THE RING-NECKED DUCK. 323 



greenish-black, with purple reflections. A brownish-red collar, broader 

 before, on the middle of the neck. Its lower part all round, as well as the 

 back, scapulars, smaller wing-coverts, and posterior part of abdomen, brown- 

 ish-black. Inner secondaries of the same colour, outer bluish-grey on the 

 outer web, light brown on the inner, as are the primaries, of which the outer 

 webs and tips are dark brown. Tail brownish-grey. Chin white, breast 

 greyish-white, sides and fore part of abdomen greyish-white, minutely undu- 

 lated with greyish-brown. 



Length to end of tail IS inches, to end of wings 16; extent of wings 28; 

 wing from flexure 7f; tail 2\\ bill along the back 2 T \, along the edge of 

 lower mandible 1{^; tarsus 1 T \-; middle toe 2^, its claw j%. 



Adult Female. 



The female has the neck umber-brown, the upper part of the head darker, 

 the back blackish-brown, the speculum bluish-grey, as in the male, the 

 breast brownish-white, the loral spaces and chin pale brown, the abdomen 

 umber-brown. 



Length 16 inches. 



The Tufted Duck of Europe, Fuligula cristata, is very intimately allied 

 to this species. The bill of the latter is longer, narrower, and differently 

 coloured, the unguis broader at the end, as is the flat triangular space at the 

 base of the upper mandible. The bill of the Scaup Duck is still broader 

 towards the end, with a much narrower unguis, and the flattened part of the 

 upper mandible still narrower than in the Tufted Duck; the colour of the 

 speculum is also different, being bluish-grey in the Ring-necked Duck, and 

 white in the two allied species. The females of the Ring-necked and Scaup 

 Ducks, which are nearly similar in colour, differ in the speculum, and in the 

 peculiar form of the bill. 



