610 



LAMELLIROSTIIAL SWIMMERS — ANSERES. 





>ii 



their nest on the edge of the ]iond, and reared a hirge brood. The yoimg were per- 

 fectly domesticated, and made no attiunpt to Hy away, even though tlieir wings were 

 perfect. 



This species, as Professor Kunilien informs me, occurs both in the spring and fall 

 at Lake Koskonong, but is rather rare. He lias a mounted specimen shot Nov. 14th, 

 1874. He has never seen it there in summer, but has met with it in spring in marshes 

 covered with water, and in the fall on the mud-bars and among the wild rice. It is 

 very seldom seen far from the shore. .Mr. li. F. tJoss, of l'ew;iukee. Wis., writes me 

 that it breeds rarely- in his vicinity. About May L'4, 1808, he spent several days on 

 an island in Horicon Lake, where the (xadwall had just begun to lay. He found 

 three nests, two containing one, and one three eggs. The nests did not differ in their 

 construction from the ^Mallard's, but were more concealed, all of them being in thick 

 cover, one perhaps ten feet from the water, the farthest about three rods. The eggs 

 were smaller und lighter colored than the jMallard's. It was found breeding on Shoal 

 Lake in 1865 by !Mr. I^onald Gunn, and at New Westminster by ^Ir. H. W. Elliott. 

 Dr. Kennerly speaks of finding it very common in April in the vicinity of Janos River, 

 Chihuahua, going in large flocks. IJeyond that point it was not observed. 



Eggs of this species in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution (Xo. 12723) 

 from Shoal Lake are of a uniform cream-color, and range from 2.05 inches in length 

 to 2.20 inches, and from 1.45 to 1.55 inches in breadth. 



Gexus DAFILA, Stephens. 



Dafila, Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool. XII. ii. 1824, 126 (type, Anas acuta, Linn.). 

 P/iasianunis, Waol. Isis, 1832, 123r> (same t^vpe). 



Char. Bill longer than the head, narrow, the edge? parallel, deep through the biise, but other- 

 wise much depressed, the basal portion of the culiueu much ascending. In the male, the scajiulars, 

 tertials, and middle rectrices lanceolate, the latter elongated considerably beyond the other tail- 



/>. acuta. 



feathers. The adult nude in winter plumage very different from the adult female, but the sexes 

 much alike in summer. 



As defined above, the genus Dafila includes but a single species, the D. acuta, or Common Pin- 

 tail, of the northern hemisphere. Several .South American species have been referred to it ; but 



