RARCTPTOIiNIS MELAXONOTA. 23 



Genus SAECIDIORNIS. 



This gonus is soparatod from tlio otlior Indian gonora by the presence 

 ol-a spur on the shouklers of tlie wing. This feature was formerly con- 

 sidered of sufficient importance to constitiite as a subfamily by themselves 

 such birds as possessed it, and the Plectropterinte are designated by Jerdon 

 " Spurred Geese/^ Later systematists have, however, added others to this 

 subfamily, which now contains eight genera, many of which are not 

 spurred. 



(5) SARCIDIORNIS MELANONOTA 

 THE NUKHTA or COMB-DUCK. 



Sarkidiornis nielaiionotus, Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 785 ; ITwne, Nests 4' J^'J'.I^-, 

 p. 636 : Butler ^' Hume, Str. Featli. iv, p. 27 ; Hume S)- Davis, ihiil. v, 

 p. 486 ; Hume, ihid. vii, p. 507. 



Sarcidiornis melanonotus, Hume, Str. Feath. vii, p. 491 ; id. ihid. viii, 

 p. 114; id. Cat. no. 950; Hume 6>- Mar. Game.-B. iii, p. 92; Parker, Str. 

 Feath. ix, p. 486; Legrje, B. of Ceij. p. 1063; Oates, Str. Feath. x, 

 p. 245 ; Hume, Nest ^- Fggs {Oates ed.), iii, p. 282 ; Barnes, B. of Bom. 

 p, 396 ; Young, Jour. B. N. H. S. xi, p. 572 ; Seivell,ihid. p. 547; Aitlcen, 

 ihid. p. 552 ; Oates, Game-B. ii, p. 102 ; Blanford, Fauna B. T. iv, 

 p. 423. 



Sarcidiornis melanonota, Oates, B. of Brit. Burm. ii. p. 275 ; Salvador 

 Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 54. 



Description. Adult male. — Head and neck white, spotted with metallic-black 

 feathers, coalescing more or less upon the crown, nape, and hind-neck ; lower 

 neck and whole lower plumage white, tinged sometimes with rufous-grey ; rest of 

 upper plumage and wings black, glossed with green and blue, except on the 

 secondaries, which are glossed with bronze, and the scapularies, ou which the 

 gloss is purple ; tail brown ; sides of the body tinged with grey ; a black mark 

 (almost a demi-collar) on the sides of the neck, and another black band in front 

 of the under tail-coverts descending from the rump. Lower back grey. 



Female. — Like the male, but smaller and duller ; head and neck more spotted 

 with black, but the black less glossy in character, and the gloss on the upper 

 parts also is much less developed. Lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts all 

 gi'ey. 



Young. — Like the female, but still more spotted about tlie head with a dull 

 blackish-brown ; the black of the back and wings also is replaced by brown and 

 is without gloss. 



