ANATID^. 35S 



water, generally in a dense bush ; the female sits so close that unless 

 hunted for she will scarcely rise. Her egss, usually six in number, 

 are cream-coloured : axis, 2" 3'"; diam., 1" 9"'. 



656. Anas Dominicana, Gmei. ; shaw, Voi. 12, 



p. 109. 



Size of wilrl-duck ; bill black; cbin and throat white; 

 from the bill throuj^h the eye a streak of black, ending in an 

 angle behind ; hind-head, neck, and breast, black ; back and 

 lesser wing-coverts, deep cinereous-grey, crossed with two 

 bands of very pale-grey ; bill and vent pale-grey ; legs 

 black. 



" Inhabits South Africa." — Shaw, loc. cit. ; but is in reality a South 

 A.merican species. 



Genus QUERQUEDITLA, Stephens. 

 Bill as long as the head, straight, the height equalling the 

 breadth at the base, of equal width throughout, depressed 

 towards the tip, which is armed with a small narrow hooked 

 nail ; the lamellae of the upper mandible hardly visible, 

 broad, and rather widely set ; the nostrils situated near the 

 base and culmen, lateral, and oval ; wings moderate and 

 pointed, with the second quill the longest, and the secondaries 

 lengthened and pointed; tail moderate, and wedge-shaped ; 

 tiirsi rather shorter than the middle toe ; toes united by a full 

 web, and the hind toe short, and slightly lobed. 



657. Querquedula Hottentotta, Smith, Zooi. 



S. Af., PI. T05 ; Ey ton's Anai, p. ] 29 ; Hottentot Teal. 



Male : uraber-brown, edged with lighter ; crown, occiput, 

 and quills, dark-brown ; chin, throat, cheeks, rump, and 

 under tail-coverts, light-brown ; the last narrowly edged with 

 darker ; breast, lower part of neck, and under surface, darker 

 than on the rump ; abdomen barred with black ; speculum 

 and secondaries, bright brassy-green ; the former edged 

 behind with black, then with white ; coverts brown, slightly 

 glossed with brassy ; tail dark-brown. Female like the male, 

 but markings less distinct ; under plumage lighter; legs in 

 both sexes brown ; bill lead-colourt-d ; nail horn-brown. 

 Length, 13" 9'" ; wing, 5" 8'" ; tail, 2" 10'". 



Dr. Andrew Smith, whose description I quote, states " that the only 

 specimens of this bird seen by him, two in number, were procured on 

 a lar;je vley about one hundred miles north-west of Cape Town. This 

 was probaijly Verloren Vley. I have not seen it from the colony ; but 

 a mutilated specimen appears in Mr. Chapman's collection ; and Mr. 

 Andersson procured it in Damaraland." 



