duck. 285 



54— SPOTTED-BILLED DUCK. 



Anas poecilorhyncha, Ind. Orn. ii. 850. Gm. Lin. i. 535. Zool. Indie. 23. t. 13. 

 Spotted-billed Duck, Gen. Syn. vi. 487. Ind. Zool. 4to. 52. pi. 14. 



I FIND in the drawings of Sir J. Anstruther most excellent 

 representations of both sexes of this bird. In the male the bill is 

 black, with the end for about one-fourth yellow ; at the base, on the 

 forehead on each side, a rufous bare spot ; irides red ; through the 

 eyes a dusky streak ; head and neck pale dusky grey ; top of the 

 head darker, mottled with brown ; back and wings deep brown, 

 the feathers of the first with pale margins; lower part of the back, 

 rump, upper and under tail coverts, black ; wing coverts dusky ash ; 

 bend of the wing white; on the wing a green speculum, bounded 

 above and below with black ; besides which is a bar of white above, 

 from the ends of the larger coverts ; the lower outside scapulars 

 white, making a streak along the wing ; quills and tail dusky 

 brown, all but the two middle feathers of the latter paler on 

 the margins, and rather pointed in shape ; beneath the breast is 

 pale rufous white, more or less spotted with brown; belly white, 

 marked with large crescents of black ; thighs brown, fringed with 

 white ; legs rufous brown, with some spots of dusky. 



The general colour of the head, neck, and body in the female 

 are cinereous brown, paler about the two first ; most of the feathers 

 fringed with white; the speculum green as in the other, but only 

 bounded below with dusky, without any white bar above as in the 

 male, or white on the bend of the wing; but the longitudinal streak 

 on the outer scapulars is dusky white ; legs deep red. 



Inhabits the Island of Ceylon, in the East Indies, where it is 

 very common ; likewise found on the Coast of Coromandel, and 

 there called Madun. In Lord Mountnorris's drawings is the male, 

 from Oude, where it is named Gorumpoar, or Gerumpa. 



