THE WHITE-WINGED WOOD-DUCK. 281 



Genus ANAS, Lhm. 



642. ANAS LEUCOPTERA, 

 THE WHITE-WINGED WOOD-DUCK. 



Anas scutulata, S. Miill Schleg. Mm., P.-B. Anseres, p. 64 ; Wolf, Zool. Sketches, 

 ii. pi. xlix. Sarcidiornis leucopterus, Bl. J. A. S. B. xviii. p. 820. Ca- 

 sarca leucoptera, Jard. Contr. Orn. p. 141, pi. 64; Gould, P. Z. S. 1859, 

 p. 150 ; Jercl B. Ind. ii. p. 793; BL B. Burm. p. 165; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi. 

 p. 489; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 170. Casarca scutulata, Bl. Ibis, 1867, p. 176 ; 

 Hume, S. F. viii. p. 115. Anas scutulata, Hume, S. F. viii. p. 158; Hume 

 < Marsh. Game Birds, iii. pp. 147, 172, pi. 



Description. Head and neck mottled black and white, perhaps pure 

 white in the adult ; hind neck glossy black ; rest of the upper plumage, 

 including the tail, blackish brown ; shoulders and wing-coverts pure white ; 

 greater coverts black ; primaries dusky ; secondaries slaty ; tertials length- 

 ened and wide, dusky, the outermost with a white border, showing as a 

 white line on the wing ; neck and breast glossy black ; rest of the lower 

 plumage dusky castaneous, dark brown on the flanks and under tail- 

 coverts. 



Bill and legs black. Length 28 inches, wing 15, tail 6, bill at front 3, 

 tarsus 2^, mid toe 3. (Jerdon.) 



Having never seen a specimen of this Duck, I quote Dr. Jerdon's 

 description. Mr. Hume assures us that it properly belongs to this genus, 

 and not to Tadorna or Casarca, where it has usually been placed. 



This, the rarest of all the Burmese Ducks, has been procured in Tenas- 

 serim, at Tavoy by Col. Briggs, and at Mergui by the late Major Berd- 

 more. I can find no other record of its occurrence in Burmah ; but Blyth 

 states that it inhabits all the river-valleys, an assertion which I am pretty 

 certain has no good foundation. 



It occurs in Assam and in the hill-tracts of Eastern Bengal, in the 

 northern part of the Malay peninsula, and in Java ; for it now seems to be 

 generally admitted that the Javan bird is identical with Mr. Blyth's 

 species. 



Little is known of this Duck except that it is very shy and inhabits thick 

 forests, feeding in pools of water and probably also in rivers. 



