VERTEBRATA FROM MADAGASCAR. 



53. Anhinga vulsini, sp. nov. 



501 



Six specimens, adults of both sexes, and two immature females with 

 wholly buffy under parts, Maevatanana, Miandrivazo, and Tulear, 

 June, and September. 



Type. — Adult cf . M. C. Z. 77,550. Maevatanana, Madagascar, 

 September 9, 1915. F. R. Wulsin. 



Characters.— ^imWax to A. rufm (Daudin) of Africa, but all the 

 middle wing-coverts striped white (normal) or buff (stained with 

 limonite) and black, exactly as in ^. melanogaster (Gmelin), entirely 

 lacking the broad brown band across the wing of the African species; 

 under side of neck paler, more buff or sayal-brown, less chestnut. 

 Similar also to A. melanogaster (Gmelin) of the Indo-Malayan region, 

 and with exactly similar pattern of wing-coverts, but differing in 

 lacking the white, brown-spotted throat and dark brown neck of that 

 form; these parts being as in A. rufus except paler. 



Remarks. — I can find no name for the Madagascan Anhinga, which 

 has by some authors been referred to A. rufus, by others to A. melano- 

 gaster. Its characters are curiously intermediate, and it is a very 

 well-marked form. 



I think that all the paler stripings of the wing-coverts, scapulars, 

 and long tertials are normally white. In most specimens they are 

 buff or clay color or even almost ferruginous, on the exposed portion 

 of the feather, but white on the concealed basal part. This, I con- 

 sider, is wholly due to staining from limonite, especially as in every 

 specimen in the series some feathers can be found in the lesser coverts, 

 middle coverts, or scapulars that are striped with silvery white; such 

 white-striped feathers, moreover, always appear as if newly acquired. 



Such staining is very prevalent among the Madagascan swimming, 

 diving, and wading birds, on any part of the plumage white enough 

 to show it. 



