316 
SUMMER DUCK. 
spread into the white of the belly; each side of the breast is 
bounded by a large crescent of white, and that again by a broader 
one of deep black; sides under the wings thickly and beautifully 
marked with fine undulating parallel lines of black, on a ground 
of yellowish drab; the flanks are ornamented with broad alternate 
semicircular bands of black and white; sides of the vent rich light 
violet; tail-coverts long, of a hair-like texture at the sides, over 
which they descend, and of a deep black glossed with green; 
back dusky bronze, reflecting green; scapulars black; tail taper- 
ing, dark glossy green above, below dusky; primaries dusky, 
silvery hoary without, tipt with violet blue; secondaries greenish 
blue, tipt with white; wing-coverts violet blue tipt with black; 
vent dusky; legs and feet yellowish red, claws strong and hooked. 
The above is as accurate a description as I can give of a very 
perfect specimen now before me, from which the figure in the 
plate was faithfully copied. 
The female has the head slightly crested, crown dark purple, 
behind the eye a bar of white; chin, and throat for two inches, 
also white; head and neck dark drab; breast dusky brown, 
marked with large triangular spots of white; back dark glossy 
bronze brown, with some gold and greenish reflections. Spe- 
culum of the wings nearly the same as in the male, but the fine 
pencilling of the sides, and the long hair-like tail-coverts, are 
wanting; the tail is also shorter. 
