486 ANATID^. 



nec 902 (?) (1823) (San Paulo, Brazil); G. R. Gr. Gen. B. 



App. p. 28 (1849). 

 Mergus brasilianus, Vieill. Gal. des Ois. ii. p. 209, pi. 283 (1825) *; 



Less. Tr. d'Orn. p. 635, n. 3 (1831) ; id. Compl. de Buf., Ois. ix. 



p. 537 (1837) ; id. op. cit. 2nd ed. p. 722 (1838) ; Eyt. Mon. Anat. 



p. 176 (1838) ; Bp. Compt. Bend, xliii. p. 652, n. 170 (1856) ; Bj/t. 



Syn. Anat. p. 135 (1869). 

 Mergus octosetalus, Boie, Ms, 1826, p. 980. 

 Mergus trasiliensis, G. R. Gr. Gen. B. iii. p. 624, n. 4 (1844) ; id. 



op. cit. App. p. 28 (1849) ; Licht. Nomencl. Av. p. 103 (1854) ; 



Burm. Syst. Uebers. iii. p. 441 (1856); Schleg. Mm. P.-B., 



Anseres, p. 6 (1866); Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 322 (Rio Itarar^), 



pp. 460, lix (1870); G. R. Gr. Rand-list, iii. p. 90, n. 10732 



(1871); Sclat. ^ Salv. Nomencl. Av. Neotrop. p. 131 (1873); 



Berl. J. f. O. 1874, p. 281 (Santa Catharina) ; Gieb. Thes. Orn. ii. 



p. 569 (1875). 

 Mergus lophotes, Ctiv. Mvs. Paris ; Pucker. Rev. et Maq. de Zool. 



1850, p. 551 (- M. octosetffilus = M. brasilianus) ; Ila'rtl. J.f. O. 



1855, p. 420. 

 Mergus octosetosus (errore ?), Bj). Compt. Rend, xliii. p. 652, in syn. 



M. brasiliaui (1856) ; ScMeyel, I. c. ; G. R. Gr. Ha7id-list, I. c. ; 



Giebel, I. c. 

 Prister brasilianus, Heitie Sf RcJimv. N(m. Mus. Hein. Orn. p. 350 



(1890). 



Adult male. Head and upper part of the neck glossy black, with 

 a green lustre ; anterior lower part of the neck, sides of the 

 breast, and flanks grey, minutely dotted and waved with whitish ; 

 upper back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and scapiilars glossy brown- 

 black ; breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts barred across with 

 white and brown-black, the bars on the under tail-coverts narrower ; 

 wings brown-black, the middle wing-coverts lighter or greyish 

 towards the tip ; speculum on the wing white, formed by the apical 

 half of the greater wing-coverts and of the secondaries, crossed by 

 two black bands, one anteriorly formed by the base of the greater 

 wing-coverts and the other by the black base of the secondaries 

 showing through ; under wing-coverts blackish brown, edged with 

 white ; tail black : " bill and feet greenish black ; irides brown " 

 (Burmeister). Total length about 19 inches, wing 7 "2, tail 4, 

 culmen 1'82, tarsus 1*5. 



Female. Differs from the male in having the crown and the long 

 occipital feathers of a chocolate-brown. 



Young. "Upper surface dull blackish brown, mixed with some 

 scattered pure brown-black feathers ; crown, sides of the head, and 

 crest (formed of long, narrow, occipital feathers) blackish, with a 

 slight green gloss ; also on the upper part of the ueck there are a 

 few black glossy-green feathers; the shorter secondaries and their 

 coverts on the outer web white, except on the base, which is black ; 

 therefore on the wing there are a broader and a narrower white 

 speculum, separated from each other by a black line, formed by the 



* Vieillot himself gave up the name 31. octosctaceus as misleading, the bird 

 having many more than eight feathers on the occiput. 



