RHYNCHASPIS CAPENSIS.— Smith. 



AvEs. — Plate XCVIII. (Male and Yodng.) 



R. supernc bninneus ta^uiulis nifo-albis variegatis ; hunieris pallidc cservileo-griseis ; tcctrieibus secon- 

 dariis partim albis ; alarum speculo viridi nitt'nte ; rostro superiie profuiido rubro-bruiiiK'O. 



LoNGiTUDO e rostri apic^ ad basin caiidse 17 unc. ; caudte 4 unc. 



Rhynciiaspis Capensis, Siuitb, Eyton's Monograpb on Anatidae, p. 135, Loud. 1S38. 



Colour. — Tlie upper surface of the head cUiU brownish red, finely freckled 

 or pencilled with rusty white arising from each feather being narrowly edged 

 with the latter colour ; sides of the head and upper portion of the neck rusty 

 white, freely sprinkled with short and narrow waved brown lines. Lower 

 portion of neck posteriorly uuiber-brown narrowly barred with pale buff- 

 orange ; interscapulars, back, rump, and upper tail coverts umber-brown 

 glossed with duck-green, all the feathers variegated with one or more narrow 

 waved bars of pale buff-orange, and also indistinctly tipped with dusky 

 white ; lower part of throat, breast, belly, and vent mottled reddish brown 

 and pale buif-orange, the latter colour edges each feather, and also forms a 

 transverse lunule some way behind the point. On the belly and vent the 

 light colour, instead of being buff-orange, is often rusty reddish orange. 

 Shoulder coverts bluish purple with a faint shade of green, and a few of them 

 towards the point of the shoulder are narrowly barred with white. The 

 jjrimary and base of secondary quill coverts umber-brown, the remainder of 

 the latter pure white, and the outer vanes of the former are narrowly edged 

 with a faded bluish purple. Primary quill feathers and inner vanes of 

 secondaries brownish red ; outer vanes of latter shining duck-green, and 

 indistinctly edged with bluish purple. Scapulars and outer vanes of tertiary 

 quill feathers towards base shining blackish green, inner vanes and portion 

 of outer vanes towards tip tinted with shining blackish green. Insides of 

 shoulders and axillary feathers pure white. Tail feathers brownish red, 

 narrowly and faintly edged with pale cream-yellow. Bill deep reddish brown 

 shaded with umber-brown ; nail, at apex of upper mandible, the latter colour. 

 Legs, toes, and webs connecting toes intermediate between gall-stone and 

 ochre-yellow ; claws light brownish red. 



Form, &c. — Body rather robust; head large, compressed and subcrested ; 

 wings pointed and when folded reach nearly to the point of the tail, first and 

 second quill feathers equal and longest, third rather shorter, and the fourth 



