﻿116 ANATID.E. 



teen, and they are in size, shape, and colour, as represented 

 in our Plate. 



The food of the present species consists in seeds and 

 insects. 



This is a very ornamental species, and may very easily be 

 kept in confinement, or half-domesticated, provided a suit- 

 able locality is given it ; such as a rivulet that runs through 

 a well-wooded pleasure-ground or plantation. 



The entire length of the Summer Duck is twenty-one 

 inches ; the beak measures one inch four lines and a half 

 from the forehead to the tip ; the tarsus one inch six 

 lines ; the middle toe and claw two inches ; the wing 

 nine inches. 



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

 of the head, and space between the eye and the beak, are 

 glossy dark green ; the cheeks, and a large patch on the 

 sides of the throat, purple with blue reflections ; the crest on 

 the top of the head is green and lake reflected. The chin 

 and throat are white, which colour extends in a line to 

 behind the eye, and another line of the same passes behind 

 the ear-coverts and extends over the eye to the beak ; the 

 sides of the neck are purplish red, changing on the front of 

 the neck and sides of the breast to a deep maroon colour, 

 studded with triangular white spots ; the back, scapulars, 

 lesser wing-coverts, and tail-feathers, are a metallic display 

 of black, green, lake, and blue ; the lower part of the back, 

 rump, and upper tail-coverts are blackish green and purple. 

 On the sides of the rump are pendant hair-like tufts of red- 

 dish purple ; the under tail-coverts are brown ; the lower 

 part of the breast and vent are white ; the flanks are rich 

 yellow, finely pencilled with black ; the quill-feathers are 

 silver grey, with much white on the outer webs, and some of 

 the shorter ones tipped with blue ; the beak is red, framed 



