794 



U. S. p. E. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



.9ythya erythrocephala, Bonap. List, ]838, (not of Brehm, 1831, wliicli is European ^1. ferina.) — Newberry, P. R 



Rep. VI, IV, 1857, 103. 

 Fuligula americana, Etton, Men. Anat. 1838, 155. — Gosse, Birds Jam. 1847. 

 J^yroca americana, Gray, Genera. 

 .Jytlnja americana, Bp. Comptes Kendus, XLIII, Sept. 185G. 



Sp. Ch. — Bill as long as the head, broad, blue, the end black ; the region anterior to the nostrils dusky. Head, and neck 

 for more than half its length, brownish red, glossed above and behind with violaceous red. Rest of neck and body anterior to 

 the shoulders, lower part of back and tail coverts, black. Beneath white, sprinkled with gray and black anterior to the crissum ; 

 the sides, interscapulars, and scapulars finely lined with undulating black and white in nearly equal proportions, imparting a 

 general gray tint. Wing coverts bluish gray, finely sprinkled with whitish. The speculum, consistmg of the ends of the 

 secondaries, hoary grayish blue, liglitest externally, and the innermost narrowly edged externally with black. Basal portion of 

 inner primaries somewhat similar to the speculum. Tail of fourteen featliers. 



Female with the head, neck, and fore part of body brownish ; the region round the base of the bill whitish. Length of male, 

 20.50; wing, 9.50; tarsus, l.GO; commissure, 2.30. 



Hab. — Whole of North America. 



This species, with a strong resemblance to the canvas-back, is readily distinguished by the 

 shorter, broader bill, absence of brown on the liead, and a greater predominance of black in the 

 waved lines, this being equal in amount to the white, instead of much less. It is very similar 

 to the A. ferina of Europe, which, however, appears to have the bill more like that of the 

 canvas-back, A. vallisneria. 



List of specimens. 



Locality. 



.do.. 



.... do 



Indianola, Texas . 



Uncompagre river, Utah. 



Salt Lake Cily 



do 



Rio Grande 



San Diego, Cal 



Bodega, Cal 



Viriicn 

 collected. 



April 3,1844 

 Oct. 23,1843 

 do 



Feb. 14,1855 



Feb. 7,1855 

 Feb. —,1855 



Whence obtained. Orig. 

 No. 



Collected by — 



S. F. Baird . 

 do 



.do.. 



Capt. Pope 17 



Capt. Beckwitli..! 26 



Lt. Beckwilh 



do 



Maj. Emory . ....| 45 



Lt. Trowbridge . ■ 



do 



Mr. Krcutzfeldt. 



do 



do 



A. Schott 



Length. Stretch i Wing, 

 ofwings. 



20.50 

 19.50 

 19.50 

 15.50 



33.50 

 82.75 

 31.50 

 S4.50 



9.50 

 9.00 

 8.75 

 7.50 



Remarks. 



Feet dark green, bill 

 black, iris brown. 



Eyes red , 



AYTHYA VALLISNERIA, Bonap. 



Canvas-back.. 



Anas valUsnena, Wilson, Am. Orn. VIII, 1814, 103 ; pi. Ixx.— Dohghty's Cab. N. H. II, 1832, 3G ; pi. iv. 

 FuiiffuJo raHisnoio, Stephens, XII, 1824, 19C.— Bon. Syn. 1828, 392.— Sw. F. Eor. Am. II, 1831, 451.— 



Nhttall, Man. II, 430. 

 Aythtja valliineritt, Bo.-j. List, 1838.— Neiviierry, Rep. P. K. R. VI, iv, 1857, 103. 

 Jlnas valLhneriana, Sabine. 



Fuligula vallimeriana, Aud. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 1 ; pi. 301.— Id. Syn. 1839.— Ib. Birds. Amcr. VI, 1843, 299 ; pi. 395. 

 Jlristonelta vallisneria, Baird. 



Sp. Cii. — Bill long, slender, and tapering. Head all round and neck chestnut ; tlio top of the head and region around the 

 base of the bill dusky brown Rest of neck, body anterior to the shoulders, back behind, rump and tail coverts, black. Undo- 

 parts white ; the region anterior to the anus, the sides, the interscapulars and scapulars, white, finely dotted in transverse lino, 

 with black, the white greatly predominating. Speculum bluish gray, lighter externally ; the innermost secondaries of the 

 speculum edged externally with black. 



