DESCRIPTION OF WILD DUCKS' DOWN. 



109 



Sommerfeldt's Method. 



Anas boscas. — A fairly thin light 

 down of a dull brown ; centrum 

 pure white, fading through brown 

 to the rami, which are long, with 

 a greyish white tip composed of 

 the rami and radii, which gradu- 

 ally get lighter at ends ; radii 

 medium length, lying close. (See 

 Class B, No. 1.) 



Mergus serrator. — I cannot quite 

 agree with Sommerfeldt's descrip- 

 tion, which may be quite correct 

 for the down of a Northern Euro- 

 pean bird, but my specimen from 

 Co. Down, Ireland, is a light 

 brownish grey, not bluish grey ; 

 otherwise the description is very 

 good. (See Class B, No. '2.) 



Branta canadensis. — This is a long 

 loose down, with a general colour 

 of light greyish brown to white. 

 The centrum is white, with a dusty 

 tinge. Bami long, and of a light 

 brown, ending in a white tip. The 

 radii are very fine, some having 

 white tips ; they seemed not so 

 regularly distributed along the 

 rami, but some may have got 

 frayed off owing to their fine tex- 

 ture. (See Class B, No. 3.) 



Fuligula cristata. — This medium- 

 sized down is of a dusty brown 

 colour, with 'a whitish brown cen- 

 trum, not very distinct when viewed 

 separately, more in evidence in 

 bulk ; rami fairly long, of a light 

 dusty brown ; radii, which are not 

 long, mostly have a distinct white 

 tip ; this, I think, accounts for the 

 general dusty colour. (See Class C, 

 No. 1.) 



In Bulk. 



grey centres, and very decided grey 

 tips. 

 3. Canadian Goose. — Down greyish 

 brown, nearly white, about the size 

 of Mergus serrator, with white 

 centres and light tips ; some centres 

 much whiter than others. 



C. Dark Down, without White 



Tips. 

 1. Tufted Duck. — Down of a dull 

 brown colour, with pale centres, 

 nearly white just at the shaft. I 

 think this could not be classed 

 with white-tipped downs, although 

 a few have pale tips. 



