199 



3. Anas laysanensis. 



Anaa laysanensis, Hothsch. Bull. B. O. C. no. 4, p. xvii (Laysan I.) 

 (1892); id. Ibis, 1893, p. 250; id. Amf. of Laysan, pt. i. p. 19, 

 pi. — (1893). 



Male perhaps not fully adult. General plumage rufescent ; head 

 and nape black with a greenish lustre, especially on the nape ; 

 edges of the feathers on the sides of the head streaked with reddish ; 

 an irregular white ring round the eyes ; throat mixed with 

 white ; back, crop-region, breast, and flanks with brown and rufes- 

 cent V-shaped marks ; rump blackish, with rufescent markings ; 

 abdomen rufescent, with brown bars ; under tail-coverts rufous- 

 chestnut, with brown marks ; upper wing-coverts greyish brown, 

 edged with rufescent ; speculum dull metallic purple and green, 

 with a white apical band ; tertials brown, with the outer web 

 velvety black ; under wing-coverts brown, edged with rufescent, 

 the inner ones with the axillaries white ; tail brown, the feathers 

 edged and crossed with rufescent ; the central tail-feathers much 

 darker and somewhat curled up: "iris brown; upper mandible 

 blackish, green towards the edges ; feet dull orange, webs brovni " 

 (Pahuer). Total length about 17 inches, wing 8, tail 3-5, oulmen 1-6, 

 tarsus 1-4. (3fus. Eotliscliild.) 



Female. Similar to the male, but differs in having more white on 

 the chin and upper throat and in the speculum being much duller, 

 scarcely indicated ; upper and under tail-coverts paler, rufescent 

 with dusky marks or bands. {Mas. Eotliscliild.) 



In some specimens the white ring round the eyes extends back- 

 wards, in a kmd of band, and many white feathers are scattered on 

 the sides of the head ; again, in one female many tail-feathers are 

 white ! {Mus. EothscliUd.) 



Hah. Laysan Islands. 



4. Anas melleri. 



Anas xanthorhynclia, Itoch ^- E. Newt, {nee Forst.) Ibis, 1863, p. 174 



(Tamatave). 

 Datila erytbrorhyncha, Sclat. {nee Gm.) P. Z. S. 1863, p. 165. 

 Anas melleri, Sclat. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 487, pi. xxxiv. (.Madagascar); 



G. li. Gr. Hand-list, ill. p. 82, n. 10641 (1871) ; Gieb. Thes. Oni.i. 



p. 357 (1872) : Hartl. VUg. Madag. p. 360 (1877) ; Sclat. P. Z. S. 



1880, p. 517 ; Milne-Edw. S) Grand. Ois. Madar/. p. 724, pis. 269 



(bird), 275 ff. f. 1 (head) (1882); Rcknw. Orn. Centralbl. 1882, 



p. 19 ; Tristr. Cat. Coll. B. p. 49 (1889) ; Sibree, Ibis, 1892, p. 270. 

 Anas morelii. Grand. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1867, pp. 88, 255 



( = melleri). 

 Anas boschas (?), var. melleri, Grand. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1868, 



p. 5. 

 Anas boschas (?), Schleg. S,- Poll. Rech. Farm. Madag. p. 160 (1868). 

 Anas mascarina, Vinson, Mem. Soc. Accl. de File de la Ri'un. 1868, 



p. 5 ; id. Bull. Soc. d'Acclim. 1868, pp. 626, 627 : cf. A. Newt. ZooL 



Rec. V. pp. 108, 109. 



