134 ANSEKES ANAS 



6 1 . Bill slaty with black on the culmen, legs 



yellow, webs black A. sparsa, p. 136. 



c 1 . Bill crimson with base and edges black, 



legs dirty yellow N. capense, p. 138. 



b. Speculum salmon pink. 



a. 1 Bill pink with a brown central stripe ; 



legs dirty grey P. erythrorhyncha, p. 141. 



B. Smaller, wing about 6 ; speculum bright 



green; bill black and leaden N. punctatiun, p. 139. 



619. Anas undulata. Geelbec or Yellow BilL < 



Anas flavirostris (nee Vieill.) Smith, Cat. S. A. Mils. p. 36 (1837) ; id. 

 Illnstr. Zool. S. A. Aves, pi. 96 (1844) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 352 

 (1867); Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 49 [Natal]; Buckley, Ibis, 1874, 

 p. 390 ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, pp. 349, 404 (1893). 



Anas undulata, Dubois, Orn. Gall. p. 119, pi. 77 (1839); Salvadori, 

 Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 212 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 172 (1896) ; 

 Woodward bros., Natal B. p. 209 (1899) ; Eeichenow, Vog. Afr. i, 

 p. 113 (1900) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 269 ; Gates, Cat. B. Eggs ii, 

 p. 165, pi. vi, fig. 5 (1902) ; Short-ridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 207. 



Anas xanthorhyncha, Forst., Descr. An. p. 45 (1844) ; Pelzeln, Novara 

 Eeise, Vogel, p. 138 (1865) ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. 

 p. 342 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1874, p. 105, 1880, p. 272 ; Gates, 

 Matabeleland, p. 327 (1881) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 368 [Mashona- 

 land] ; Holub & Pelzeln, Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 329 (1882)"; Butler^ 

 Feilden and Reid, Zool. 1882, p. 427 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. 

 p. 755 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsm. S. A. p. 127, pi. xii, 

 fig. 60 (1892) : Fleck, Jo urn. Ornith. 1894, p. 381. 



Description. Adult male. General colour dark ashy-brown, the 

 head and neck finely streaked with whitish ; the feathers of the 

 upper part of the body narrowly, those of the lower broadly edged 

 with white, so that the whole bird has a mottled appearance ; 

 primaries dark brown, outer secondaries metallic-green or blue on 

 the outer web, forming a conspicuous speculum, a few of the inner 

 secondaries rich velvety black on the outer web forming a margin 

 to the speculum ; tail of sixteen feathers, which are rather narrow 

 and pointed, especially the central pair. 



Iris hazel; bill yellow, black along the middle of the culmen 

 and at the tip ; legs black. 



Length 22-5 ; wing 9-7 ; tail 3-0; culmen 2-0 ; tarsus 1-5. The 

 sexes are alike. 



Distribution. This is certainly the commonest Duck throughout 

 the greater part of South Africa, and is found everywhere except 



