794 



U. S. p. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



^ylhya erythrocephala, Bonap. List, 1838, (not of Brehm, 1831, which is European .4. firina.) — Newberry, P. R. 



Rep. VI, IV, 1857, 103. 

 Fuligula amtricttiia, Etton, Mon. Anat. 1838, 155. — Gosse, Birds Jam. 1847. 

 J'Jyroca americana, Gray, Genera, 

 Aylhya americona, Bp. Comptes Rendus, XLIII, Sept. 1856. 



Sp. Ch. — Bill as long as the head, broad, blue, the end black ; the region anterior to the nostrils dusky. Head, and neck 

 for more than half its length, brownish red, glossed above and behind with violaceous red. Rest of neck and body anterior to 

 the shoulders, lower part of back and tail coverts, black. Beneath white, sprinkled with gray and black anterior to the crissuin ; 

 the sides, interscapuJars, and scapulars finely lined with undulating black and white in nearly equal proportions, imparting a 

 general gray tint. Wing coverts bluish gray, finely sprinkled with whitish. The speculum, consistmg of the ends of the 

 secondaries, hoary grayish blue, lightest e.\ternally, and the innermost narrowly edged externally with black. Basal portion of 

 inner primaries somewhat similar to the speculum. Tail of fourteen feathers. 



Female with the head, neck, and fore part of body brownish ; the region round the base of the bill whitish. Length of male, 

 20.50 ; wing, 9.50 ; tarsus, l.GO; commissure, 2.30. 



//oft. — Whole of North America. 



This species, with a strong resemblance to the canvas-back, is readily distinguished by the 

 shorter, broader bill, absence of brown on the head, and a greater predominance of black in the 

 waved lines, this being equal in amount to the white, instead of much less. It is very similar 

 to the A. ferin'a of Europe, which, however, appears to have the bill more like that of the 

 canvas-back, A. valUsneria. 



List of specimens. 



Locality. 



Carlisle, Pa. 

 do 



.... do 



Indianola, Texas . 



Uncompagre river, Utah . 



Salt Lake City 



do 



Rio Grande 



San Diego, Cal 



Bodega, Cal 



When 

 collected. 



April 3,184-1 

 Oct. 23,I&)3 

 do 



Feb. 14,1855 



Feb. 7,1855 



Feb. —.1855 



Whence obtained. I Orig. 

 ! No. 



.do.. 



Capt. Pope ■ 17 



Capt. Beckwith . . 

 Lt. Beckwith .. , 



do 



Maj. Emory - .... 

 Lt. Trowbridge . 

 do 



Collected by — 



Mr.Ereutzfeldt. 



do 



do 



A. Schott 



Length. Stretch 

 of wings. 



aO.SO 33.50 



19.50 I 82.75 



19.50 31.50 



15.50 , S4.60 



Wing. 



9.50 

 9.00 

 8.75 

 7.50 



Feet dark green, bill 

 black, iris brown. 



Eyes red , 



ATTHYA VALLISNERIA, Bonap. 



Canvas-backi. 



wJnos DoHijncrio, Wilson, Am. Dm. VIII, 1814, 103; pi. Ixx.— Doughtt's Cab. N. H. II, 1832, 36; pi. iv. 

 Fuiiguia faHisncrio, Stephens, XU, 1824, 196.— Bon. Syn. 1828, 392.— Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1331, 451.— 



NcTTALL, Man. II, 430. 

 Jlylhya valliineria, Eon. List, 1838. — Newberry, Rep. P. R. R. VI, iv, 1657, 103. 

 ^nas vallisneriana, Sabine. 



Fuligula vallisneriana, AuD. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 1 ; pl. 301.— Ib. Syn. 1839.— Ib. Birds. Amer. VI, 1843, 299 ; pl. 395. 

 ^riatonella valUsneria, Baird. 



Sp. Cii. — Bill long, slender, and tapering. Head all round and neck chestnut ; the lop of the head and region around the 

 base of the bill dusky brown Rest of neck, body anterior to the shoulders, back behind, rump and tail coverts, black. Undo- 

 parts white ; the region anterior to the anus, the sides, the interscapulars and scapulars, white, finely dotted in transverse line, 

 with black, the white greatly predominating. Speculum bluish gray, lighter externally ; tho innermost secondaries of the 

 speculum edged externally with black. 



