CLUCKING TEAL. 149 



velvet black tinged with purple, bordered laterally 

 with ochreous, and terminating nearly at the end of 

 the pointed tail with light spotted grey. Beak black, 

 with the nail glossy brown; feet and legs light brown. 



The female is a plainly-coloured bird, having all 

 the upper parts rich brown, the feathers on the back 

 being bordered more or less broadly with russet; pri- 

 maries brown, the speculum having the upper russet 

 border as broad as the other, the four colours — russet, 

 green, black, and white — succeeding each other in about 

 equal proportions; sides of the head and neck marbled 

 grey; throat white; chest rich brown, with darker oval 

 and irregularly-shaped spots; middle of the abdomen 

 dirty white; lower part and under tail coverts the same, 

 but thickly spotted with brown; flanks in large spots 

 of two shades of brown; beak black, with the nail 

 brown; feet and legs light brown. 



I have the greatest pleasure in giving correct drawings 

 of the male and female of this rare European bird, 

 the specimens having been obtained at great cost by 

 Mr. Tristram, through Dr. Middendorff himself, from 

 the Caspian Sea. 



