1882.] MR. p. L. SCLATER ON AN AUSTRALIAN DUCK. 453 



tanea) in female plumage or non-nuptial dress, but which at the time 

 of writing I believed to be Anas gibberifrons. I added that we had 

 obtained several pairs out of the lot, and that we expected that some 

 of them would breed with us that year. 



They did not breed with us in 1880 nor in 1881, although we had 

 six pairs established in various parts ; but this year we have been 

 more fortunate. The pair of these birds placed in what we call the 

 " Waders' Pond " nested the end of March last, and hatched out four 

 nice young birds on the 2 1st ult., which are still all ahve and 

 thriving. 



There is no longer any doubt therefore that we have here to deal 

 with a species which, however much it may resemble the female of 

 Anas castanea, is quite distinct, and of which the sexes, as may be 

 proved by the examination of our breeding birds, are very nearly 

 alike, the female being merely slightly smaller in size and duller iu 

 plumage. It is, in fact, the species described in the ' Ibis ' for 1869 by 

 Dr. Buller, from New-Zealand specimens, as Anas gracilis, but 

 subsequently identified by Dr. Finsch (Ibis, 1869, p. 380) With. Anas 

 gibberifrons, S. Miiller'. 



As regards the synonyms of this species, after the positive state- 

 ment of Dr. Finsch and Prof. Schlegel, I think we can hardly accept 

 Prof. Hutton's unsupported opinion that " A. gracilis is distinct 

 from A. gibberifrons"^ ; and I shall therefore insert our birds in the 

 next edition of the Catalogue of Vertebrates as Anas gibberifrons. 



The following, if this view is correct, are the principal references 

 to this species. 



Anas gibberifrons. (Plate XXXIII.) 



Anas (Mareca) gibberifrons, Miill. Nat. Gesch. Land- en Volkenk. 

 p. 159 (1841). 



Alias gibberifrons, Schl. Mus. d. P. B. Anseres, p. 58 (1866). 



Anas gracilis, BnWer, Ibis, 1869, pi. 41. 



Anas {Querquedula) gibberifrons, Finsch, Ibis, 1869, p. 380. 



Mareca gibberifrons, Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. viii. p. 102 

 (1872) ; Ibis, 1873, p. 321. 



Mareca albogularis, Hume, Str. Feath. 1873, p. 303. 



Querquedula gibberifrons, Buller, B. of N. Z. p. 251 (1873). 



Alias gracilis, Hutton, Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. xii. p. 271 (1880). 



Anas gibberifrons, Scl. P. Z. S. 1880, p. 519. 



Anas gibberifrons, Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S.W. iii. p. 38. 



To the localities given by Finsch (/. s. c.) may be added Andamans 

 (^Ball and Ramsay). 



Five pairs of this Duck are still living in the Society's Gardens, 

 besides two odd ones, believed to be females. Five of them died in 



^ First discovered by Salomon Miiller in Timor, and originally described bj 

 him in a footnote to his volume on the " Land- en-Volkenkunde " of the 

 Dutch Colonial possessions as Anas {Mareca) gibberifrons. 



^ In his article on Aims gracilis, Buller. Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. xii. p. 271 

 (1879). 



