DENDROCVCNA JAVAXICA. 99 



(19) DENDROCYCNA JAVANICA. 

 THE LESSER or COMMON AVHISTLING-TEAL. 



Dendrocygna arcuata, Hume, Sir. Feath. i, p. 260 ; id. Nests S,- E<jgs, p. 639 ; 



id. Sh\ FeaiJi. ii, p. 315 ; Ball, ibid. p. 483 ; Oates, ibid, v, p. 169. 

 Dendrocygna awsuree, Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 786. 

 Dendrocygna javanica, Hume cf- Davis. Sfr. Feath. vi, pp. 486, 488 ; Cripps, 



ibid, vii, p. 311 ; Hume, ibid, viii, p. 71 ; Hume, Gat. no. 952 ; Legge,B. of 



Ceij. p. 1069 ; Hume <j" Mar. Game-B. iii, p. 109 ; Binyliam, Sir. Feath. 



ix, p. 198 ; Pari', ibid. p. 486 ; Oates, Sir. Featli. x, p. 245 ; id. B. of 



Brit. Barm, ii, p. 273 ; Barnes, B. of Bom. p. 398 ; Hume, Nests Sf Eggs 



{Oates ed.), iii, p. 284. 

 Dendrocycna javanica, Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 156 ; Blanford, 



Fauna B. I. iv, p. 430. 



Description. Adult male. — Eorehead and crown brown, paler and reddish 

 on the forehead, and darkest on the occiput ; remainder of head and neck pale 

 fulvous-grey, paler on the cheeks, and almost white on the chin and upper 

 throat ; this colour gradually changes into yellowish-grey or yellowish-fulvous on 

 the breast, which again changes into the chestnut of the lower parts, and this 

 again, in its turn, fades into the dirty creamy-white of the lower tail-coverts. 

 Above, the colour of the neck changes into brown on the scapulars and back, 

 where the feathers are broadly margined with golden-rufous ; rump black ; 

 upper tail-coverts chestnut ; tail brown, very narrowly margined with paler 

 dingy rufous ; lesser and median wing-coverts chestnut, the latter sometimes 

 mixed with ashy ; greater coverts dark ashy, rarely splashed with chestnut next 

 the primaries ; quills black, the inner secondaries more brown and edged with 

 dingy ash-colour ; flanks chestnut, the feathers sometimes centred paler ; axil- 

 laries brown. 



Irides dark brown ; bill almost black to slaty-grey, with the nail darker; feet 

 slaty brown to dull black. "Eyelids bright yellow " {Salvadori). 



" The irides are deep brown ; the eyelids bright yellow to pale golden ; the 

 legs and feet generally dark, at times somewhat pale plumbeous-blue, often dusky 

 in patches, and on the webs and claws blackish ; bill plumbeous to pale dull blue 

 at the base, shading to black at the tip, the bill in some having a greater extent 

 of plumbeous, in others black; the membrane between the rami of the lower 

 mandible is generally pinkish."' {Hame.) 



Length 16 to 17'5 inches, wing 6-92 to 8-04, tail about 2*5 to 3, tarsus 1*6 

 to 1-92, bill from gape 1-7 to 2-06. 



"Length about 18 inches, wing 8. tail 2, bill at front 14, tarsus 1|, mid- 

 toe 2^^." (./erdon.) 



Weight about 1 lb. to 1 lb. 6 ozs.,the latter weight unusual. 



11 2 



