318 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



NYROCA NYROCA 



312. Nyroca nyroca nyroca (Giild.)— THE FERRUGINOUS DUCK. 



Anas nyroca Giildenstadt, Nov. Comm. Sc. Petrop., xiv, i, p. 403 



(1770— S. Russia). 



Fuligula nyroca (Giildenstadt), Yarrell, iv, p. 418 : Saunders, p. 445. 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Head and neck 

 all round bay ; chin with a white spot (sometimes immediately 

 below chin a dusky-brown patch) ; dusky-brown or black collar 

 encircles lower-neck and nape, some feathers tipped bay ; sides of 

 upper-mantle bay ; remaining upper-parts black or black-brown 

 glossed dull green, feathers of mantle and in some scapulars with 

 faint bay frecklings, those of upper-mantle sometimes tipped 

 bay ; upper and sides of breast bay ; sides of belly and lower flanks 

 cinnamon- drab, feathers broadly tipped auburn and intermixed 

 with auburn feathers ; centre of breast white, feathers vermiculated 

 ashy towards base ; feathers of belly and vent deep ash-brown 

 with buff or white tips and more or less freckled same towards tip ; 

 under tail-coverts white ; axillaries and under wing-coverts white 

 with a few dusky markings ; tail-feathers black- brown, outer pair 

 in some freckled white at edge ; primaries dusky-brown, tips black- 

 brown glossed dull green, inner webs much paler and shading to 

 pure white, inner ones more or less white on both webs ; secondaries 

 white, with broad black-brown tips glossed olive-green, which on 

 inner ones are narrowly edged white, one next innermost secondaries 

 with inner web more or less dusky- brown and with a faint brown 

 line on outer web, still less distinct on outer webs of preceding 

 secondaries and often completely absent ; innermost secondaries 

 black-brown glossed olive-green ; all primary- coverts and bastard- 

 wing black-brown, slightly glossed dull green ; greater coverts 

 black-brown glossed olive-green ; median and lesser coverts olive- 

 brown with hardly perceptible buff-brown frecklings. N.B. — 

 Owing to extensive abrasion of white tips of feathers in some, centre 

 of breast in late summer appears more or less vermiculated ash- 

 brown. Hardly any material in moult examined. 



Adult male. Eclipse. — Resembles adult female, but upper- 

 mantle apparently lighter brown ; sides of face and neck, chin and 

 throat paler. The body-plumage (tail and innermost secondaries?) 

 is first moulted followed by wings and tail end May to Aug. Fore- 

 head, crown and top of nape as in winter-summer ; nape and new 

 feathers of upper-mantle hair-brown, narrowly edged russet ; new 

 scapulars black-brown or sepia tinged olive ; cheeks and sides of neck 

 russet ; chin and throat same, but feathers with ill-concealed ash- 

 white bases ; lower-neck with russet-brown semi-circular collar, 

 feathers faintly tipped white ; feathers of upper -breast bay with 

 imperfectly concealed drab -brown bases and broad white tips 

 tinged russet ; sides of body and flanks as adult female ; rest of 

 under-parts as winter-summer male ; tail in full moult and both, 

 wings short and in quill in one specimen examined. 



