THE STEAMER-DUCK 171 



that a six-oared boat is never able to get within 

 gunshot of them while they are moving. 



It has been stated by some authors that the 

 immature steamer-ducks are able to fly ; again, 

 others say that there are two species, one volant 

 and the other flightless. Personally, I never saw 

 one fly, though one of our party. Major Wilbraham, 

 did see one rise from the water and fly away. 



Of this bird Professor Cunningham writes * : — 

 "It was first noted by Pedro Sarmiento, in 

 1582. Penethy, Byron, and Cook gave it the 

 name of " racehorse-duck." Later, however. 

 Captain King| changed this name to that of 

 steamer-duck. He also observed that certain of 

 these ducks had volant powers, and thought that 

 he distinguished two species, recognisable both by 

 size and plumage — the flying birds he called 

 patachonicus, the non- volant birds brachypterus.'''' 

 Professor Cunningham further states his belief 

 that there is but one species, and that the volant 

 birds are immature examples, as all the flying 

 birds that he examined anatomically showed 

 signs of incomplete ossification of their bones. 



All the examples we obtained, and all those 

 I have examined in the British Museum, un- 

 doubtedly belong to one species only ; and if I 

 may venture to give an opinion, I should say that 

 Professor Cunningham's is undoubtedly the right 



* Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. 



t Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1830-1, p. 15. 



