BIRDS—ANATINAE—DAFILA. (ad 
List of specimens. 
| | 
Catal. Sex. Locality. When col- Whence obtained. | orig’ Collected by— Length.| Stretch | Wing. 
No. | lected. | No. of wings. 
872 | SO | Carlisle, Pa.......+ esisinaietsleieaies Novy 2551642) -S. Be Baird, cassigmevaensl| sanewsl sesteaccecssas saclosiecebiaeia 22.75 | 37.00} 11.00 
BTS © J |ecesass dor gecwaviessecsasascseaws|sessss dosenses [saaeee AGkicctaasscwsse pant) contetllaseicnowse geaacawasceweel | 22.95] 36.50] 11.00 
6897 | 3 Selkirk Settlement, H. B. T sscccleccccccccorens De GUN sccies.cc cosscliceins leaaaen | cctishiconastecea cos tien «oc 
6891 | QO | Nelson river, H. B. T ...+00..-0+ aaa .| Jno. Isbister.. 
9691 | 3B | Upper Mississippi and Yellowstone) ......+.++ 05+. Lieut. Warren ...ccceeess |aeeees DroHaydens satesaigsies.coes| 
9699 | @ | Great Salt Lake City...... Padecd|sezseesnesesen| Lieut BeckWiths.,-seacel sseces 
9696 | @ | Fort Thorn, New Mexico ......, «| Dr. Henry .«ccccccens 
S887A|aaeascf MOT RIey., Ke Disses) sicncees s Hammond & Vesey.. val ° 
9693 |..... Boca Grande, Mexico... sseeees Mar. —, 1855 | Major Emory...... «. Dr. Kennerly. 
9697 | Gi | Bodega, Cal ...s..seeeeeseeeeee Feb. —, 1855 | Lieut. Trowbridge.... T. A. Szabo.. ala 
9701 | ....-| Presidio, (near San Francisco) ..| July 6, 1853|...... GO-eetcesssvesiitecsslseeccs|anessis DOsaesaseswssecteiae I esiss'sleiaic| alcelaeeel Resemune 
9698 | GJ | Fort Steilacoom, W. T ceceee cess |eceeeeaceeees Gov. Stevens .s..ee. cece Dr. Suckley....... cacclcocecceel|sosccce [eeecoeee 
9692) | cbawett|sasaiceas dO. .cceee eeeeee eeee scenes Feb. 2, 1854 |. ..00. GO. voccscccsvesesees| SL |roccee dO ccciecvsine covesees 24.00 37,00 | 11.50 
ANAS OBSCURA, Gm. 
Biack Duck; Dusky Duck. 
Anas obscura, Gm. Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 541.—Laru. Ind. II, 1790.—Witson, Am. Orn. VIIT, 1814, 141; pl. Ixxii, 
f. 5.—Is. Ord’s ed. VIII, 155.—Bown. Obs. Wils. 1825, 260.—IB. Syn. 234.—Aup. Orn. Biog. IV, 
1838, 15; pl. 302.—In. Syn. 276.—Is. Birds Amer. VI, 1843, 244; pl. 336.—Eyron Mon. Anat. 
1838, 140. 
Anas (Boschas) obscura, Nuttraut, Man. I], 1834, 392. 
Dusky Duck.—Pennant, Arc. Zool. I], 564.—Larn. III, , 545. 
Sp. Cu.—Bill greenish ; feet red. Body generally blackish brown; the feathers obscurely margined with reddish brown ; 
those anteriorly with a concealed V-shaped mark, more or less visible on the sides of the breast. Head and neck brownish 
yellow, spotted with black ; the top of head and nape dark brown, with a green gloss on the sides behind. Wings dull blackish, 
with a dull greenish gloss. Speculum violet, terminated with black. Inner tertials hoary gray towards tip. Avxillars ana 
inside of wing white. Tail of 18 feathers. 
Female similar, but rather duller ; the light edges to the under feathers more conspicuous ; the sides of head without the 
greenish gloss. The speculum bluish, with less violet. 
Length of male, 22 inches ; wing nearly 12; tarsus, 1.80 ; commissure, 2.56. 
Hab.—Atlantic region of North America. Not yet detected on the Pacific, nor in Europe. 
This is the most plainly marked as well as, perhaps, the largest of our river ducks, and 
excelled by none in the excellence of its flesh. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. No.| Sex. Locality. | When collected. | Whence obtained. Length. | Stretch | Wing. 
| of wings.) 
231 3 Carlisle; Penn=.----2.- | March 10, 1840-...-.. [Ss Be Baldi see cucccacete|saese ane |seseeses| sense 
847 ol Lae GORe bee oe. | November 4, 1842....|_..--- deltas... «ate 22.00 | 36.25 | 10.50 
| 
DAFILA, Leach. 
Dafila, *‘ Leacu,”? Steruens, Shaw’s Gen. Zoo!. XII, 1824, 126. Type Anas acuta. 
Phasianurus, Wac.er, Isis, 1832. 
Cu.--Bill long, narrow ; considerably longer than the foot ; nearly linear, but widening a little to the end, which is truncate, 
rounded. Nail small. Nostrils small, in the basal third of bill. Tail pointed; the two middle feathers lengthened, so as 
nearly to equal the wings, 
