﻿VENEZUELAN ORNITHOLOGY — FRIEDMANN AND SMITH 437 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 9 , Caicara, June 12, 1948; gonads enlarged, one egg ready to be laid; iris 

 brown, bill black, feet blue-gray; gizzard contained seeds; bird in good fresh 

 plumage. 



This duck was recorded at the savanna ponds during the months of 

 April through October, in flocks of up to 40 individuals. It was con- 

 siderably commoner at Caicara than at Cantaura. Though often 

 found on the same ponds as Dendrocygva autumvalis, it custoiaarlly 

 remained in flocks apart from that species. 



The call note was very similar to that of Dendrocygna autumnalis. 



Local name, "yaguaso." 



DENDROCYGNA AUTUMNALIS DISCOLOR Sdater and Salvin 



Dendrocygna discolor Sclater and Salvin, Nomenclator avium neotropicalium, 

 1873, p. 161 (Venezuela, Guiana, and Brazil). 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 9 , San Ram6n, June 18, 1944; gonads not enlarged; iris dark brown, bill 

 rather bright red, tarsi and toes flesh color with a greenish tinge. 



The bird collected was in fresh plumage, compared with a specimen 

 from another Venezuelan collection that was taken a month earlier 

 and was in a late stage of m.oit. 



This was the common duck of the open savanna, encountered in 

 flocks of 10 to 50 around the lagoons. It was recorded during Febru- 

 ary, March, and June through November. In spite of the name 

 "tree duck," the collector never recorded one in the wooded areas 

 around his collecting stations. He did, however, occasionally see this 

 bird perched in the "chaparro" trees beside the savanna lagoons. 

 Four examples taken (but not preserved) on October 12 proved to be 

 two females with gonads greatly enlarged (large yolks) and two males 

 with gonads greatly enlarged. 



The call is a series of high, thin, whistled notes — wee-ree, wee-ree, 

 wee-ree — uttered generally while in flight and forming a pleasant 

 chorus as a flock comes flying over. 



Local names, "pato guire" and "gliire," probably in imitation 

 of the call note. 



SAREIDIORNIS SYLVICOLA Hiering and Ihering 



Sarkidiornis sylvicola Ihering and Ihering, Catalogos da fauna Brazileira, vol. 

 1, 1907, p. 72. New name for Anas carunculatus Lichtenstein, 1819, not A. 

 carunculatus Vieillot, 1816 (Paraguay). 



SPECIMEN COLLECTED 



1 c?, about 10 km. south of Urica, July 4, 1948; gonads greatly enlarged 

 (40 mm. long) ; iris dark brown, bill dull black, maxillary lobe dull black with 



