ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 111 



wings white ; wing-coverts white with brown spots on 

 the shaft iiear the top ; scapulars white with thc shafts 

 andthe inner webs ycllowish-brownish ; speculnm violet- 

 bhick, anteriorly and posteriorly bordered with a black 

 band, to which succeed a white one, greyish-whitish in 

 Ihe inner web ; qnills white, some grey also in the outer 

 web bul only towards the tip, the web black ; tail-feathers 

 silvery-grey, black on the shaft near the tip ; toes orange- 

 red ; claws black. 



This bird was killed in the Valle Zappa (Venetian 

 Esluary) by my father's gamekeeper on the evening of 

 September the 27'" 1885, in its flight in a small flock of 

 Mallard s. 



N° 25(> f-i\ fonr specimens of Count Ninni's CoUection. 

 — Adult males in füll plumage and with white colours- 

 (domestic varieties). 



From the size and way in which the white colour is 

 distributed in these specimens, I ßrmily believe that they 

 are not albinos, but born in confinement and then become 

 wild again. I have several times seen such killed in the 

 Estuary, some of which showed evident traces of having 

 been captives. 



All these four specimens were killed in the Venetian 

 Estuary, but only the ticket of the 256 / brings the 

 foUowing annotation : Killed in the year 1870 in the 

 Valle Botenigo ou the lake of^ /6om by the punt-gunner 

 I. Minolto. 



N" 2975 of my CoUection. — Adult male in spring 

 (Iress. — Chlorochrostic variety. 



Bill yellowish-green ; irides hazel ; head and neck 

 black-blackish without refleclions, a bright green band on 

 Ihe sides of nape which deparls from posterior angle of 

 eye and runs backwards ; central nuchal band chestnut 

 and whilish-chestnut ; white coUar and the chcstnut- 

 brown of neck and breast very bright and dark, few white 

 edges only on the breast; back, rump and upper tail-co- 



