BIRDS — ANSERINA.E — DENDROCYGNA FULVA. 



771 



Sp. Ch. — Nail of bill bent dowa at a right angle. Frontal feathers advancing as an obtuse angle. Bill and legs bluish 

 black. Body beneath and anteriorly, and sides, uniform pale cinnamon The neck similar ; the head above dark cinnamon ; the 

 nape with a black line. Lesser wing coverts chocolUe ; rest of wings, tail, and rump, black. Scapulars and fore part of back 

 black, barred at the ends with cinnamon. Upper and under tail coverts white. 



Length, 20; wing, 9.1(1; tarsus, 2.20; gape of bill, 2.18. 



Ilab. — Fort Tejon, Califurnia; and south into Brazil. 



Feathers of forehead advancing on the hill as an ohtuse angle. Nail of bill abruptly hooked, 

 the posterior outline of the hook at a right angle with the commissure. Legs and feet very 

 large and stout. First quill intermediate between 4 and 5. Tail much rounded. 



Bill and legs entirely black. Prevailing colors, light yellowish brown, except on the lower 

 back and wings. The head and neck are light yellowish brown ; the top of head, and, to a 

 certain extent the cheeks, glossed with dark cinnamon. The central line of the chin and 

 throat is rather paler, becoming nearly white posteriorly, this white finely streaked with dark 

 brown on the edge and bases of some of the feathers. There is a well defined black 

 nuchal line extending down the whole neck from behind the occiput. The entire under pei.rts, 

 including the jugulum, sides, and tibia, are uniform light reddish cinnamon, paler on the 

 central line, and becoming whitish about the anus, and on the tibiae and under tail coverts. 

 There is not the faintest trace of streaks or bands, except very obsolete lines on the tibiae. The 

 lesser wing coverts are reddish chocolate ; the rest of the wings on both surfaces, the axillars, 

 the tail feathers, the rump, and the hinder part of back, are uniform black. The scapulars are 

 dark brown or black, with terminal bars of dark brownish yellow. The upper tail coverts are 

 yellowish white. 



I have found great difficulty in identifying this bird with any description of s^jecies accessible 

 to me. It comes nearest to D.fulva. As given by Burmeister, however, this appears to be con- 

 siderably smaller, according to the description, and all the feathers of the under parts are said 

 to have a broad light streak along the shafts, bordered anteriorly by a black line. .The account 

 as given by Latham, Gmelin, and others, however, makes no reference to these lines. It is 

 quite possible that there are really two species included in the synonomy, and that the present 

 bird is the original Anas fulva of Gmelin, from Mexico. 



I quote the names sinuata, collaris, and bicolor from Bonaparte, not having the opportunity at 

 present to verify them. 



List of specimens. 



