PINTAIL DUCK. 179 



Gen. Dafila, Leach. 



Char —Tail long, of sixteen feathers, with the central feathers 

 much lengthened and narrow ; neck very long ; bill slightly narrower 

 than in the preceding forms, and elevated at the base, equal to the 

 head, of uniform width ; lamelhe not projecting ; wings long, the 

 1 st primary longest. 



The Pintails are, by some, not separated from the Teals, but their 

 larger size, long necks, and lengthened rectrices, sufficiently charac- 

 terize them. 



19. Dafila acuta, Linn. 



Anas apud LiNNJEUS — Blyth. Cat. 1775— Jerdon, Cat. 385— 

 Gould, Birds of Europe, pi. ?>§5—Dig-hous, Beng.— Kokarali, 

 Sindh. 



The Pintail Duck. 

 Descr. — Male, forehead and crown umber-brown, the feathers 

 with paler edges ; the rest of the head, chin, and throat, dark hair- 

 browm, slightly glossed behind the ears with purplish green ; fore- 

 part of the neck and two lateral streaks, passing upwards to the 

 occiput, white ; neck above deep blackish-brown ; the whole of the 

 back beautifully marked with transverse undulating lines of black 

 and greyish-white ; scapulars black ; upper tail-coverts and tail 

 dark cinereous brown, the edges of the feathers paler, and the two 

 central elongated tail-feathers black; wing-coverts and primaries 

 hair-brown ; lesser wing-coverts smoke-grey ; the speculum black- 

 ish-green, glossed with purple, bordered above by a pale ferruginous 

 bar, and below by a white one; tertiaries long and acuminate, 

 velvet-black, with a broadish edging of greyish or yellowish- 

 white ; breast and abdomen white, the sides of both with trans- 

 verse black and whitish lines, and the latter minutely speckled with 

 grey towards the vent ; under tail-coverts black. 



Bill black, the sides of the upper mandible bluish ; irides dark 

 brown; legs blackish grey. Length 25 to 28 inches; wing nearly 

 11 ; tail 84 ; bill 2 J ; tarsus 1 1 ; middle toe 2£. 



The female is smaller, has the head and neck reddish brown, 

 speckled and streaked with dusky ; the upper plumage umber- 



