THE MALLARD. 271 



First winter and summer. Female. — Like adult winter and sum- 

 mer female and difficult to distinguish with certainty except by 

 more worn appearance of juvenile innermost secondaries. The 

 body-feathers (apparently not always back) and tail, but not wings, 

 are moulted from Aug. onwards ; specimens in moult occur in every 

 month to April. Some in Aug.-Sept. appear to get a flush of feathers 

 on mantle and scapulars resembling adult eclipse but these are in 

 most almost at once replaced by 1st breeding plumage. Forward 

 young females in 1st breeding plumage occur in Oct. they probably 

 moult again in spring as some April birds examined were acquiring 

 fresh breeding plumage like the old worn feathers. In some moult 

 of tail is not completed (some juvenile tail-feathers being retained) 

 until April. Juvenile secondaries are renewed and nest- down is 

 acquired in March and April. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 260-288 mm., tail 82-95 ; 

 tarsus 40-44, bill from feathers 50-56 (12 measured). $ wing 240- 

 267, bill 43-52. Primaries : 1st narrow, pointed and about half 

 longest primary-covert ; 3rd longest, 2nd sometimes equal, usuallv 

 3-7 mm. shorter, 4th 7-12 shorter, 5th 18-27 shorter, 6th 27-45 

 shorter ; 2nd emarginated inner, 3rd outer and 4th slightly outer 

 web. Longest innermost secondary shorter than 5th primary ; inner- 

 most secondaries tapering and acuminate, in eclipse blunter not so 

 sharply tapered. Long scapulars tapering at tip, rest rounded 

 tapering to a point laterally, in eclipse rounded. Tail rounded. 

 18 to 20 feathers, two central pairs (in some only one pair) curled, in 

 eclipse straight. Bill broad, about as long as head, higher than 

 broad at base, depressed and widened towards end, which is broadly 

 rounded ; nail rather small and decurved at tip, edges parallel, 

 middle of culmen a little concave, terminal part behind nail convex ; 

 lamellae scarcely exposed. 



Soft parts. — Bill (ad. (J) greenish-yellow, culmen and tip blackish, 

 (ad. $) greenish-olive, culmen and tip dark horn, (juv.) reddish- 

 horn ; legs and feet (ad. <J and $) orange-red, (juv.) orange ; iris 

 brown. 



Characters and allied forms. — A. p. conboschas (Greenland) has 

 upper-parts and wing-coverts greyer, and males have flanks much 

 more coarsely vermiculated, feathers of chestnut -brown upper- 

 breast with black spots towards tip ; A. p. subboschas (Iceland) 

 requires further confirmation. Violet-purple speculum bordered 

 above and below by black band succeeded by white one distin- 

 guishes species in all plumages. 



Field -characters. — Rather smaller and of slighter build, but other- 

 wise like domestic bird. Vermiculated grey back and flanks — almost 

 white at a distance, and in bright sunlight — and metallic-green head 

 and neck, with narrow white collar are outstanding features in male 

 on the water. Purple speculum narrowly bordered above and below 

 with black and white is, when visible, certain guide to identity of 

 mottled brown and buff female. Flight rapid and audible. Feeds 



