Aug. 1922. Game Birds — Osgood & Conover, 45 



Dendrocygna viduata Linnaeus. 



Merida, i. 



No wild birds were found, but in the vicinity of Merida, where 

 several captives were seen, the natives say this species appears in 

 large numbers during May. It must be food which attracts them, as no 

 water except in swift mountain streams is to be found in that vicinity 

 nearer than about thirty-five miles. At Lagunillas, the natives spoke 

 of these birds being found, and described them accurately. However, 

 at the beginning of May, they appeared to have left as none were seen. 



Local name, Guaridi. 



Dendrocygna bicolor Vieillot.^ 



Lagunillas (Zulia), i; Rio Aurare, i. 



In his "Distribution and Migration of North American Ducks, Geese 

 and Swans," Cooke says of this duck "questionable records appear 

 from Venezuela and the Island of Trinidad." Also, in the last A.O.U. 

 check-list, the South American range of D. bicolor is given as southern 

 Uruguay and Argentina. It seems well, therefore, to call attention to 

 the fact that the range of this duck also includes northern South 

 America. Chapman (Distribution of Bird-Life in Colombia) found 

 it more or less common in the Tropical zone of Colombia, and there 

 is a specimen from British Guiana in the Field Museum. 



During our two day stay at Lagunillas in the first part of May, 

 D. bicolor was found to be rather common on the large cienega. Hun- 

 dreds of tree ducks were seen, about one in twenty of which were the 

 Fulvous, the remainder Gray-breasted. Each species flocked by itself, 

 although having similar habits, but D. bicolor was much the shyer 

 bird. This duck was easily distinguishable by its light rump and was 

 well known to the native hunters. 



Local names, Llaguasa Colorado, Alazana. 



Dendrocygna discolor Sclater & Salvin. 



Rio Cogollo, 6. 



First seen on a small cienega near the Rio Cogollo. Here a flock 

 of about thirty were found, the birds refusing to leave even after 

 being much disturbed. At this time of year (the end of February) 

 about half were in the immature plumage, having pale breasts and dark 

 bills and feet. On the large cienega at Lagunillas there were thousands 

 of tree ducks, about ninety-five per cent of which were D. discolor, 

 the remainder D. bicolor. While not allowing a close approach when 



