PINTAIL DUCK 



73 



The Pintail Duck is twenty six inches in length, and two feet 

 ten inches in extent; the bill is a dusky lead color; irides dark 

 hazel; head and half of the neck pale brown, each side of the 

 neck marked with a band of purple violet, bordering the white, 

 hind part of the upper half of the neck black, bordered on each 

 side by a stripe of white, which spreads over the lower part of the 

 neck before ; sides of the breast and upper part of the back white 

 thickly and elegantly marked with transverse undulating lines of 

 black, here and there tinged with pale buff ; throat and middle of 

 the belly white tinged with cream ; flanks finely pencilled with 

 waving lines, vent white, under tail coverts black ; lesser wing 

 coverts brown ash, greater the same, tipt with orange, below 

 which is the speculum or beauty spot of rich golden green bor- 

 dered below with a band of black, and another of white ; prima- 

 ries dusky brown; tertials long, black, edged with white, and 

 tinged with rust ; rump and tail coverts pale ash centered with 

 dark brown; tail greatly pointed, the two middle tapering fea- 

 thers being full five inches longer than the others and black, the 

 rest brown ash edged with white ; legs a pale lead color. 



The female has the crown of a dark brown color; neck of a 

 dull brownish white, thickly speckled with dark brown ; breast 

 and belly pale brownish white, interspersed with white; back and 

 root of the neck above black, each feather elegantly waved with 

 broad lines of brownish white, these wavings become rufous on 

 the scapulars ; vent white, spotted with dark brown ; tail dark 

 brown spotted with white; the two middle tail feathers half an 

 inch longer than the others. 



The Sprigtail is an elegantly formed, long bodied Duck, the 

 neck longer and more slender than most others. 



VOL. VIII, T 



