86 British Diving Ducks 
slightly larger at birth ; whilst all the markings are less rich. Crown, shoulders, and back 
deep brown, becoming almost black on the lower back and rump, and interspersed with 
grey; outer edge and lower half of the wing, sides, and on a spot above the thighs, white; 
under parts and throat white ; cheeks reddish brown-buff extending almost to the front of 
lower neck ; a blackish-brown line extends from the angle of the upper mandible to below 
the eye, leaving a whitish line from the bill to below the eye. Another dark line extends 
from the top of the bill to the eye, leaving the eye almost encircled with white. Irides 
red ; bill dark brown with slate suffusion ; nail bone yellow ; legs and toes yellow, with 
back of the legs and webs inclined to slatey-brown. Length at one day old, 6^ inches. 
hmnature Male. — I am indebted to my friend Colonel Stevenson Clarke, who has sent 
me nine specimens of young males and females (just able to fly) that were killed in September 
19 lo at Fasnakyle on the river Glass, Inverness-shire. The young males very closely 
resemble the young females ; but even at this early age (two months) the superiority in size 
of the males is noticeable, while the bill is somewhat wider. 
In first plumage the immature male closely resembles the adult female, but can always 
be distinguished by the shorter and less abundant crest, and by the fact that the white throat 
extends from the chin to the blue-grey and white feathers of the upper chest ; whereas in 
the adult female the white passes into rich red-brown, 1% inches from the front of the chin. 
The front of the crown and cheeks of young males and females are slightly darker than the 
adult female, and there is generally a whitish-yellow line of feathers extending from the 
lower angle of the upper mandible to below the eye. This character is not found in adult 
females, nor is the vent interspersed with blue-grey feathers as it is in immatures. 
In first plumage the young male has the crown and crest dark reddish-brown, 
cheeks and sides of the neck rich red-brown. Chin and throat, white becoming more 
blended at the sides on to the red-brown where it meets the upper chest, which is brownish 
grey edged with white ; back of neck, mantle, scapulars, upper wings, back, rump, flanks, 
and under and upper tail-coverts, ash-blue with black feather-shafts. There is a tendency 
to brown in the blue-grey flanks and sides of the upper breast in immatures, and most of 
their feathers are edged with white. Primaries black ; outer secondaries white, inclined to 
cream ; and inner long secondaries bluish-grey, edged on their outer margin with black. 
The lesser secondaries are white, with their upper half black. Tail (eighteen feathers) blue- 
grey over brown, and in immatures usually broken at the tips. Under parts yellowish-white, 
with blue-grey feathers across the vent and on the under tail-coverts. Upper mandible 
dark reddish-brown, becoming yellow on the serrated lower edge. Lower mandible pale 
yellow ; nail bone yellow, as in downy young ; feet and legs yellow, darker towards the back 
of the legs ; webs dusky grey. 
There is little change in the young male until late October, when the bird is nearly full- 
grown in size. The bill becomes large and deep red like the adult male. The area of white 
at the base of the neck now passes up almost to the back of the neck, and a few black 
feathers appear at the back of the neck. Throughout the winter many whitish-yellow 
feathers vermiculated with brownish-grey come into the flanks, and these, as well as the 
black feathers, increase in numbers until March, when the tail is often renewed, though 
sometimes this part is not shed until May. A few black feathers also appear on the chin. 
After March the usual halt takes place until May, when the young male passes into what 
