274 Notes on some Cuban Bird^^ 



Through the researches of Dr. Gundlach this fine species has 

 been added to the list of Cuban birds. Last year he sent me 

 an adult female for identification, and now writes as follows : 



" When you gave rae the name of this species I compared it with the 

 description and found it correct ; though the name is not new to science, 

 it is a vahiahle addition to our fauna. 



" A friend from Santiago de Cuha sent me a male, which differs from 

 the female sent, in having the hlack from the back of the neck extend- 

 ing to the throat, this male was shot about the end of June of last 

 year." 



96. Spatula clypeata, (liitiiiaeus. ) 



Anas clypeata, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 1766, p. 200. 



Young male. Upper plumage umber-brown, each feather with a 

 lighter margin ; sides of the head and throat fulvous grey, the feathers 

 with dark centres, chin fulvous white; breast and abdomen leddish 

 brown, the feathers with pale edgings; smaller wing-coverts pale blue, 

 secondary coverts brown, broadly ending in white, speculum metallic 

 green ; quills and tail brown. 



Length about 15 inches ; wing 8 ; bill 2.\ ; tarsus ly^^. 



This specimen differs so exceedingly in size from clypeata 

 that I was inclined to consider it distinct, but in its markings, 

 especially of the wings, it so much resembles that species, and 

 being immature, I have for the present concluded to so call it. 



Dr. Gundlach considers it a hybrid, and writes as follows, in 

 reply to my statement, that I could not make it agree very 

 satisfactorily with any other species. 



" I at first supposed this bird to have been raised from the union of 

 A. discors and clypeata ; I afterwards suspected it to be cyanoptera until 

 I saw some specimens of that species. Now that you cannot discover 

 it to be any species from North America, I return to my first supposi- 

 tion, however rare or unheard of the crossing of two species. I shot it 

 in February, 1846, in o pond near Cardenas, and as it was the only one 



