FALCATED TEAL. 155 



those Oil tlie old male, but differ in colour, being 

 blackisb grey or dark grey and white in waves; the 

 cross bands in old ones are much more numerous and 

 decided." The wings of the young male differ from 

 those of the female in having a strong green polished 

 speculum, and a clear grey on the upper part of the 

 wing. 



The young of A. falcata, whether male or female, 

 are distinguished from the old birds by having a 

 shorter and stouter beak, having the basal half somewhat 

 flattened, and from the nostrils keel-shaped, which last 

 mark is lost in the old bird. This difference in the 

 size and form of the beak in young birds, accounts for 

 the discrepancies in some of Dr. Schrenck and Midden- 

 dorff's specimens. The female's beak is sometimes as 

 long or longer than that of the male. 



My figure is taken from a very fine male specimen 

 in breeding plumage, from the Amoor, kindly sent me 

 by Mr, Tristram. 



The adult male has also been figured by Brandt, 

 Descript. et Icon. Anim. Eossic, pi. 3,- and the adult 

 female by Middendorff, Sibirische Reise, vol. ii, pi. 21, 

 fig. 2. 



