ANSERES. Q7 



ORDER VIII. ANSERES *. SWIMMERS. 



Leg8, short, and placed far back ; toes connected by a membrane. 



ANATIDiE. 

 Bill, depressed, broad, laminated on the sides. 



Dendrocygna, Swains. 



Bill, higher at the base than broad ; wings, short, rounded, second to fourth longest ; 

 first, with a deep notch in the middle ; secondaries, nearly as long as the quills ; middle 

 toe protruding beyond the membrane ; hind toe, very long, eleyated, simple. 



India, Africa, South America, Australia, West Indies. 



97. Dendrocygna eytoni. Gould. 



Whistling Duck. 



Above, dark brown ; sides of the head and neck, fawn-colour ; throat and breast, 

 brownish-white ; upper abdomen and flanks, ferruginous, barred with black ; lower abdo- 

 men, bufiy-white ; bill, black, banded with red ; legs and feet, flesh-colour. 



L., 18; W., 10; B., 2; T., 2. 



Rab. — Stragglers in Auckland and Otago ; Australia. 



Casarca. Bp. 



Bill, as long as the head, as wide as high at the base ; second quill the longest ; toes, 

 long, full-webbed ; hind toe elevated, lobed. 

 Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Tasmania. 



98. Casarea variegata. Oml. 



Sheldeake. Paradise Duck. Putanqitangi. 

 (Plate XXIX.) 



Head, neck, and breast, black ; back, black, pencilled with white ; abdomen, ferru- 

 ginous, pencilled with black ; wing-coverts, white. In the female the head and neck are 

 white, and the breast is like the abdomen. 



L., 25 ; W., 14-5 ; B., 2 ; T., 25. 



-E'.S'.^-— White ; length, 275 ; breadth, 1-85. 



Hah. — Both Islands. 



" Of the eight species of this tribe inhabiting New Zealand the 

 ' Paradise Duck ' of the colonists is undoubtedly the finesti It is 

 spread all over the South Island, being extremely abundant in some 

 localities ; but in the North Island its range does not extend beyond 

 latitude 39° S. It is difficult to understand why it should be thus 

 confined; but, with the exception of a flock of five seen some years 

 ago in the Kaipara district, I have never heard of its occurrence 

 north of this line. At certain seasons of the year it associates in 

 large flocks, which migrate from one part of the country to another, 

 resorting at one time to the river-mouths and salt-marshes near the 

 sea-coast, and at another retiring to the grassy plains and lagoons of 

 the interior. In winter a partial separation of the sexes appears to 



