ANATINiE — THE DUCKS — DAFILA. 



511 



they all differ in having the sexes alike, in the dull (iiuicli spottu.l) coloration, and in the very 

 slight elongation of the middle reetrices. They constitute a groiip somewhat intermediate between 

 Dujlla and Ncttion, and are again directly connected with the latter ))y several small Ducks of the 

 southern hemisphere, usually referred to the genus Qucrqumlula (e.g. (.).y/af(Vos/ci»-, of South 

 America, and Q. Eatoni, of Kerguelen Island). The genus l\vcilonctta (type. Anus bahamensis, 

 Linn.) was proposed for this group by Kauj), and should probably be retained for it. 



Dafila acuta. 



THE PIN-TAIL; SFBIO-TAU. 



Anas acuta, Linn. S. N. I. 1766, 202. — Wii.s. Am. Oin. VIII. 1814, pi. 68, fig. 3. — Nutt. Man. 



II. 1834, 380 —AfD. Orn. Hiog. III. 183;"., 214 ; V. 1839, 615, pi. 227 ; Synop. 1839, 279; 



Birds Am. VI. 1843, 206, pi. 390. 

 Dafihi acuta, BiixAi'. Comp. List, 1838, ;'iO. — H.uiiu, 15. X. Am. 1S.")8, 776 ; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, 



no. 578 ; Con;s, Koy, 1872, 286 ; C'licck Li;,t, 1873, no. 490 ; 2d cd. 1882, no. 710 ; Birds X. AV. 



1874, 561. — HiDGW. Nom. X. Am. IJ. ISSl, no. 605. 

 Amis alandica, Sl'.\liu.M. Mus. ('ails. III. , pi. 00. 



Amis Spa7Tina)ini, Lath. Ind. Orn. II. 1790, 876. 

 Anas camlociifii, Pall. Zoog. Itosso-.Vs. II. 1826, 280. 

 Amis lui.gkauili, Bimss. Oiii. VI. 1700, 3(i0, pi. 34, figs. 1, 2. 

 Anas caudata, Biikum, Viig. Deiitsuhl. 800. 

 Dafila acuta, var. nmcricami, Bonai". Coinpt. Bond. XLTI. 1856. 



Had. The whole of North America ; Europe. Breeding chiefly far north, migrating south in 

 winter as far as Panama ; Cuba. 



Sp. Chak. Adult male in ivinhr: Head and upper half of the neck hair-brown or grayish 

 umber, the upper surface darker, often inclining to deep burnt-umber ; all the feathers (usually) 

 appreciably darker centrally, producing an indistinctly an<l minutely speckled appearance; on 

 each side of the occiput the brown has a metallic gloss of dull green, showing a faint jmrple i-eflec- 

 tion in some lights. Up er half of the 

 nape opa(iue intense black, separated from 

 the brown by an upward extension of the 

 white of the lower neck nearly to the occi- 

 put, .^tripe on each side of the nape (as 

 described above), lower half of the neck 

 frontally and laterally, jugulum, breast, 

 and abdomen immaculate white. Lower 

 half of the nape, with entire dorsal region 

 and lateral lower parts, [inely waved with 

 transverse, rather zigzag, lines of white 

 and black, of nearly ei^ual width. Longer 

 scapulars opaque velvety black centrally, 

 edged broadly with grayish white ; outer 

 scapulars with exposed etids of their outer 

 webs entirely velvety black. T.riials 

 silvery asli, with a medial stripe of intense 

 velvety black. Speculum dull green, va- 

 rying to dull lu'onzy pur[ile, with a sub- 

 terminal bar of velvety black and a tip of 

 white. Wing-coverts very uniform brown- 

 ish gray, the last row broadly tipped with 

 cinnamon-rufous. Primaries dull .«laty. 



Upper tail-coverts with outer webs black, the inner ones grayish white ; lower coverts deep opmpie 

 velvety black, the (jxterior row with their outer webs white ; post-femoral space delicate cream-color, 

 Tail-feathei-s dark cinereous edged with while, the elongated middle pair unil'orm deep black. Bill 



