406 MESSRS. SCLATER AND SALVIN ON [Apr. 4, 



dive into the water. They seldom fly, and then only with a heavy 

 laboured flight. The bird referred to by Mr. Gosse as the Quail- 

 duck, or E. ortyyoides of Mr. Hill, is the male of this species. 



Mr. A. Newton describes what he believes to have been a flock of 

 this Duck in St. Croix. He observed them for some time, but was 

 unable to obtain a specimen. Leotaud tells us it is not rare in 

 Trinidad. 



In Central America this Lake-duck occurs as far north as the 

 neighbourhood of Mazatlan, where Col. Grayson obtained it, and 

 Jalapa, where Salle collected specimens. Further south, down the 

 Isthmus, it has not yet been recorded ; but Salvin has recently re- 

 ceived a skin obtained by Arce somewhere in Veragua. 



We have no recent testimony as to the occurrence of this species 

 in Guiana and Amazonia ; but in South and Central Brazil it 

 appears to be found in all the freshwater lakes. In Entrerios it 

 was obtained by Mr. Lee near Gualeguaychu, and in the adjoining 

 republic of Uruguay by Sellow. In La Sagra's 'Cuba' D'Orbigny 

 mentions that he procured examples of it in the small lakes of 

 the province of Chiquitos in Bolivia, its furthest known range in this 

 direction. 



Subfamily VI. Merganettin^. 



The Torrent-ducks form a peculiar and somewhat isolated group 

 of the Anatidae, restricted to the Andes of South America from Co- 

 lombia to Chili. 



Genus Merganetta. Type. 



Merganetta, Gould, P. Z. S. 1841, p. 95 M. chilensis. 



Raphipterus, Gay, Faun. Chil. p. 459 (1843) .... M. chilensis. 

 The three species may be diagnosed from the male dress as 

 follows : — 



a. Gutture nigro 1. armata. 



b. Gutture albo. 



Ventre nigro, medialiter fusco variegato 2. turneri. 



Ventre albo griseo flammulato 3. leucogenys. 



In the females the under surface is of a uniform chestnut-red. 



1. Merganetta armata. 



Merganetta armata, Gould, P. Z. S. 1841, p. 95 (Chile); Des 

 Murs, Icon. Orn. t. 48 $ (Chih) ; Gray & Mitch. Gen. of B. t. 1/0 

 (cJ); Bibra, Denkschr. Akad. Wien, v. p. 132, et J. fur Orn. 1855, 

 p. 37 ; Cassin in Gilliss's Exp. ii. p. 204 (1856) ; Scl. P. Z. S. 1867, 

 p. 340 ; Scl. & Salv. Ex. Orn. p. 200, et Nom. Av. Neotr. p. 131. 

 Biziura armata, Schl. Mus. des P.-B., Anseres, p. 12, 

 Raphipterus chilensis. Gay, Faun. Chil. p. 459 (1848) ; Phil. & 

 Landb. Cat. Av. Chil. p. 43. 



Merganetta chilensis, Des Murs, Icon. Orn. t. 5 ( cJ )• 

 Supra nigra, plumis albo utrinque marginatis ; capite colloque 

 postico et laterali albis, pileo medio in strigam nuchalem pro- 



