PINTAIL DUCK. 
197 
marshy shores of some of the bays of Lake Ontario they 
are often plenty in the months of October and November. 
I have also met with them at Louisville, on the Ohio, 
The pintail duck is twenty-six inches in length, and 
two feet ten inches in extent ; the bill, is a dusky lead 
colour; irides, dark hazel; head and half of the neck, 
pale brown, each side of the neck marked with a band of 
purple violet, bordering the white ; hind part of the upper 
half of the neck, black, bordered on each side by a stripe 
of white, which spreads over the lower part of the neck 
before ; sides of the breast and upper part of the back, 
white, thickly and elegantly marked with transverse 
undulating lines of black, here and there tinged with pale 
buff ; throat and middle of the belly, white, tinged with 
cream ; flanks, finely penciled with waving lines ; vent, 
white ; under tail-coverts, black ; lesser wing-coverts, 
brown ash ; greater, the same, tipt with orange ; below 
which is the speculum, or beauty spot, of rich golden 
green, bordered below with a band of black, and another 
of white ; primaries, dusky brown ; tertials, long, black, 
edged with white, and tinged with rust; rump and 
tail-coverts, pale ash, centred with dark brown ; tail, 
greatly pointed, the two middle tapering feathers being 
full five inches longer than the others, and black, the 
rest, brown ash, edged with white ; legs, a pale lead 
colour. 
The female has the crown of a dark brown colour; 
neck, of a dull brownish white, thickly speckled with 
dark brown; breast and belly, pale brownish white, 
interspersed with white ; back, and root of the neck 
above, black, each feather elegantly waved with broad 
lines of brownish white, these wavings become rufous 
on the scapulars ; vent, white, spotted with dark brown ; 
tail, dark brown, spotted with white ; the two middle 
tail-feathers half an inch longer than the others. 
The sprigtail is an elegantly formed, long bodied 
duck, the neck longer and more slender than most 
others. 
