48 INDIAN DUCKS. 



glossed greeu and tipped with white ; primaries glossy gret'u tipped hrowii, and 

 Avith a broad white band continuing the bar made by the white tips of the 

 secondaries ; tail browu ; bill, legs, and feet black, the two latter more or less 

 tinged witli slaty yellow ; irides bright crimson-red. 



" Sides of tarsus and toes dusty-yellow ; claws horny-brown." (Oatcs.) 



Length 12-5 to 13-5 inches, wing (! to 7 (rarely over 6-0 or under 6-3), tail 

 about 3, culmen about '9 to '95, tarsus 1. 



AYeight between 9 and 12 ozs. 



Female. — Cap as in the male, but uniform brow n ; forehead more broadly 

 speckled with brown ; a deep brown line running through eye ; remainder of 

 lower plumage and head white, the breast and lower neck \\ith narrow bars of 

 dark brown taking the place of the collar in the male ; face and neck much 

 A'ermiculated with browu, and the flanks both barred and speckled witli the same. 

 In old females the abdomen and centre of the breast are pure white, in younger 

 birds more or less marked with brown ; outer secondaries broadly and inner 

 primaries very narrowly tipped with white ; remainder of wings, upper plumage, 

 and tail brown, the scapulars and back being occasionally faintly glossed, upper 

 tail-coverts finely stippled, with white. 



Bill brown, dark olive, paler and yellowish on mandible, commissure, and gape ; 

 iris red-brown; legs and feet dull slate-yellow, more or less smudged with 

 blackish-green ; claws light yellow-brown. 



Length about 12 inches, wing G or a trifle over, tail about 2-75, culmen 

 about 0*9, tarsus nearly 1, 



Male in winter. — '' Similar to the female, but always retains the conspicuous 

 white patch on tJie primaries." {Salvador i.) 



Does this little duck always assume a winter plumage when fully adult ? 

 I doubt it, for I have males shot iu winter just as glossy and fully plunuiged as 

 any to be obtained during the breeding-season and liot weather. 



Young. — Like the female, but even more striped about the head with brown, 

 and also more banded with light brown on the flanks. 



Young in down. — " Upper parts, flanks, and under tail-coverts blackish 

 brown ; a broad superciliary stripe, cheeks, throat, front neck, and breast \\ hite ; 

 a brown line through tlie eyes ; two broad white spots on each side of the back, 

 one near the base of the wings, and the other, much longer, on the sides of the 

 rump; feathers of the tail blackish, very long and stiff." (Salradori.) 



The Cotton-Teal is found almost throughout Indin. Burma, and Covlon, 

 and extends also to C*hina and the Philippines, fSunda Islands, and the 

 Celebes. 



In India projjcr it may be said to lune its stronghold in Eastern Benoal, 

 is still very connnon in AVestern Bengal and Assam, less so in the Eastern 

 Punjab and Pajputana, especially so in cold weather, and actually rare 

 towards the west of the Empire. Barnes says that it is not found either 

 in Gnzerat or Scind, but it has been recorded from both places .since his 

 book was written. 



