On Anatidae in the late Count Ninni's Collection. 67 



Museum of New York, that in the British Museum (ex coll. 

 Salvin and Godman), and my own are the only representa- 

 tives of this rare Humming-bird in our collections of natural 

 history. 



VI. — Notes on some Specimens of Anatidae in the late Count 

 Ninni's Collection. By Prof. Ettore Arrigoni Degli 



ODDI. 



The much-lamented Count Alexander P. Ninni, a name 

 dear to naturalists of every country, left his rich collections 

 of natural history to the city of Venice, where they were 

 consigned to the Correr Museum. The most remarkable 

 part of them is the series of birds, which consists of about 

 one thousand specimens, illustrative of the avifauna of the 

 province of Venice. But several rare specimens have most 

 unfortunately been lost through the carelessness of those to 

 whom they were entrusted. Among these are an example 

 of (Eclemia nigra, of which only the head is left, and an 

 example of a cross between Anas boscas and Chaulela.wms 

 streperus destroyed by moths. In fact it is OAving to the inde- 

 fatigable activity and intelligence of my friend Prof. Joseph 

 Scarpa, appointed by the city of Venice to put the collections 

 into order, that they have escaped further loss. 



The greater number of the specimens in this collection are 

 unfortunately without date and locality. It is, however, 

 certain that they were all obtained in the Venetian estuary and 

 the adjoining seas within the last few years. Count Ninni had 

 many correspondents who brought him everything interesting 

 they met with, among whom I may mention Giovanni 

 Minotto, a pi'eparator and punt-gunner. Although not 

 gifted with knowledge acquired from books, Minotto is 

 endowed with great natural ability, and was a coadjutor 

 of Count Ninnies of no little importance, and since the 

 latter's death he has been very useful to me in collecting 

 and mounting birds for my museum. 



The Anatidse, consisting of about one hundred specimens, 

 are the most largely represented family in the collection, and 



f2 



