ORNAMENTAL WATERFOWL. 143 
possible occasion. White feathers are very apt to make their 
appearance after the second moult, and these, as well as brown 
feathers, should disqualify in the show pen. 
Male.—Plumage, intense shining black with lustrous 
colouring on the head, back, and wings ; bill short, olive-green ; 
legs black ; weight from two to two and a half pounds. 
Female.—Same as male, but bill black. 
Young.—When first hatched, black with yellow shade 
on back ; bill and legs black ; fully feathered at three months 
old. 
Egg.—Greenish, often overcast with a layer of sooty 
black, capable of removal by scraping, usually seen in the first 
eggs of the nest; ten to thirteen in number. April—May. 
Incubation, twenty-six days. 
DUSKY DUCK. 
(Anas obscura). 
This bird is an inhabitant of North America, where it is 
known as the “Black Duck,” and breeds by the sea coast, 
migrating further north on the approach of Spring. Wilson 
states that it feeds principally on minute snails, occasionally 
visiting the sandy beach in search of shell-fish. It is a large 
bird about two feet in length. Being quick on the wing it is 
very difficult to shoot, but dives very rarely. Specimens of this 
unattractive bird were to be seen in the Zoological Society’s 
Gardens in London, but the species has recently died out there. 
It is stated by Dr. Sclater to have been first received in 1850, 
breeding well for fifteen years, and also producing hybrids with 
the common Wild Duck. It has also bred for many years at 
Woburn Abbey. 
In the wild state, the period of incubation is from the 
