lower part of the back, and bluish-black on - the-Mmp and
tipper tail-coVèrts v Jh e Jb u r middte- teM'NPea them-7vél#et black,
and curled upwards ; the rest lancet-sliapedl aili-'grey in the
middle, margined with whiter the móst- btÉêr' -feathers having
the broader margins; seapulars a mimÉé tif browii and4gfé^;‘
the small wing-coVferts asMi?i^i$; the greater coverts7with ;a
"bar of white'neaf’thê, end,!c and tipped with-velvet- black; pri-
mariês^ash-bTöwn; th^ÉStrótidaries the same rdn the liwPv
wéhfdhe outer portion towards the è'nd of thetöuter'Web rich
shining purple,^forming" the^^ectilum, h o t bounded*^ la bar
of vefcekbhfck, and tipped with whitfe.|^tëMh#^>alè cffèètMit- ;/
brown, the outer webs darkest im%ol6t£r ; front a M ^ p ^ o f .
the néck-belew- the White ring fioh dark chestnut^ eabh* father
at the coMmëÏÏcément'of-wintér^dgedr’With" white ; tiredst,
bellyfWntp^and flanks,.‘-greyisffwhite, th e Sidesi-hefoïe^ and
under the wings-marked with dhMea;teJgrhy-liife;'; ^uifieihiail-
co verts iveï Vetkblack; 4egs,-toes, and their »m^mbraneSlwafi^
~ yellöWï Thé wholes length tweöty-four in c ite d 'F rooi*’’thc
carpal joint to thfe^nd bf the wing^efeVèn inöhWa-nd' a %alf;
the second quill-feather thedongest im-thé'wing. .
The'female bas thw~beak gteënish-blaêk»| ’ to wards' tlurteiid
light- yejlow-brówhy the nail )?$lack ; dri'desf&ibrown ;eh%ekS;
head, and neck, pale brown, each feather streaked withlpfek
in thé middle ; the scapulars; and the- whöM%%the’'' back of
the same two colours;-but prettily varied, some ^ th i l ’te'a-
' there black la’the middle and On'the^ margin, with a light
brown band between the two dark colours;Jail-feathers %lre|
same; small wing^êèverts'agh^brown; the large cbverts white
towards the end and tipped with velvet black ; primaries
uniform dark brown ; the secondaries the same on the inner
web, outer' webs, forming a purple; speculum, ending in a
band of black, and tipped with white; tertiarfes dark brown;
chin and throat pale brown; lower part of thé-- heck' richer
reddish-brown, varied with dark brown ; breast, belly,' vent,
and under tail-coverts pale brown, slightly varied with darker
brown, which occupies a portion of the centre of each feather;
|||g S ; andf toes »orange;, the-interdigital membranes darker.,
^'JEhe&females are _ smaller thdn males, and measure but
dwentptwo„ inches in ^length--; the wing ten inches and a
Quarter ; Jthe first and skebnd quill-feathers very nearly; equal.
, I have»-;seen two instances, in which females rof this species
have asSumed-'to a considerable extent the appearance of the
plumage of the-M-allard, evenj to the eurled feathers of the
rtail., ©ne of these birds,‘- in my own collection, was given
m®when Jl^ve 'by my kind and liberal friend John Morgan,
§gsq. In this female, the" beak was yellowish-brown ; the
jheadtand^upper part of the»;neck a mixture of green and
.Jbrowtt^ the%white ring below per fect the lower part of the
f o ^ a n d the breast chestnut-brown; the upper surface of the
|^edyl|^m;ixture<w$if ash-brown and dark brown; the under
i&utfiace; dull-white. When this bird was examined after
-death thefte-^nah,©rganSiV|ere^ found to be diseased, as in the
, e a s e s t h e Hen Pheasant, mentioned in the second volume,
^page|$8f£v In the< recently published Illustrations to his
Fauna of Scandinavia, M. Nilsson has given a coloured figure
of a'Duck in this state of plumage, plate 163, which is called
a barren female, and in which the curled tail-feathers are
made very conspicuous. From the general similarity in these
' females to the appearance assumed for a time by healthy
males in July, I am disposed to refer this seasonal change
in males to a temporary: exhausted state of the male generative
organs and their consequent diminished constitutional
influence on the plumage* ,
The windpipe of the Mallard is about ten inches long, the
diameter of the tube, is of equal size throughout; the bony
labyrinth is large, the vignette indicates the form by its
outline, but represents a section of the lower part of the tube
of the trachea, the bony cavity, and the bronchial tubes, as
N &