GADWALL DUCK. 
257 
Plumage dense, soft, blended. Feathers of the head short, of the occiput 
and nape a little elongated, of the lower parts glossy, with the extremities 
of the filaments stiffish. Wings rather long, little curved, pointed ; the first 
quill longest, the rest rapidly graduated ; secondaries very broad, but 
pointed, the inner much elongated, and tapering to a point. The tips of 
the filaments of the outer web of the first primary are separated and curved 
a little forwards. Tail short, rounded, of sixteen strong pointed feathers’ 
of which the middle pair project considerably. 
Bill bluish-black. Iris reddish-hazel. Feet dull orange yellow, claws 
brownish-black, webs' dusky. Head light yellowish-red, the upper part and 
nape much darker and barred with dusky ; the rest dotted with the same. 
The lower part of the neck, the sides of the body, the fore part of the back, 
and the outer scapulars, undulated with dusky and yellowish-white, the bands 
much larger and semicircular on the fore part of the neck and breast ; the 
latter white, the abdomen faintly and minutely undulated with brownish- 
grey; the elongated scapulars brownish-grey, broadly margined with brown- 
ish-red ; the hind part of the. back brownish-black ; the rump all round, and 
the upper and lower tail-coverts, bluish-black. The anterior smaller wing- 
coverts are light grey, undulated with dusky, the middle coverts of a deep 
rich chestnut-red ; primary coverts brownish-grey, outer secondary coverts 
darker and tinged with chestnut, the rest black, excepting the inner, which 
are grey. Primaries and inner elongated secondaries brownish-grey, of 
which colour also are the inner webs of the rest, part of the outer webs of 
five of the outer black, and their terminal margins white, of which colour 
. # 
are the whole outer webs of the three next to the inner elongated quills. 
Tail brownish-grey, the feathers margined with paler. 
Length to end of tail 21f inches, to end of wings 19, to end of claws 231; 
extent of wings 35; bill along the ridge II, along the edge of lower man- 
dible 11 ; wing from flexure 11; tail 41 ; tarsus If ; hind toe and claw h ; 
second toe If, its claw T V; third toe If, its claw outer toe 1[|, its claw 
yV. Weight 1 lb. 10 oz. 
Adult Female. 
The female is considerably smaller. Bill dusky along the ridge, dull 
yellowish-orange on the sides. Iris hazel. Feet of a fainter tint than in 
the male. Upper part of head brownish-black, the feathers edged with light 
reddish-brown; a streak over the eye, the cheeks, the upper part of the neck 
all round, light yellowish-red tinged with grey, and marked with small 
longitudinal dusky streaks, which are fainter on the throat, that part being 
greyish-white; the rest of the neck, the sides, all the upper parts and the 
lower rump feathers brownish-black, broadly margined with yellowish-red. 
Wing-coverts brownish-grey, edged with paler ; the wing otherwise as in 
Vol. VI. 35 
