486 



LAMELLIROSTRAL SWIMMERS - ANSERES. 



1 I 



meister cites it as having been noticed in varying numbers in all the easterly and 

 northerly regions of La Plata, on the Rio Uruguay, and on the I'arana as far up as 

 Tucuran. This Ihiek — su|)i)os('d by Lrotaud to be the /n'ro/nr oi Vieillot — is said 

 bj'' the former to occur in Trinidad, but to be found there chiefly as a bird of passage, 

 visiting that island very irregularly. Occasionally it comes in considerable numbers, 

 nests in the island, rears its young, and even has a second and sometimes a third 

 brood before it departs. It then abandons the island, and is gone for several years 

 without repeating its visit. Its habits, so far. us Leotaud observed them, are pre- 

 cisely the same as tiiose of the autumnaUn, and its flesh — like that — is also very 

 highly esteemed by epicures. 



Colonel Grayson — cpiotcd by Mr. Lawrence — gives very full notes of the habits 

 both of this species and of the (lafuvinal'is, as observed by him in Western Mexico. 

 Both species much resend)le each other in their general appearance, as well as in 

 their habits; and both are (piite abundant in Western Mexico as far north as tSonora. 

 The present species is the most numerous in that region. 



At the end of the rainy season, or in the month of October, this bird makes its 

 appearance in the vicinity of iLazatlan in large flocks, inhabiting the fresh-water 

 lakes and ponds in the coast region, or fi'i-mi enUento, during the entire winter, or 

 dry months, subsisting principally uj)on the seeds of grass and weeds, and often, at 

 night, visiting the corn-flelds for grain. During these nu)nths Colonel (Jrayson has 

 found it in the shallow grass-grown ponds in very large numbers, affording excellent 

 sport to the hunter and delicious game for the table. Its flesh is white and juicy, 

 and also free from the strong or rank flavor whi(!h Ducks not feeding exclusively on 

 grain and seeds usually have. This bird is large and heavy, and often vei\y fat. 



It is more easy of approach than our northern Ducks ; and Colonel Clrayson states 

 that he has often shot as many as fifteen Avith two discharges of his double-barrelled 

 gun. When only winged, it is almo.st sure to nuike its escajie, which its long and 

 stout legs enable it to do by running and springing with extraordinary agility, idti- 

 mately eluding pursuit by dodging into the grass or nearest thicket. It che water is 

 deep, it dives, and when it rises to breathe, raises only the head abo/e the water, 

 remaining concealed among the aquatic vegetation, where it battles the hunter's efforts 

 to find it. 



Although its geographical range is almost entirely within the trojiics, yet this 

 species has its seasons of periodical migration from one ])art of the country to the 

 other. During the month of April its well-known peculiar whistle may be heard 

 nightly as northward-bound flocks are passing in ajiparently large numbers over 

 Mazathan. At first Colonel Grayson Avas not a little puzzled by this movement, 

 especially as he had been assured that this bird is not seen north of the tropic, 

 except as an occasional straggler; but by frequent in(piiries of the natives he was 

 enlightened as to the point of destination of these Ducks, and was satisfied that 

 they go no farther north than the JIayo and Taqui rivers, in Sonora, and the adja- 

 cent lakes and lagoons, and that they breed there. Some, however, remain and breed 

 in Sinaloa and in the adjacent region ; and Colonel Grayson fo\uid, as late as Xovem- 

 ber, young broods near San Bias which were unable to fly. They doubtless raise two 

 or more broods during the season ; but he was never able to discover whether they 

 nest in holiow trees, as the autumnitHn does, or on the ground, among the grass. He 

 was informed by the natives, however, that the latter is the case ; and they assured 

 him that this bird lays from ten to fifteen pure white eggs. Though it inhabits the 

 region near the sea-coast, this Duck is never* met with on the sea, and very seldom 

 in the estero, or salt-water lagoon, it being an exclusively fresh-water bird. 



