1884.] COUNT SALVADORI ON ANAS CAPENSIS. 173 



possess the Synopsis, but from what Stephens sa3's, it seems that 

 Latham described it from a drawing of Sir Joseph Banks, soon after 

 which Gmehn named it Anus capensis, and gave the following short 

 but satisfactory description of it : — 



"■ui. cinerascens, dorso spadiceo, alarum specula ex pallida virescente 

 cceruleo albo marginato ; rostrum rubrum, basinigrum; caput minutim 

 maculatum ; pedes rubescentes ; ungues nigri. 



^'' Habitat ad Caput Bonce Spei, penelopes magnitudine, 15 j;oZ- 

 lices longa." 



Between 1790 and 1824 Latham again, as well as Vieillot and 

 Stephens, have mentioned and described this species without adding 

 anything of their own, except that Vieillot said that a specimen of 

 this species was in Sir Joseph Banks's collection, and Stephens, who 

 merely mentions a drawing, attributes the bird to the genus Mareca, 

 Specimens of this Duck, brought from the Cape by Delalande to the 

 Museum of Paris, received from Cuvier the name Anas larvata, 

 which appeared for the first time in Lesson's ' Traite d' Ornithologie,' 

 hut without any description. Eyton, in 1828, gave again a good 

 description of this species, including it in the genus Querquedula, 

 and said " it will be figured by Dr. Smith in his forthcoming work 

 on South African Zoology," which, however, never came to pass ^. 

 Dr. Pucheran, studying the types of the Museum of Paris, described 

 at length "Anas larvata, Cuv.," but was not satisfied that it was the 

 &?Lme ^s Anas capensis, Gm., and Anas assimilis, Forst. According 

 to Schlegel and Hartlaub the present species is Anas assimilis, Forst., 

 a surmise which I can scarcely endorse, as Forster's description is 

 not very satisfactory ; the question will be settled only by reexamining 

 " Fig. picta " quoted by Forster, which, according to G. R. Gray, 

 corresponds to No. 75 of the Icones ineditse ^. In the meantime I 

 cannot omit noticing that Bonaparte has attributed, with a query. 

 Anas assimilis, Forst., to Anas guttata, Licht., which bird he calls 

 Anas sparsa. Smith, and from what 1 have been able to gather, I 

 think that Bonaparte is right in his identification. In fact. Dr. 

 Eeichenow, to whom I have addressed myself, very kindly informs 

 me that "Anas guttata, Licht.," is really identical with Anas 

 sparsa, Smith ; and as Lichtenstein had already identified Anas 

 guttata of Mus. Berol. with A. assimilis, Forst., we can admit as 

 most probable that Forster's bird is really identical with A. sparsa, 

 Smith, and not with A. capensis., Gm., as Schlegel and Hartlaub 

 seem inclined to consider it. In the opinion expressed above I 

 am confirmed by the fact that Lichtenstein, in his ' Nomenclator 

 Avium,' p. 101, includes as separate species Anas capensis and A. 

 guttata. After these historical and critical remarks I proceed to 



^ Mr. Salvin, in his ' Catalogue of the Strickland Collection,' p. 534, among 

 the references of Anas capensis, Gm., includes Querquedula capeyisis, Smith, 111. 

 Zool. S. Afr. pi. 98 ; but this is a mistake, as Smith's plate 98 is named lUij/n- 

 chaspis (not Querquedida) caiwnsis, and does not represent Anas capensis, Gm., 

 but a species of the genus Spatula. 



[^ At the request of Count Salvadori I have referred to plate 75 of Forster's 

 ' Original Drawings ' in the British Museum in company with Mr. R. B. 

 Sharpe. We are botli of opinion that the figure, although by no means accu- 

 rate, was based upon a specimen of Anas capensis, and not upon one of 

 A. sparsa. — P. L. S, ] 



