Tt)€ Wood-due^ (Aixsponsa). 



By WILMOT TOWNSEND. 



ftale. 



.rr^HE wood-duck is nineteen inches in length- and two feet four inches in 

 extent; bill red, margined with black ; a spot of black lies between the 

 1 nostrils, reaching nearly to the tip, which is also of the same color, and 

 furnished with a large hooked nail; irides orange red ; front, crown and pendent ores 

 rich glossy bronze green ending in violet, elegantly marked with a ne of pare w , 

 unrig rom the upper mandible over the eye, and with another band of whd 

 proceeding from behind the eye, both mingling their long pendent plumes w.th the 

 green and violet ones, producing a rich effect; cheeks and sides of the upper neck 

 violet- chin, throat and collar round the neck pure white, curvmg up it .the form of 



cent ne riy to the posterior part of the eye; the white collar ,s bounded beW 

 Ilbiack; bLst dark violet brown, marked on the fore par, , ,h mmute . rmngu^ 

 spots of white, increasing in size until they spread mto the wh.te of he belly each 

 d of the breast is bounded by a large crescent of white, and that agam by a broaffe 

 le of deep black; sides under wings thickly and beautifuhy marked w.th fine 

 unduattng parailel lines of black, on a ground of yellowish dra ; the flanks are 

 o „ament!d with broad alternate semi-circnlar bands of biack aud wh.te; ,des of he 

 vnt rich light violet; tail coverts long, of a hair-like texture at the s.des, over wh.cfi 

 he oesce d. and of a deep black glossed with green; back dusky bronze, reflecting 

 green- scapulars black; tail tapering, dark glossy green above, below dusk 



r la'ries dusky, silvery hoary without, tipped with violet biue; seconfiar.es ^msh 

 blue, tipped with white; wing coverts violet blue, t.pped w.th Hack, vent dusky, 

 legs and feet yellowish red, claws strong and hooked." 



Female. 



■■The female has the head slightly crested, crown dark purple, ^behind the eye a 

 bar o, white; chin and throat for two inches also white; head and .tech dark d ab 

 breast dusky brown, marked with large triangular spots of wh.te, back dark glo y 



::: jl. with g oi d a nd ^ «*«*». ^- : ^™^ 



same as in the male, but the fine pencilling of the s.des, and the long 

 coverts, are wanting; the tail is also shorter." 



256 



