on the Birds of St. Cruix. 307 



" Oil March 39tli, 1858, I saw some ducks on a lagoon 

 which appeared to me to be of this species, but I was at too 

 great a distance to be able to say much about them." — E. N. 



53. [?] Dominican Duck. Erismatura dominica, Eyton. 

 Anas dominica, L. ; PI. Enl. 968. 



" In 1857 a pretty large lagoon between the Green Quay 

 and Southgate Farm Estates, at the eastern end of the island, 

 was frequented by a small flock of what seemed to me to have 

 been most likely this species. On March 9th I first saw some ; 

 but they were sitting motionless on the water, and, having only 

 a small glass, I could make out nothing about them. But I had 

 a good opportunity of seeing them one day in May ; there were 

 then a good many of them, perhaps twenty or twenty-five ; they 

 swam very low in the water : indeed it almost seemed as if the 

 hinder part of their backs were beneath the surface ; and their 

 tails stuck up perpendicularly at some little distance ofi", almost 

 as though they had no connexion with the birds. On June 15th 

 I all but succeeded in getting a shot at some five or six of these 

 ducks, and had another good view of them. The lagoon on 

 which I found them is nearly divided into two unequal portions 

 by a low point which juts out from one side of it : about half- 

 way along this spit of land I placed myself, squatting down 

 among the mangroves, while I sent the lad who was with me 

 round to the other side to try and drive the birds within shot of me 

 — they being then about the middle of this portion of the pond. 

 He arrived at the spot I. had pointed out opposite to me, and 

 disposing his garments in graceful folds about his head and 

 shoulders, walked into the water, which he found to be nowhere 

 above four feet in depth. The Ducks thereupon ceased feeding, 

 and collected together, but did not seem for a time ill-disposed to 

 be driven my way, merely keeping some eighty yards in front of 

 him, as he waded and they swam across. Suddenly they stopped, 

 swam to-and-fro for an instant or two ; and I felt sure they 

 had divined my presence, probably by getting wind of me. In 

 another moment they were up : away they went, flapping along 

 the surface ; and as they rounded the point towards the other 

 part of the lagoon I lost sight of them. I still lay quiet. 



