26 :Sh\ W. L. Sclater on Birds collected 



near Tete on the 5tli Aug., 1907. It was tlie commonest 

 Duck to be met with in Southern Zululand, and couki be seen 

 any day in vast flocks on the lagoons wliich had been lel't 

 by the river when in flood. The fliglit is strong and fast^ 

 and excellent shooting is obtained by lying between the 

 lagoons and sending a native round to put np the birds. 

 The call is a low whistle^ which is continnally nttered. 

 when on the wing ; from this the species is often known by 

 Colonists as the Whistling Duck.] 



616. Dexdrocycna hilva. 



P. Tete, Aug. (1). 



A rare Duck in South Africa, only known from the Zam- 

 besi Valley and Lake Ngami^ while a stray individual was 

 once obtained near Durban. 



[I have never seen this Duck alive ; the specimen that was 

 secured was accidentally caught in a rope noose that had 

 been set in some reeds fringing the Mazoe River for cane- 

 rats. Although I was continually collecting on both the 

 Mazoe and Luenya Rivers, I did not see any others.] 



619. Anas undulata. 



Tv. Wakkerstroom, iNIch., Apl. (6 ad. + 6 juv.). 



Ilie adults are all just commencing to moult ; the 

 primaries are very much worn, but in no case have they been 

 renewed. Five quite young individuals, dated April 4, have 

 the head, neck, shoulders, and back still covered with down, 

 dark brown on the back, yellowish white on the sides of the 

 face and neck and throat. The rest of the j^lnmage does not 

 diff'er essentially from that of the adult, except that the 

 central parts of the breast and belly are whiter than in the 

 adult. 



["Geelbec" or "Yellow-bill" of the Colonists. 



Also one of the commonest Ducks and observed in most 

 localities from the Cape Peninsula northwards ; it -was 

 specially plentiful at Umfolosi and Wakkerstroom. The 

 Yellow-bill is more partial to large open sheets of water or 

 vleis and rivers in the open country than A. sparsa, and is 

 generally found in small parties of from six to twentv, 

 although sometimes only pairs arc seen. I do not think this 

 Duck calls when on the wing so much as A, sparsa. AYlien on 



