THE SHELD-DUCK. 259 



centre of breast to vent as a broad band varying in breadth indi- 

 vidually and widening out on belly, feathers all with broad white 

 bases and when fresh narrowly tipped brownish ; under tail -coverts 

 mostly cinnamon-rufous, 

 remainder white washed 

 faintly cinnamon -rufous 

 towards tip ; remaining 

 under-parts white ; tail 

 white broadly tipped black, 

 outer feathers more or less 

 white ; primaries : rudi- 

 mentary first white tipped 

 black, remainder black, 

 inner webs black-brown, 



OUter Ones With bases The Snel(i -Duck (Tadorna tadorna). Male adult 



. in the breeding season. 



white ; secondaries black- 

 brown, outer webs glossed metallic -green forming green speculum, 

 inner webs with basal halves white, inner secondaries sometimes 

 faintly tipped white, innermost white with outer web chestnut, 

 chestnut merging into black or hair-brown towards tip or shaft of 

 feather, remainder white with outer web usually edged black ; 

 primary- coverts black ; bastard-wing white tipped black and 

 more or less black on outer webs ; rest of wing- coverts white. 

 This plumage is acquired by a body moult Aug. to Dec. In 

 summer vermiculated tips of chestnut mantle -feathers mostly lost 

 by abrasion. 



Adult male. Eclipse. — Most body -feathers, not all those of 

 mantle and scapulars, not back, rump nor all upper or under tail- 

 coverts, are first moulted followed by wings and tail July and Aug. 

 Crown, sides of face, and sides of neck blackish, feathers tipped 

 dark green and faintly edged dusky-brown, those at base of upper 

 mandible and cheeks with whitish bases more or less exposed ; 

 whitish patch below eye as in winter ; chin and throat brown - 

 black, feathers with conspicuous white bases and narrowly edged 

 white at tip ; centre of nape still moulting in few specimens 

 examined ; new feathers of lower -neck bordering upper-mantle 

 white tipped blackish, some with a subterminal tawny band, those 

 of mantle tawny with broad blackish tips, more or less vermiculated 

 blackish towards base and with faint white terminal lines ; scapulars 

 dull black faintly glossed greenish with faint white tips, some 

 partly white, vermiculated blackish, others entirely white more or 

 less vermiculated dusky and tipped black ; new upper tail-coverts 

 white with blackish tips ; new feathers of lower -neck apparently 

 white as in winter ; feathers of sides of upper-breast pale tawny 

 with ill- concealed broad white bases and narrowly edged white, 

 some more or less shaded blackish towards tip, those of centre of 

 breast-band white with brown-black tips, more or less suffused 

 tawny and narrowly tipped white ; feathers of band down centre 

 of breast and belly white, tipped pale tawny more or less marked 



