46 Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. XII, 



resting on the water, these ducks when flying seemed to have little fear 

 of a boat, often swinging by within easy gun shot. This is probably j 

 due to the fact that native hunters rarely waste powder on flying birds.lj 

 At the time of our visit here, May 9-10, all the tree ducks appeared to be 

 in mature plumage. While flying they keep up an incessant whistling. 

 Local names, Llaguasa, Pisisi. 



Nettion andium Sclater & Salvin. 



Culata Mts., 4. 



Eight of these ducks were seen on two small lakes on the Paramo 

 San Antonio of the Culata Mountains, at an elevation of 12,200 and 

 12,300 feet, respectively. A flock of six were so tame, and appeared 

 so loath to fly that at first they were thought to be young birds that had 

 not yet gained the use of their wings. In fact, two of them could not 

 be forced into the air, but sneaked under some bushes overhanging 

 the water, where all efforts to dislodge them proved futile. These 

 mountain lakes contained very little vegetation, and dropped off into 

 deep water within a foot or so of shore. One would scarcely expect to 

 find shoal water ducks in such places and it appears that these teal must 

 obtain their food along the banks. According to the natives they breed 

 on the paramo in August. 



Querquedula discors Linnaeus. 



Rio Cogollo, I. 



On tl\e iirst of March a flock of about twenty Blue-winged Teal 

 was seen on a small cienega near the Rio Cogollo. They were very 

 wild, leaving the locality at the first shot, although a flock of Dendrocygna 

 discolor remained after much shooting. Later, while in Merida, we 

 were shown about ten live Q. discors, which had been trapped on a 

 small pond near the edge of the town. The owner stated that these 

 teal were found in that vicinity every winter, which seems peculiar, as 

 the country is not suited to waterfowl, its only water being a swift 

 mountain stream, and perhaps one or two artificial ponds. 



Marila nationi Sclater & Salvin. t 



Lagunillas, Zulia, 3. 



This species, originally described from Lima, Peru, was recently 

 rediscovered by Chapman in Colombia where it was found to be 

 common in the marshes of the Cauca Valley near Cali. It is interesting, 

 therefore, to record it from the Maracaibo region at tide level. Com- 

 parison with specimens kindly loaned by the American Museum of 



