BLUE-WINGED THAL IN NORTH ICELAND. 341 
feathers with lighter brown; hind neck and back paler. Scapulars 
deep dusky brown, almost black, fringed with dirty white on worn 
feathers, but pale brown on freshly moulted ones. Tail and upper 
tail-coverts similar, but rather paler, and not so distinctly mar- 
gined. Sides of head yellowish white, streaked with dark umber, 
becoming broader on lower neck and upper breast. Throat and 
front of upper neck yellowish white, unstreaked. Elanks umber, 
margined with yellowish white. Under breast yellowish white, 
some of the feathers with dark umber centres. Abdomen yellowish 
white, more thickly marked with pale umber. Under tail-coverts 
blackish umber, broadly margined with dull white. In the wings 
the outer margins of the primaries are dusky, inner margins paler. 
Secondaries greenish grey, faintly margined with pale buff. Ter- 
tiaries dark umber, margined and centred with pale buff. Greater 
wing-coverts bluish slate, marbled and broadly margined, but 
gradually diminishing towards inner ones, with pure white, forming 
a broad white bar across the wings, very conspicuous when expanded ; 
median and outer wing-coverts pale blue. Axillaries and most of 
the under wing-coverts white. Bill greenish drab on top, merging 
into pale drab around margins, spotted and blotched with black, 
around base pale yellowish drab; inside mouth drabish white. Legs 
and toes drabish yellow, toes becoming a clearer yellow, webs very 
pale drab, nails drab. Immature males and females have broader 
white bars across the wings. 
IT understand that this season (1912) several English orni- 
thologists intend visiting those districts of Iceland worked by me 
in 1899, and to some of those who have been in correspondence 
with me I have communicated the above facts, and asked them 
to be on the alert for Blue-winged Teal in particular. I have 
also asked that the case of conscious protective colouring—a 
very interesting one—I mentioned in connection with the Ringed 
Plover (Avgialites hiaticula), p. 418, shall be investigated if the 
one party (Mr. Young’s) reaches Husavick early enough in the 
season. | 
I intended writing upon this subject, and others, immediately 
after my return from British Columbia, but that period marked 
the commencement of a multitude of troubles and hard work 
which gave me no time to devote to these matters. 
