68 NEW ZEALAND BIRD?. 



take place, it being a common thing to sec a flock of ten or more 

 drakes to one cluck, and vice versa. At other times they wander 

 about in pairs; and, -uhether reposing on the water or feeding on the 

 shore, their strongly-contrasted colours cannot fail to arrest and 



please the eye 



" In districts where it has been much molested it becomes exceed- 

 ingly shy ; and it is then impossible to shoot it except by stratagem. 

 One bird appears to keep watch while its mate is feeding ; and on the 

 slightest alarm it sounds its note of warning, to which the other 

 responds ; and both then observe the strictest vigilance, taking wing 

 on the first a])proacli of danger. The call-notes of the two sexes 

 differ remarkably; the drake, with his head bent do"miwards, utters a 

 prolonged guttural note, ' ti/k-o-o-o, tuk-o-o-o ; ' and the duck, elevat- 

 ing her head, responds to her mate with a shrill call, like the high 

 note of a clarionet. '^ — Buller. 



QUEEQTJEDULA. Steph. 



Bill, as long as the bead ; height, equal to the breadth at the base, of equal width 

 throughout ; lamella; hardly visible ; second quill the longest ; secondaries lengthened ; 

 tail, wedge-shaped ; hind toe, short, slightly lobed. 



All parts of the world. 



99. Querquedula gibberifrons. Muller. 



Little Teal. Tete. 



Above, brown, with a white bar on the wing ; throat, yellowish-white ; abdomen, 

 browiiisli-fulvous. spotted with brown ; speculum, green. 

 L., in ; W., 8; B., 1-6; T., 1-25. 



Hab. — Both Islands ; Au~(ralin, New Caledonia, Indian Archipelago. 

 Note. — Professor Hutton thinks this is Anas castanea, Eyton.* 



Anas. L. 



Piill, longer than the head, higher than bi'oad at the base, of nearly equal breadth 

 thn iighout ; first quill the longest; tertials lengthened; tail, wedge-shaped; hind toe, 

 small, soniewliat lobed. 



All parts of the world. 



100. Anas chlorotis. Gray. 



BEOWN DT7CK. Pateke. 



Above, greyish-brown, varied with rufous ; breast, rufous ; abdomen, yellowish-brown, 

 spotted with black ; speculum, greenish-black, bordered above and below with rufous- 

 white ; circle of whitish featliers round the eye. Head of male tinged with green. 



L., 18; W., 8; B., 2 ; T, 1-5. 



Variable ; sometimes witli a white band on the forepart of tlie neck. 



Egff.—WUiio; leugtli, 2t5 ; breadth, I'S.'). 



Hah. — Both Islands and Chatliam Islands. 



" This elegant little Duck is distributed all over the country, 

 being met with in every inland lake, and often in the decj) fresh- 



* Trnnsaclions X. Z. Institute, \'ol. XII.. i)p 



