CHAULELA8MUS STREPERUS. 140 



secondaries black ; secoudaries pure grey, silvery towards the tips ; a speculum 

 formed by the outer secondaries, four or five glossy velvety black and three with 

 broad pure A\'hite outer webs, those next the black often with a narrow black 

 edge ; primaries brown-grey, darkest at the tips ; shoulder of wing and under 

 wing-coverts white. 



The colours, as with nearly all ducks, vary considerably ; the abdomen is 

 sometimes as pure white as freshly fallen snow, often tinged with rufous and 

 sometimes aaIioH}' of that colour. In the same way the colours of the head vary 

 much also. I have a fine drake before me now in which the rufous head 

 contrasts strongly with the blacker breast ; and again another drake in which the 

 two colours blend with one another. 



Maxilla dark slaty brown, black or brown ; mandible paler and yellowish or 

 reddish on the gonys and tip ; irides dark brown ; legs yellow, brownish-yellow 

 to dull orange ; claws almost black. 



" Legs and toes orange-red, less bright after the summer moult ; claws black ; 

 webs dusky orange-red." {Hume.) 



Length 19-.5 to 21"5 inches, wing lO-o to 11*75, tail 3*-i to 4-3, tarsus 

 about 1-5, bill at front l-i)0 to 2-00 aud from gape 2-0o to 2-25, Weight 1 lb. 

 7 ozs. to 2 lb. 4 ozs. 



Female. — General colour above brown, the feathers with buff or rufous 

 margins, and the head and neck more or less spotted and streaked on a light 

 ground : the scapulars unmarked dark brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 brownish black ; wings as in the male, but the chestnut, if not altogether absent, 

 is present only on the outer webs of some of the median coverts ; below the 

 breast and sides are pale rufous, sometimes rather darker, spotted with brown ; 

 under tail-coverts and feathers about vent the same : remainder of lower parts 

 white, more or less tinged with rufous. 



L'ides and legs the same as in the male ; bill dull orange to yellowish-brown, 

 the culuien and tip brown. Length about 18 to 20*1 inches, wing 9 to 10 (10'2, 

 Hume), tail 3-0 to 4-0 (3-7 to 4-5, Hume), tarsus 1-37 to 1-42, bill at front 1-8 

 to 1'95 and from gape 1'9.5 to 21."). Weight about 1 lb. to 1| lb. 



Young in first plumage. — '• Closely resembles the adult female, but there is no 

 chestnut or black on the wings, the white on the secondaries is dull, and the 

 whole of the feathers on the underpai'ts have obscure, ill-defined, brown centres." 

 (Salvador!.) 



Young in down are like those of the ]\Lillard, " but there is a more pro- 

 nounced golden tinge on the throat and cheeks, the streak through the eye is 

 more defined, and there is a small dark spot at the junction of the mandibles, 

 which the Mallard has not." (Yarrcll.) 



After the breeding-season the drake assumes a plumage similar to that of the 

 duck, returning to his full dress attire before the winter has fairly set in, though 

 u few males may still be found in the female garb as late as the middle of 

 November. 



Out-idc India tlic ranof' of i\\\< tine duck may be -aid to he tlic Northern 

 H('ini>])lK'r*'. It hreods jjBJictically ri^^lit across its hal)itat in the <ul)-.A.rctic 



