﻿78 ANATID.E. 



The plumage of the adult male is as follows : — The head 

 and upper part of the neck black, with a gloss of green ; the 

 lower part of the neck, the back, wing-coverts, flanks, rump, 

 and basal part of the tail-feathers pure white ; across the 

 breast is a broad band of orange-brown, which extends around 

 and meets on the back at the root of the neck. The sca- 

 pulars and tips of the tail-feathers are black, as also the 

 outer edges of the long tertials ; the specimen is glossed 

 with green ; the edges of three or four of the secondaries 

 are chestnut ; the vent gamboge-yellow ; a dusky black line 

 runs from the breast to the vent, extending somewhat in 

 width as it reaches the thighs ; the eyes are dark brown, the 

 beak, which has a knob on its upper surface near the forehead, 

 is crimson ; the legs and feet flesh-coloured. 



The adult female resembles the male in most respects, but 

 is without the knob on the beak, and the orange-brown band 

 below the neck is not so broad. 



The young bird differs very considerably from the adult ; 

 its beak is Indian red, the legs and feet grey, shaded with 

 reddish-horn colour ; the forehead, space between the beak 

 and eyes, chin, throat, and all the under parts white, 

 the thighs and flanks tinged with wood-brown, and 

 with cinereous centres to the feathers ; the eyes sur- 

 rounded with white ; the upper part of the head, the cheeks, 

 nape, and back part of the neck dusky ; the upper part of 

 the back wood-brown, the larger feathers edged and tipped 

 with white ; the tertials the same, the edges of the secon- 

 daries above the green speculum are chestnut, with white 

 tips ; the wing- coverts white, with pearl-grey edges ; the 

 quill-feathers black, as also the tips of the four middle tail- 

 feathers. 



The egg figured 244 is that of the Shieldrake. 



