the membrane connecting the middle and inner toes. 



February 19, 1838. — I received the trachea of an adult male F. cristata ; and, on 

 comparing it with Mr. Dombrain's sketch of that taken from his bird, found them 

 quite identical in form. 



The irides of a few specimens examined by me were bright 

 gamboge-yellow in the adult male and female, and in the latter, 

 when immature, brownish-yellow. 



The tufted duck is considered rare on the north-west coast of 

 Donegal."^ In the little iidand lakes of the county Armagh, it is 

 the most common species of duck during winter, and remains un- 

 til a late period of the spring ; as many as fifty may sometimes be 



* Mr. J. V. Stewart. 

 VOL. 111. L 



