346 
BRITISH BIRDS. 
the irides are of a fine pure yellow ; the head and 
upper half of' the neck of a dark gloffy changeable 
green : the lower part of the neck, breaft, and fca- 
pulars, white: the back is brown : belly and fides 
chefnut bay ; and the wing coverts of a fine pale 
Iky blue, terminated with white tips, which form an 
oblique fhripe acrofs the wings, and an upper bor- 
der to the beauty-fpot, or fpangle, which is of a 
gloffy changeable bronze, or refplendent green, and 
alfo divides or croffes the wings in the fame direc- 
tion : the greater quills and the tail are dulky, but 
in the latter the outfide feathers, and the edges of 
fome of the adjoining ones, are white : a ring of 
white alfo encircles the rump and the vent, behind 
which the feathers under the tail are black: legs 
and feet red. The female is fmaller than the male, 
from which Ihe alfo differs greatly in the colours of 
her plumage, — the coverts and fpangle-fpot on her 
wings being lefs brilliant, and the other parts, com- 
pofed of white, grey, and rufty, crofied with curved 
dufky lines, giving her much the appearance of 
the Common Wild Duck. She makes her neft, 
lined with withered graffes, on the ground, in 
the midfl: of the largeft tufts of ruflies or coarfe 
herbage, in the moft inacceffible part of the flaky 
marfli : flie lays ten or twelve pale rufty-coloured 
eggs ; and as foon as the young are hatched, they 
are conducted to the water by the parent birds, 
who watch and guard them with the greateft care. 
