138 ALBATROSS EXPLORATIONS, BIRDS RIDGWAY. 



Family ANATID^E. 



50. Chloephaga magellanica (Gmel.) 



Elizabeth Island, one specimen (adult female). 



51. Chloephaga antarctica (Gmel.). 



Two specimens (male and female), without labels. 



52. Tachyeres cinereus (Gmel.). 



Elizabeth Island, one specimen. Also two specimens without la- 

 bels. 



53. Poecilonetta cristata (Gmel.). 



Elizabeth Island, one specimen (adult female), 



54. Nettion flavirostris (Vieill.). 



Port Famine, two specimens ; Sandy Point, one specimen. 



55. Querquedula versicolor (Vieill.). 

 Gregory Bay ; one specimen. 



Family PHALACPvOCORACIM}. 



56. Phalacrocorax vigua (Vieill.). 



Port Otway, one adult female, in nearly full nuptial plumage. 



This species is the P. brasilianus (Gmel.) of authors,, based on 

 Puffinus brasiliensis Brisson, the latter based on the Majague of Pison; 

 but it is almost incomprehensible how such au identification should 

 have been made, Pison's bird being described by Brisson as having the 

 feathers of the throat or lower neck yellow (" qua; partem colli inferiorem 

 obtegunt, sunt flavae") and if a Phalacrocorax at all canuot possibly be 

 identified with this or any other known species. On the other hand, 

 Vieillot's " Le Cormoran vigua, Hydrocorax vigua" (Nouv. Diet. Hist. 

 Nat., vin, 1817, p. 90) from Paraguay, is unquestionably this species, 

 and probably the oldest name for it.* Vieillot's description coincides 

 very miuutely with the Albatross specimen, except that the latter lacks 

 the lengthened whitish filamentous feathers behind the eyes, which, 

 being exceedingly temporary, have probably been lost, or possibly not 

 yet assumed. 



Phalacrocorax vigua (Vieill.) is very closely allied to P. mexicanus 

 (Brandt) ; so closely, in fact, that the differences are not readily ex- 

 pressed, being, in fact, not greater than between the different races of 

 P. dilophus, as, for example, the true P. dilophus and P. dilophus florida- 

 nus. The only differences which I am able to discern consist in the some- 

 what smaller size of P. mexicanus, and somewhat paler and browner cen- 

 tral areas of the wing-coverts, scapulars, and interscapulars, rendering 



* Bonaparte (Consp., n. p. 172) and Schlegel {Hist. Nat. Mus. P.-B., vi, No. 21, 

 livr. 4, Pelecani, p. 22) make matters still worse, by including P. dilophus and other 

 species together with the present one under the species they call P. brasilianus ! 



