54 BULLETIN 186, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Nettapus coromandelianus, de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 

 1929, p. 587 (about 19 miles south of Chiang Rai). — Deignan, Journ. Siam 

 Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, p. 174 (Chiang Mai). 



Cheniscus coromandelianus, Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1936, 

 pp. 74, 131 (Chiang Mai, Ban Nong Khiat). 



The cotton teal, or pygmy goose, is common and generally distrib- 

 uted, particularly during the rains, on marshes, large or small, on 

 ponds, and even in ditches beside public roads. Gyldenstolpe found 

 it common at Chiang Eai in August 1914. At Chiang Mai I consid- 

 ered it common from June 1 (1929) to October 3 (1935) and rare 

 during the cold weather. I recorded it at Phayao, August 24, 1929, 

 and took specimens at Chom Thong, November 13, 1935, and at Ban 

 Mae Sariang, October 8, 1936. In Stockholm there is an undated 

 specimen collected by Eisenhofer at Khun Tan. 



I usually found this tiny duck in pairs but sometimes also in flocks 

 of a dozen or so. On the marshes it was often completely concealed 

 by the vegetation and seen only when startled from one's very feet, 

 when it would fly rapidly away, looking exactly like a gigantic bee. 

 It rides high in the water and is capable of diving well. 



The adult male has the crown brown, the rest of the head and neck 

 white; at the base of the neck a complete collar, black glossed with 

 green ; the underparts, and a collar on the hindneck below the black 

 collar, white; the under tail coverts black; the upperparts black, 

 glossed purple and green; the wing dark glossy green, with a broad 

 white band across it near the tip, above and below. The female and 

 immature male have a dark brown bar through the eye and a white 

 eyebrow ; the upperparts dark brown ; the underparts brownish white, 

 with more or less indistinct wavy bars of dark brown on the breast 

 and lower neck. 



AYTHYA FERINA (Linnaeus) 



White-backed Pochard 



[Anas] ferina Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 126 ("in Europae 

 maritimis" ; type locality restricted to Sweden, apud Hartert). 



I saw a male example of the white-backed pochard at Nong Khiat, 

 south of Chom Thong, November 28, 1931, in company with Aythya 

 baeri. I was unable to take the specimen but have no hesitation in add- 

 ing this easily identified form to our list. 



The adult male has the whole head and neck bright rufous ; the 

 upper breast and upper back black ; the upper and under tail coverts 

 black; the remainder of both upperparts and underparts pale gray, 

 finely vermiculated with black. The adult female has the head, neck, 

 upper breast, and upper back dull brown, more blackish on the crown 

 and whitish on the throat and lower side of upper neck; the upper- 

 parts grayish brown, more or less vermiculated with pale gray; the 

 underparts dull brownish gray. 



