ANATINJE — THE DUCKS — DAFILA. 



511 



they all differ in having the sexes alike, in the dull (much spotted) coloration, and in the very 

 slight elongation of the middle rectrices. They constitute a group somewhat intermediate between 

 Dafila and Ncttion, and are again directly connected with the latter by several small Ducks of the 

 southern hemisphere, usually referred to the genus Querquedida (e. g. Q. flavirostris, of South 

 America, and Q. Eatoni, of Kerguelen Island). The genus Pmcilonetta (type, Anas hahamensis, 

 Linn.) was proposed for this group by Kaup, and should probably be retained for it. 



DaHla acuta. 



THE PIN-TAIL; SPRIG-TAIL. 



Anas acuta, Linn. S. N. I. 1766, 202. — AVils. Am. Oin. VIII. 1814, pi. 68, fig. 3. — Xutt. Man. 



II. 1834, 386. —AuD. Orn. Biog. III. 1835, 214; V. 1839, 615, pi. 227; Synop. 1839, 279; 



Birds Am. VI. 1843, 266, pi. 390. 

 Dafila acuta, Boxap. Comp. List, 1838, 56. — Baird, B. N. Am. 1858, 776 ; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, 



no. 578 ; Coues, Key, 1872, 286 ; Check List, 1873, no. 490 ; 2d ed. 1882, no. 710 ; Birds N. W. 



1874, 561. — EiDGW. Xom. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 605. 

 Anas alandica, Sparrm. Mus. Carls. III. , pi. 60. 



Anas Sparrmanni, Lath. Ind. Orn. II. 1790, 876. 

 Anas caudacuta, Pall. Zoog. Eosso-As. II. 1826, 280. 

 Anas longicauda, Briss. Orn. VI. 1760, 366, pi. 34, figs. 1, 2. 

 Anas caudata, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. 869. 

 Dafila acuta, var. americana, Bonap. Compt. Rend. XLII. 1856. 



Hab. The whole of North America ; Europe. Breeding chiefly far north, migrating south in 

 winter as far as Panama ; Cuba. 



Sp. Char. Adult male in winter: Head and upper half of the neck hair-brown or grayish 

 umber, the upper surface darker, often inclining to deep burnt-umber ; all the feathers (usually) 

 appreciably darker centrally, producing an indistinctly and minutely speckled appearance ; on 

 each side of the occiput the brown has a metallic gloss of dull green, showing a faint purple reflec- 

 tion in some lights. Upper half of the 

 nape opaque intense black, separated from 

 the brown by an upward extension of the 

 white of the lower neck nearly to the occi- 

 put. Stripe on each side of the nape (as 

 described above), lower half of the neck 

 frontally and laterally, jugulum, breast, 

 and abdomen immaculate white. Lower 

 half of the nape, with entire dorsal region 

 and lateral lower parts, finely waved with 

 transverse, rather zigzag, lines of white 

 and black, of nearly equal width. Longer 

 scapulars opacpie velvety black centrally, 

 edged broadly with grayish white ; outer 

 scapulars with exposed ends of their outer 

 webs entirely velvety black. Tertials 

 silvery asli, with a medial stripe of intense 

 velvety black. Speculum dull green, va- 

 lying to dull bronzy purple, with a sul>- 

 terminal bar of velvety black and a tip of 

 white. Wing-coverts very uniform brown- 

 ish gray, the last row broadly tipped with 

 cinnamon-rufous. Primaries dull slaty. 



Upper tail-coverts with outer webs black, the inner ones grayish white ; lower coverts deep opaque 

 velvety black, the exterior row with their outer webs white ; post-femoral space delicate cream-color. 

 Tail-feathers dark cinereous edged with white, the elongated middle pair uniform deep black. Bill 



Male. 



