252 THE POCHARD OR DUN-BIRD. 
Females.—Length, 17°25 to 18°0; expanse, 28°75 to 31'5; 
wing,-7°9 to 3°3 ; tail from vent, 22 t0.2ae- fatsus, 14 toa Se 
bill from gape, 2°0 to 2°19; weight, 1 Ib. 5 ozs. to 2 Ibs. 4 ozs. 
I dare say that, if a really large series were measured, greater 
variations would be found to exist. 
The irides vary ; they are generally orange yellow, but I have 
noted them brown in one, apparently adult female, and lac red 
iti an old male. 
The legs and feet are pale bluish, or slatey grey, or dull 
leaden, often darker on the joints and with the webs black or 
nearly so. The bills are black and bluish grey or leaden, in 
varying proportions. In some, the entire bill is black, with 
only a leaden-coloured crescentic bar on the upper mandible 
towards the tip, In others, only the tip and the basal portions 
of the upper mandible to a little beyond the nostrils are black, 
and the whole intervening portions of this mandible are leaden 
blue; and between these two extremes the breadth of the 
blue band or bar varies. 
THE PLATE, I think, is very good. I have several birds before 
me now which match the figure of the male toa nicety; but 
I notice that in other males the red of the head and neck isa 
shade browner, the black of the breast less pure and duller, 
and the mantle a shade greyer. There is not enough black 
on the bill of the female, and in the fully adult female, the 
mantle should be greyer, a dull dingy reproduction of that 
of the male. | 
Young males, such as we get in November and December, 
entirely want the black on the breast, &c., so conspicuous in 
the adults. They have the whole head and neck a dull light 
chestnut. The mantle greyish or yellowish brown, interspersed 
with whitish black vermiculated feathers like those of the 
adult. The lower parts, with the tips of the feathers, rather 
silky, dingy fulvous or brownish yellow on the breast, yellow- 
ish or sordid white on the abdomen, with the dull brown or 
greyish brown bases of the feathers showing through every- 
where; and between this and the perfect plumage every inter- 
mediate stage is met with during the cold season. 
THE FAMOUS American Canvas-back Duck, (Fuligula vallts- 
nerza, Wilson), is very closely allied to the Pochard ; but there 
is a certain difference in the plumage of the males, anda 
marked difference in the shape of the head and bill in both 
sexes of the two species, fully justifying their separation. 
