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LAMHLLIKUSTUAL SWIMMERS — ANSEUES. 



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The ninrkinif* of tlu! lifiul uro llic smnc in both soxcs, tlio lilnck .stripes heinj,' duUiT, mid the 

 lij,'lit oiicM u|>iir<i:uiiiiij,' iitMiLT to wliitu in the I'uniiile. The uiiper lij^ht stripe is a .^iiperciliury one, 

 exti'iiiliu},' from the upper hasal an^le of the hill to tiie side of the oceipiit ; tliu next is a siib- 

 orliital one, l)ej,'inniii;,' at tiie h)\ver half of tlie basal outline of the niuxilhi, and extendiuf,' back to 

 II litth' farther tlian tiie upper stripe ; tiiis is limindeil below by a dusky stripe of about equal width, 

 bci^'iiiniii;.,' at the lo\yer or basal nii},'Ie of the maxilla, and renchiiij.; back us far as the UiHd stripe. 



Dilfeii'iit individuals vary more or b'ss in tlu! shaile of colors : the male from Lake (Miainplain, 

 described above, is the most deeply colored siieciuieii in the wiiole series. The Wisconsin speei- 

 ineii is exactly like one (No. ■')285(i) from Tepic, Western Mc^xico ; both are unlike Jainnican 

 females, which ililfer frcm the niiile described merely in jjaler colors. An adult mule from Tepic 

 (No. .'iSSlS ; A. J. (luAV.sos) also differs from the Jamaican mule in very noticeable points of colora- 

 tion. The ferrii^'iiious borders to the featlK^rs of the dorsal rej^ion i>re much broader and more 

 rej,'ular, and the transverse bars of this cidor seen in the other specimen are entirely ab.sent ; the 

 neck and jiij,'iiluiii are jialer fcrruf,'inoiis than the buck marking's, instead of deeper ; the lower parts 

 are nearly while. The wJHte s))eciiluin on the wing also apjjcars to be much larger. It measure."* 

 us follows : Wing, 5. 10 inches ; tail, 4.20 ; culmen, 1.35; tarsus, .!)(» ; middle toe, 1.90. 



Should these ditferences hold good through u large series of specimen.s, the binls from the two 

 regions \vould be separable as geographical races. 



The Komoniix dominicus is a We.st Indian and South American 8pocie.s, and acci- 

 diMital only in North America. Two instances are on record of the occurrence of this 

 bird within the limits of the United States. The first was on the Vermont shore of 

 Lake Champlain, where an adult male was obtained ; the other took place several 

 years afterward, in Jefferson Co., Wis. The specimen then taken was a female, 

 and was procured by Mr. L. Kumlien, of Bussyville. We have no record of the 

 circumstances attending the capturii of either specimen. 



This species is found in several of the West India Islands, and in the northeastern 

 portions of South America. Professor A. Newton was (confident that he met with this 

 species in St. Croix ; stating that in 1857 he found a large lagoon in that island, situ- 

 ated near its eastern end, frequented by a small flo(!k of what he had no doubt 

 were birds of this species. He first saAV them on the !)th of March, sitting motionless 

 on the water ; and \w again met with the same kind in May. On this occasion the 

 birds were present in considerable numbers, swimming (piite low, so that the hinder 

 part of the back appeared to be beneath the surfai^e. On the loth of June he again 

 had a good view of these Ducks ; but did not succeed in procuring any sjjecimens, by 

 means of which he could make sure of their being of this species. 



Leotaud mentions this Duck as being one of the birds of Trinidad, where it is by 

 no means rare. AVhile to a certain extent it seems to be migratory, some are always 

 present on that island. It is social in its habits, and seems more disposed than any 

 other Duck to kee}) to the water. Its flight is rapid, but is not so well sustained 

 as that of most of the other kinds. When it is on the land it keeps in an upright 

 position, its tail resting on the ground. Its movements on dry land are embarrassed 

 by its claws, whicdi are placed so far back as to disturb its equilibrium. Its flesh is 

 excellent, and is held in high esteem in that island. 



Mr. William B. Lee (" Ibis," April, 1873) mentions obtaining a single specimen 

 on the banks of the Oato River, in the Argentine Republic. He found it a very 

 expert diver, and watched its movements in a deep part of the river, in which it was 

 diving, and where, on each occasion, it remained under the water for a long time. 



Colonel Grayson states that he met with a number of pairs of this species — about 

 fifty in all — in Western Mexico, in the neighborhood of Tepic, where they were fre- 

 quenting a small lake, or rather lagoon, as late as the month of June. They were 

 evidently preparing to breed in that locality ; and the females he shot were found to 



