. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. Vol. 79 138 1959. No. 3. First year transition drake, J6,, showing pale crescent of face and white neck ring. neck as is the white neck ring of the drake Mallard, and in well defined examples is equally extensive, encircling the neck, but not quite meeting on the nape. This is illustrated by the two examples, Nos. 1 and 3 in the photographs. According to Delacour, the evidence for supposing that the "Blue-winged Ducks" show an affinity to the Mallard and near relatives is that their ducklings are closely similar and that those of
. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. Vol. 79 138 1959. No. 3. First year transition drake, J6,, showing pale crescent of face and white neck ring. neck as is the white neck ring of the drake Mallard, and in well defined examples is equally extensive, encircling the neck, but not quite meeting on the nape. This is illustrated by the two examples, Nos. 1 and 3 in the photographs. According to Delacour, the evidence for supposing that the "Blue-winged Ducks" show an affinity to the Mallard and near relatives is that their ducklings are closely similar and that those of the Shovelers have normally shaped bills on hatching, while the adults swim and walk like Mallard. In our opinion, the presence of the white neck ring in Nor- thern Shoveler is further evidence of this affinity. (b) Pale crescent of face. We believe that this is one of the most primitive characters of Northern Shovelers, by virtue of the fact that it is found in all plumages except the adult drake in full plumage. It is best seen in first year transition drakes. In our series 12 out of 30 show it to a variable degree and it is illustrated in photograph No. 3. It is situated from above and in front of the eyes and extends downwards to the malar region. It is formed as the blue- green feathers of the head in full plumage are grown, the crescent being the remain- ing pale brown feathers of the immature plumage which are the last to be replaced. In its early stages, this plumage bears a striking resemblance to the New Zealand race of the Australasian Shoveler, Anas rhynchotis, and as the crescent becomes more or less speckled with dark feathers as full plumage develops, the appearance becomes more suggestive of the Austra- lian race. Five of the six eclipse drakes show a similar pale crescent, which is also illus- trated in photograph No. 4, as does one eclipse duck out of two, four out of ten adult ducks, all four immature ducks and two out of the three immature drakes. The degre
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