THE SHOVELER. 305 



Adult male. Eclipse. — The body-feathers and central pair of 

 tail-feathers are first moulted, followed by wings and rest of tail 

 May (exceptionally April) to Aug. Upper-parts somewhat resemble 

 juvenile male and adult eclipse female, under-parts adult eclipse 

 female, but easily distinguished from former by under-parts, fresh 

 new tail-feathers and much longer innermost secondaries, and from 

 latter by more brilliant wing. Crown and nape as eclipse female ; 

 mantle and scapulars as eclipse female but without bars and 

 scapulars often edged white instead of buff, lower scapulars longer 

 and with more pronounced buff or white shaft -streaks ; back and 

 rump as winter-summer male ; at sides of root of tail usually a 

 patch of white feathers barred black-brown ; upper tail-coverts 

 sepia glossed green and usually edged buff (in some irregularly 

 barred buff or white) ; under-parts as eclipse female but cheeks and 

 sides of neck more heavily streaked black-brown (sometimes ash- 

 brown) and chin, throat and fore -neck sometimes more heavily 

 streaked, upper- breast, sides of breast and flanks usually more 

 plentifully marked and barred ; rest of breast, belly and vent 

 cinnamon, many feathers with sepia spots or barrings usually most 

 pronounced on vent ; central pair of tail-feathers sepia narrowly 

 edged white ; wing as adult winter, but innermost secondaries 

 broader and less pointed at tip. N.B. — Sometimes during moult 

 from eclipse to winter -summer, sepia scapulars barred burl or white 

 or irregularly freckled and broadly edged white, and white breast- 

 feathers with subterminal black-brown bars and pink-buff tips are 

 acquired. These feathers are subsequently shed. 



Adult female. Eclipse. — Fore -head and crown black- brown, 

 with a greenish gloss, feathers edged pink-buff, centre of nape ash- 

 brown, rest pink-burl narrowly streaked dusky-brown ; mantle and 

 scapulars sepia (sometimes with greenish gloss), feathers fringed 

 pink-buff, sometimes some with V- or U-shaped buff bars, lowest 

 scapulars tinged dull green on outer web and sometimes with a buff 

 shaft-streak towards tip ; back sepia (sometimes glossed green), 

 feathers edged pink-buff, rump and upper tail-coverts same but 

 mostly with V-shaped pink-buff markings ; from base of culmen to 

 nape a pink-buff eye-stripe streaked sepia (sometimes ill-defined) ; 

 patch in front of eye and streak behind eye to nape thickly streaked 

 black-brown ; cheeks, sides of neck and fore-neck pink-buff narrowly 

 streaked black-brown ; chin and throat pink-buff, sometimes with 

 faint black-brown streaks ; feathers of breast, belly, flanks and 

 vent with dusky- brown or sepia centres more or less concealed by 

 broad pink-buff or pink-cinnamon fringes and usually irregularly 

 marked same ; under tail -coverts buff with oval or transverse 

 sepia markings ; axillaries and under wing-coverts as male, those 

 at edge of wing with sepia centres ; central tail-feathers sepia, re- 

 mainder ash-brown all broadly edged pink-buff and mostly irregu- 

 larly marked buff, outer ones more or less pink-buff ; wing as male 

 but green speculum usually less developed, four outer secondaries 

 with outer webs dull greenish -brown or greenish -black, secondaries 

 vol. n. x 



