WILD FOWL. 
87 
placed rather far behind; tarsus very short, compressed, at its 
lower part anteriorly with two series of scutella, the rest covered 
with reticulated angular scales. Toes scutellate above, first 
very small, free, with a broad membrane beneath, fourth long¬ 
est, third scarcely shorter; claws small, curved, compressed, 
obtuse, the hind one smaller, more curved, and acute; that of 
the third toe with an inner sharp edge. 
“ Plumage dense, soft, blended, rather glossy. Feathers of 
the middle of the head, and upper part of the hind-neck, very 
naiTow and a little elongated ; of the rest of the head, and upper 
part of the neck very short; of the back and lower parts in ge¬ 
neral broad and rounded. Wings of moderate length, narrow, 
acute ; primaries curved, strong, tapering, first longest, second 
very little shorter; secondaries broad, rounded, short, the inner 
long and tapering. Tail very short, rather broad, much rounded, 
of sixteen rounded feathers. 
“ Bill black, with a basal band, the edges of both mandibles, 
and a band across the upper, toward the end, pale blue. Iris 
yellow. Legs grayish-blue, the webs brownish-black ; the 
head and upper part of the neck greenish-black, with purple re¬ 
flections. A brownish-red collar, broader before, on the mid¬ 
dle of the neck; its lower part all round, as well as the back 
scapulars, smaller wing coverts, and posterior part of abdomen, 
brownish-black ; inner secondaries the same color, outer bluish- 
gray on the outer web, light-brown on the inner, as are the 
primaries, of which the outer webs and tips are dark-brown. 
Tail brownish-gray; chin white; breast grayish-white; sides 
and fore part of abdomen grayish-white, minutely undulated 
with grayish-brown. 
“ Length to end of tail, 18 inches; to end of wings, 16 ; ex¬ 
tent of wings, 28; wing from flexure, 7? ; tail, 2 \; bill along 
the back, 6J,—along the edge of the lower mandible, lf4; tarsus, 
1 t 4 2 ; middle toe, 2 T 2 2 —its claw, %. 
“ Adult female : 
“ The female has the neck umber brown, the upper part of 
the head darker, the back blackish-brown, the speculum bluish 
