The Sea Pheafant Cock and Hen. Anas caudacuta^
Numb. XCIV, XCV.
IT S Weight was one Pound and eight Ounces; Length, from the Point o f the Bill
to the End o f the Tail, twenty eight Inches ; Breadth, when the Wings are extended,
thirty feven Inches ; its Head- is (lender ; its Neck long for this Kind ; o f equal Breadth
almoft throughout; the nether Mandible wholly black, the upper partly blue partly
black, v iz . black in the middle, on the Sides beneath the Noftrils blue, black alfo at
the Corners o f the Mouth, at the very Tip, and in the lower Edges near the T ip ; the
Colour of the Plumage on the whole Head is ferrugineous or brown, behind the Ears
tinâured with a light purple, beyond the Ears on each Side from the hinder part ot
the Head begins a Line o f white, which pafies down the lides of the Neck to the
T h ro a t; all the Feathers between or adjacent to thefe Lines are black; under the
black the Neck is aih-coloured, then curiouily varied with tranfverfe black and white
Lines, as is alfo almoft the whole Back ; the long fcapular Feathers are black in their
middle parts, but the exteriour have their outer Webs almoft to the Shafts black, their
inner (which are much the narrower) varied with white and black with a mixture of
brown in Lines; all the nether part, Neck, Breaft, and Belly to the very Vent are
white; the Thighs are light afh-colour varied with black Specks; the Feathers under
the Tail are black ; the Wings, o f which the ten outmoft Quills and_ moft o f the^ covert
Feathers are o f a dark cinereous inclining to a brown ; in fome Birds the interiour
Edges o f thefeventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth Quills are white; the fécond Decade of
Quills is parti-coloured, for the Tips o f all are white, or from white to red, then in the
outer Web fucceeds a black Line, the remaining Part thereof, as far as appears beyond
the incumbent Feathers, being o f a glittering purple Colour ; the interiour Webs o f all
are o f the fame Colour with the reft o f the Feathers, o f the following the exteriour
Webs are cinereous, the interiour black; the covert Feathers o f the fécond Row immediately
incumbent on the fécond decade o f Quills have their Tips o f a rediih yellow.
T h e Tail is made up o f iixteen Feathers all aih-coloured, excepting their exteriour
Edges, which are whitiih; the two middlemoft ru n o u t into very long and (harp Points,
their Ends black, being produced two Inches'and a half beyond the reft, which gives
this Bird the Name of the Sea-Pheafant, or with fome the Pintail-, its Feet are o f a
.dark lead Colour, it hath a fmall Labyrinth, and a great Gall. J T h e Hen is like: in Colour
to the common Wild-Duck, but fairer and lighter coloured, with more full and
lively Mixtures of white and brown Colours ; the Head and upper part o f the Neck inclining
to a rediih brown; the Bill and Legs o f a dark lead Coloui.
This Bird may be diftinguiihed from all others o f the Duck-Kind by the Length o f
the middle Feathers o f its Tail, as by a certain and chara&eriftick Note.