153 FALCATED TEAL. 



on the Jai-Flusse^ whicli appeared to be without a 

 mate, and had probably abeady bred. More than a 

 month later, on the 6th. (18th,) of July, 1855, Herr 

 Maach killed an old female near the mouth of the 

 Ssungari-Miindung, which certainly had a very worn 

 and faded plumage, but yet shewed no trace of 

 moulting. Middendorff observed the young near 

 Udskoi-Ostrog on the 4th. of Auo-ust, with the wing- 

 feathers just sprouting out, and I shot a similar 

 specimen on the 22nd. of August, (September 3rd.,) 

 near the mouth of the River Komar, but I found 

 young ones near the jSFikolajevschen Posten on the 

 8th. (20th.) of September, with fully-developed wings, 

 and on the 19th. of September they had no trace of 

 breeding plumage." "I killed three specimens in a 

 few minutes, one after the other, as they swam towards 

 me when hidden on the banks of the river." 



MiddendorfT says, — "This Duck nested abundantly in 

 the Stanowoj Mountains, as far up as the immediate 

 neighbourhood of the ridges themselves." 



The adult male in breeding plumage has the fore- 

 head, top of the head, and cheeks a rich brown, the 

 latter tinged with metallic green; from the eye ex- 

 tending backwards to the occiput and nape, where 

 they unite and form a crest, is a broad band of rich 

 metallic green feathers; the neck and throat are pure 

 white, surrounded by a rich velvet black collar; upper 

 part of the back, chest, and upper wing coverts grey 

 and white, in zigzag, more or less curved, and circular 

 lines; upper wing coverts grey, terminating above in 

 black, below in much lighter mottled grey, while five 

 or six of the feathers rising immediately beneath them 

 are much prolonged and sickle-shaped, extending over 

 the wing; these falcated feathers have white shafts 



