168



A. F. Moody—Mallards



broad yellow tip and an orange red band across the base. Legs and feet

vivid orange. Egg white.


2. Japanese Spotbill (A. zonorhyncha). — The Eastern representa¬

tive of the last species and known, I believe, between sportsmen in its

native country as the Yellow Nib. Differs from the Indian Spotbill

by being a , smaller and darker bird, also by having no red at the base

of the bill and by the inner web of the white tertiary feathers being

grey. A rare bird until recent years the species is now breeding freely

in collections of waterfowl. Egg like that of the last species but smaller.


3. African Yellow Billed Duck (A. undulata). —A large and

rather pintail shaped bird, most feathers of its dark grey plumage

being edged with paler colour. Bill yellow with a black stripe down

the centre. Legs and feet blackish. A well-known and common bird

in this country.


4. Abyssinian Yellow Billed Duck (A. undulata ruepelli ).—

A smaller and darker variety of the last species. A native of Abyssinia

and differing chiefly by having more chestnut in the plumage and a

more richly coloured bill. A rare bird which is limited to a very few

pairs in England.


5. Black Duck (A. rubripes). — The Dusky Duck of North America,

and one of the largest and most vigorous of the Mallards. Sides of neck

and cheeks grey. The remainder of the plumage dull black or smoky.

The Wild Duck-like pattern of the female showing through the over-

lying dark colouring in places. Legs and feet red, bill olive. Egg greenish

olive.


6. Florida Dusky Duck (A. fulvigula). — The Southern form of

the Dusky or Black Duck, said to be confined to the Florida peninsula.

Differs in having the neck and cheeks buff, and the overlying dark

plumage replaced by tawny chestnut. Legs and feet orange red. Bill

of male olive yellow. The general appearance of both sexes resembles

a richly marked and tawny female Wild Duck. A rare bird in Europe

which appears to have been absent from England for some years. Has

recently been restarted by three imported pairs and their progeny.


7. Meller’s Duck (A. melleri). — A native of Madagasca and

curiously, in my opinion, more nearly resembles the distant Florida

Duck than its near neighbour the African Yellowbill.



