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 



