184 GAME SHOAL-WATER FOWL. 



brown, slightly glossed with green, their mar- 

 gins buffy. The lower parts are pale reddish- 

 orange, shaded on the breast with purplish-red, and 

 thickly spotted with black ; the number of roundish 

 or elliptical spots on each feather varying from 

 ten to twenty-five, those on the upper and hind 

 parts of the sides running into transverse bars. 

 Axillar feathers, some of the lower wing-coverts, 



and a patch on the side of the rump pure white; 



« 



lower tail-coverts brownish-black. 



Length to end of tail, 16 inches ; extent of wings, 

 31 J; weight, 12£ ounces. 



Adult female : Bill greenish-dusky. Iris hazel. 

 Feet of a duller yellow than those of the male. 

 The head and neck are pale dull-buff, longi- 

 tudinally marked with brownish-black lines, which 

 are broader and darker on the top of the head. 

 The fore parts of the cheeks and the throat whit- 

 ish, without markings. The upper parts are dark- 

 brown. The feathers margined with brownish- 

 white. The smaller wing-coverts colored as in the 

 male, but less brilliantly. No blue on the scapu- 

 lars, which are also less elongated. On the lower 

 parts the feathers are dusky-brown, broadly mar- 

 gined with light brownish-gray, of which there is 

 a streak or spot in the centre. The axillary 



