WHITE-FACED TREE-DUCK 141 
voices into which they burst at the moment of rising 
has a curious effect. 
So extremely social are these Ducks that even when 
breeding they keep together in large flocks. The 
nest is made of stems and leaves, on the water among 
the reeds and aquatic plants; and sometimes large 
numbers of nests are found close together, as in a 
gullery. The eggs are pure white, and each bird 
lays, I believe, ten or twelve, but I am not sure about 
the exact number; and I have so frequently found 
from twenty to thirty eggs in a nest that I am con- 
vinced it is a not uncommon thing for two or three 
females to occupy one nest. 
WHITE-FACED TREE-DUCK 
Dendrocygna viduata 
Face and spot on throat white; nape, neck in front, middle of 
abdomen, tail, rump, and wings black; hind neck chestnut; middle 
of back and scapulars brown, feathers with fulvous margins; wing- 
coverts olive-black; flanks banded with black and white; bill and 
feet black; length 17, wing g inches. Female similar. 
Tuts Tree-Duck resembles that last described in 
size, form, and maroon-red plumage, but is of a 
darker tint, and may also be easily distinguished, 
even at a long distance, by its white face contrasted 
with the velvety black of the head and neck. One 
of its vernacular names is Pato viuda (Widow Duck) 
