RED-BILLED WHISTLING DUCK. 223 



plate ; and as his descriptions are always remarkably- 

 exact, we shall here abridge what he says respecting it. 

 His specimen was alive, and had been brought from the 

 West Indies ''^by the name of the Whistling Duck." 

 In the General Synopsis it is stated, but without the au- 

 thority being quoted, that " it is very common at New 

 Grenada, and frequently kept tame in the farm-yards 

 between the tropics ; but it is apt to be quarrelsome, and 

 will often fly 'away. The Spaniards call it Pisesic, from 

 its voice ; it is known to the English by the name of 

 Spanish main duck, is now and then seen alive in our 

 menageries in England, and is said to have propagated in 

 an aviary at Schonbrun in Sweden." 



Edwards's account may be thus abridged : — Size of the 

 common tame duck, but the length of its legs makes it 

 much higher. Bill bright red, yellowish round the nos- 

 trils, and black at the point : iris dark hazel : sides of 

 the head and chin light ash ; crown and nape black : 

 the neck, breast, and back are of a dull red or brick 

 colour, light on the breast, and darkest above ; spurious 

 wings and primaries black ; tertials dark brick-coloured 

 red : the greater and lesser wing covers are white, so as 

 to form a large white spot on the middle of the wing : 

 the shoulder covers, however, are bright orange colour ; 

 above which, and round the outer margin of the wing, 

 the feathers are black ; this colour being continued to the 

 spurious quills : the whole body and thighs are black ; 

 but where the red on the breast and the black on the 

 belly unite, these blended colours form a dusky ash : the 

 under tail covers are whitish, with small black marks 

 tending the lengthway of the feathers : the tail is black, 

 and a httle pointed ; the rump and upper tail covers are 

 black. The legs are bare of feathers a little above the 

 knees : the toes are webbed as in other ducks, the inner 

 toes having lateral webs on their insides : legs and feet 

 flesh-colour ; the claws black. 



We are strongly disposed to join in the conjecture of 

 Edwards, that this bird is the female of his black-billed 

 whistling duck, which systematists have always kept 



