THE HARLEQUIN-DUCK. 347 



oeous towards tip ; rump and upper tail-coverts plumbeous -black ; 

 on either side of rump at base of tail small white spot ; upper- 

 breast dark plumbeous, sides of lower-belly and flanks chestnut 

 (sometimes some flank-feathers vermiculated black-brown) ; feathers 

 of rest of breast, belly and vent hair-brown edged dark plumbeous ; 

 under tail-coverts plumbeous -black ; axillaries and under wing- 

 coverts hair-brown, coverts edged dark plumbeous ; tail black or 

 black- brown, usually with grey bloom ; primaries and coverts dark 

 brown, paler on inner webs ; secondaries dark brown all except 

 first three with outer webs steel-blue, in some lights violet -purple, 

 two innermost next speculum white bordered black on outer web, 

 inner web more or less dark greyish-plumbeous ; rest dark greyish- 

 plumbeous, one usually with a white streak along shaft ; bastard - 

 wing and rest of primary- coverts sooty-brown edged plumbeous ; 

 greater coverts sooty- brown, some central ones with broad white 

 mark or band towards tip preceded by band of steel-blue or violet - 

 purple, innermost dark greyish-plumbeous ; median and lesser 

 coverts as mantle, sometimes one or two median coverts with a round 

 or oval white patch towards tip. This plumage is acquired by a 

 moult of body-feathers and innermost secondaries but apparently 

 not tail, from Sept. onwards. 



Adult male. Eclipse. — The body-feathers are first moulted, 

 followed by wings and tail July to Dec. (sometimes some winter- 

 summer feathers are retained). Might be confused with 1st winter 

 male, but has under-parts hair-brown. Fore-head, crown, nape and 

 sides of neck sooty-black or sooty-brown, feathers of centre of 

 crown and sides of neck tipped blackish-plumbeous ; feathers of 

 white loral patch, patch under eye and auricular patch, tipped dusky; 

 oval white patch on side of neck, white collar and patch across 

 shoulder absent ; rest of upper-parts sooty-brown or brown-black, 

 feathers more or less tipped dark plumbeous ; scapulars mostly 

 sooty-brown tinged blackish-plumbeous ; chin whitish, feathers 

 tipped dusky ; throat and fore-neck sooty-brown, in some tipped 

 blackish-plumbeous, feathers with imperfectly concealed ash-brown 

 bases ; sides of body, flanks and under tail -coverts hair -brown or 

 sooty-brown, in some tipped olive-brown, sometimes some feathers 

 of sides of body and flanks suffused chestnut towards tip and ver- 

 miculated black-brown ; rest of under-parts hair-brown, feathers 

 with imperfectly concealed light bases, in some more or less tipped 

 blackish-plumbeous ; new innermost secondaries not so broad at 

 tip as in winter-summer and white of outer web bordered brown- 

 black all round. 



Adult female. Eclipse. — Upper-part of lores and chin dusky- 

 orown, small white patch on either side of fore -head above eye, 

 large one below eye, another on auricular region, feathers of all 

 mostly tipped dusky ; throat and fore-neck drab-brown or hair- 

 brown, feathers of fore-neck bordering upper-breast tipped golden- 

 brown ; rest of head, neck and upper -parts sepia or black- brown ; 

 feathers of mantle, back and rump edged blackish-plumbeous when 



