THE SHELD-DUCK. 261 



and flanks with pale drab shafts and suffused same ; tail black- 

 brown edged and tipped buff -white, outer feathers more or less 

 white ; wing as adult, but primaries narrowly edged white, 7th and 

 succeeding with broad white tips, secondaries rather less brilliantly 

 glossed green and broadly tipped white, inner webs largely white, 

 inner secondaries mouse-grey with chestnut outer webs, innermost 

 as lower scapulars; bastard-wing black- brown tipped white; 

 greater coverts mouse-grey ; median-coverts white tipped mouse - 

 grey, upper series only faintly tipped as are lesser coverts. 



First winter and summer. Male. — As adult male but green of 

 head and neck usually duller ; some feathers of tawny band 011 

 mantle faintly tipped black-brown edged white (edges soon lost by 

 abrasion) ; retained juvenile lower -scapulars mouse-grey (not white 

 as in adult) ; tawny band on breast narrower, feathers of centre of 

 breast-band white tipped dull black and faintly edged pink-cinna- 

 mon ; black area down centre of breast and belly narrower and 

 duller than in adult, most feathers with imperfectly concealed 

 broad white bases and dull black tips often suffused and tipped 

 pink-cinnamon ; under tail-coverts pale cinnamon-rufous ; wing 

 as juvenile, but new innermost secondaries and wing-coverts as 

 adult, mouse -grey tips to median and lesser coverts more or less 

 abraded (easily distinguished from adult by white tips to inner 

 primaries and secondaries and mouse -grey greater coverts). The 

 juvenile body -feathers, tail, some innermost secondaries and coverts, 

 sometimes .some greater and median coverts are moulted Aug. to 

 March, but not rest of wings. N.B. — Sometimes moult is incomplete 

 and prolonged, many juvenile feathers being retained, in others 

 breast and belly-band is as black and fully developed as in adult 

 male. 



First winter. -Female. — As adult female but feathers of head 

 and neck mostly with dusky-brown tips, in some a patch of white 

 tipped dusky on cheek below eye ; white bases to feathers of throat 

 often conspicuous giving mottled appearance ; tawny band on 

 mantle and breast sometimes narrower, black band down breast 

 more profusely washed light pink-cinnamon and more intermixed 

 with white, sometimes breast and belly-band only imperfectly indi- 

 cated, sides of breast being pale brownish -tawny, feathers speckled 

 or shaded black-brown towards tip and with broad white bases ; 

 rest of breast-band and belly-band white, feathers mostly broadly 

 tipped sandy- black- brown or black-brown ; under tail-coverts as 

 adult or considerably paler ; wing as juvenile but new innermost 

 secondaries and coverts as adult. Moult as male. No spring 

 material examined. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 318-350 mm. ; tail 100- 

 123, tarsus 50-57, bill from feathers 52.5-80 (12 measured). $ wing 

 290-334, bill 44-54. Primaries : 1st narrow, pointed and more 

 than half longest primary- covert, 3rd longest, 2nd 3-9 mm. shorter, 

 4th 10-18 shorter, 5th 20-32 shorter, 6th 42-55 shorter; 2nd 

 emarginated on inner and 3rd on outer web. Innermost secondaries 



