THE PIN-TAILS. 
289 
fulvescent, with tiny streaks of dusky-brown extending down 
the sides of the neck, but absent on the throat, which is white; 
remainder of under surface of body white, with a few spots of 
dusky-brown, only distinct on the fore-neck and sides of body 
where the feathers are centred with bars of brown ; under wing- 
coverts ashy, with whitish margins; axillaries ashy, with 
irregular bars of white. Total length, 18 inches; culmen, i 7 , 
\ying, 97 ; tail, 4‘i ; tarsils, I'S. 
A speculum is present in some birds said to be females, 
but it is much less distinct than in the males, and generally 
consists of a gloss ( f bronzy-green on the feather. 
The old male, when out of plumage after the breeding-sea- 
son resembles the female, but is much darker above and more 
spotted underneath ; the bars on the back are narrower and 
more distinctly transverse, instead of being of a horse-shoe 
shape ; the speculum is like that of the full plumage. 
Mr De Winton writes:— “The two sexes in their summer 
dress closely resemble each other. The breast, under-parts 
and tail-cove. ts of the male are handsomely marked with 
crescent-shaped spots, the general colour _.s greyer than in the 
female and the back does not quite lose its distinctive colour- 
ing. The bill is not strikingly bicoloured, so that if the two 
birds are not swimming close together, it is not very easy to 
distinguish them.” 
Hylirids.— The Pin-tail has been known to cross with the 
Mallard, the tame Duck, the Teal, and the Shoveler. 
Range in Great Britain. — Known almost entirely as a winter 
visitor, though it probably breeds in a few isolated localities 
in Scotland. Mr. Harvie Brown has taken eggs from the island 
of Hysgeir, off Canna, and Mr. Howard Saunders has also 
seen young birds on the same island. It is commoner on the 
east of Scotland than on the west, but is much more frequent 
on the south and east coasts of England, being sometimes 
captured inland. Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey states that he has 
seen female Pin-tails wdth young broods on Loughs Mask and 
Corrib and has noticed the species in summer on Lough 
Ina"h 'in Connemara. It has also bred many years ago neai 
Cranston in Queen’s County, and Lord Castletown still pos- 
