Hamilton. — Note on a large Sun-Fish. L85 



No. 2. One of these half-bred ducks mated with a grey drake 

 {A. superciliosa), and one duck was reared, which in colour and 

 size was almost identical with A. superciliosa, but had the 

 speculum green, margined with white, and a slight touch of 

 white on some of the secondary feathers of wing. Could fly 

 strongly. 



No. 3. This duck, when mated with a grey drake {A. super- 

 ciliosa), produced a brood in type and colour like A. mperciliosa, 

 some of which have reverted to a wild state. For several 

 seasons the first brood have been all dark-coloured, and the 

 second brood always includes pure white, or albinos, and white 

 with markings of dark pencillings and rufous ; speculum, green ; 

 dark-coloured bill and legs ; curled tail-feathers wanting. 



No. 4. A drake, bred inter se, might be described as in 

 foundation colour like A. superciliosa ; slightly tinged on head 

 with green ; light colour on cheeks, dark mark through eyes ; 

 breast, rufous ; speculum, green ; tail, and tail coverts, inclining 

 to black, edged with brown ; two small curled feathers in tail. 



No. 5. This season, in a brood of six, reared by a hybrid 

 duck, which might be easily mistaken for a coloured call duck, 

 which was mated to A. superciliosa. The ducks were slightly 

 larger than A. superciliosa; foundation colour and markings 

 similar, having a washed-out look ; sides of breast forward of 

 thigh, white grey, same as lower part of breast of A. boschus. 

 Bill, some blackish green ; legs the same. Others, bill yellow, 

 chequered with black ; legs, yellowish black ; speculum, green, 

 outer edge black, margined with white band above and below. 

 The drake was identical in general appearance to Anas boschus: 

 green head, white ring on front of neck, one curled tail-feather 

 only. Colour of speculum, green, margined with white. Can 

 fly, but are thoroughly domestic. As in the mallard, the 

 bright colouring changes with the seasons. 



The hybrids lay twice in the season, but few young are 

 reared owing to want of convenient water ; and numbers are 

 destroyed by dogs, cats, hawks, and rats. The latter are very- 

 destructive. 



Art. XXIX. — Xote on a large. Sun-Fish (Orthagoriscus mola, 

 L.), recently captured at Napier, Haicke's Bay. 



By A. Hamilton, of Petane. 



r Read before the Hawke's Bay Philosophical Society, 8th June, 1885.] 



A fine Sun-Fish (Orthagnriscus mola, L.) was recently thrown 

 on shore, close to the Port of Napier, in a dying condition ; I 

 was fortunate enough to see it soon afterwards, and took mea- 

 surements and sketches of ail the important features. I also 



