1886.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 173 



him in Mr. Lawrence's Birds of Western and Kortli western Mexico* 

 (page 314), as follows : " I shot many of this species near Tepic, but 

 have not seen one in the vicinity of Mazatlan. They doubtless breed 

 in the locality of Tepic, as I found them there in the month of June in 

 jiairs." 



The discovery of this new duck increases the number of North Ameri- 

 can species of the restricted genus Anas to five, and of those peculiar 

 to Mexico (so far as known) to two. The five species may be very readily 

 distinguished by the following characters : 



a'. Smaller wiug-coverts uniform grayish-browu or browuisli slate ; tertials without 

 light edgings; sexes very different in plumage. 



1. A. boschas, Linn. Wing with two distinct white bauds. 



a-. Smaller wing-coverts distiuctly bordered with buff" or ochraceons, and tertials 

 edged with the same. Sexes alike in plumage. 

 ¥. Wing without any white bauds. 



2. A.ohscura, Gmel. Malar region, chin, and entire throat distiuctly streaked 



with dusky; general plumage with dusky largely prevailing. Lower basal 

 angle of the bill without black spot. Sah. — Eastern North America, breed- 

 ing from northern border of the United States to Hudson's Baj' region. 



3. A. fidvigula, Ridgw.t Malar region, chin, and entire throat immaculate 



buff; general plumage with ochraceons prevailing. Lower basal angle of 

 the bill with a black spot. Hai. — Florida, Kansas. 

 6^. Wing with one or more distinct white bands. 



4. A. diazi, Ridgw. Wing with two white bands; wing more than 9 inches. 



Malar region, chin, and throat immaculate buii'; general plumage with 

 dusky prevailing on upper jjarts, the lower surface with dusky and ochra- 

 ceons in nearly equal amount. Lower basal angle of bill without black 

 spot. Hab. — Southern Mexico. (Tlaxcala and Puebla ; Tepic ?). 



5. A. aherii, Ridgw.t Wing with one white band, this a very broad one across 



tips of secondaries. Wing less than 9 inches. Chin and upper part of 

 throat immaculate buff". General plumage a mixture of dusky and ochra- 

 ceons in nearly equal amount. Hab. — Western Mexico. (Mazatlan.) — 



R.R.] 



221. Anas strepera Linn. 



Anas strepera, Linn., Syst. Nat., I, 1858, p. 125. 



Yulg. — Pato pardo de grupo. 



Bah.— ^i^iQ of Puebla. Tehuacan, No. 333 <?. State of Tlaxcala. 

 Laguua del Rosario, No. 220 $ , January. — State of Vera Cruz. Barra 

 de Santa Ana, No. 464 S , January. 



222. Anas carolinensis Gmelin. 



Anas carolinensis, Gmelin, Syst. Nat., I, 1788, p. 533. 

 VuJg. — Cerceta de listo verde. 



Eah.Stiite of Tlaxcala. Laguna del Eosario, No. 217 (?, 217a 9, 

 266 (?, January. 



* The Birds of Western and Northwestern Mexico, based upon collections made by 

 Col. A. J. Grayson, Capt. J. Xantus and Ferd. Bischoff, now in the Museum of the 

 Smithsonian Institution, at Washington, D. C. By Geo. N. Lawrence. <^Memoirs Boston 

 Soc. Nat. Hist., Vol. II, part iii, number ii, 1874, pp. 265-319. (31(5 sjiecies, with 

 copious iield-notes. ) 



]Cf. Water Birds of North America, Vol. L, 1884, p. 503. 



tCf. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Vol. I, 1878, p. 350. 



