BROWN PINTAIL 147 
BROWN PINTAIL 
Dafila spinicauda 
Above brown; feathers black in the centre and margined with 
brown ; head above bright rufous spotted with black ; wings brown, 
with a large speculum of bronzy black, distinctly margined above 
and below with buff; beneath, throat dirty white, sparingly spotted 
with black ; breast, flanks, and crissum tinged with rufous, the feathers 
with black centres; belly white, in the lower portion slightly varied 
with brown ; bill black, at the base yellow ; feet plumbeous; length 
19, wing 9.7 inches. 
THE Brown Pintail is the commonest Duck in the 
Argentine Republic, and unites in the largest flocks. 
It is also, according to Philippi and Landbeck, the 
commonest species in Chili. It ranges from South 
Brazil and Peru to the Magellan Straits and the 
Falklands; but is probably most abundant in the 
Plata district and in North Patagonia. In the autumn 
it sometimes visits the pampas in immense numbers, 
to feed on the seed of the giant thistle (Carduus 
mariana) ; and on these occasions I have known as 
many as sixty killed at one shot. The birds, however, 
soon become wary when feeding on the open plains 
in large flocks, and it then becomes impossible to 
approach them without a trained horse. The Ducks 
pay no attention to horses and cattle browsing near 
them ; and the trained animal, with the gunner con- 
cealing his gun and person behind it, feeds quietly 
along, and gradually approaches the flock until 
within range. In the valley of the Rio Negro, in 
Patagonia, the Pintails sometimes cause serious 
