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QUERQUEDULA HOTTENTOTA. 



Form, &c. — Figure slender. Head moderately large, deep, strongly arched 

 above, and considerably compressed ; neck rather short and slender. Wings 

 short, slightly rounded, and when folded reach only to the base of the tail ; 

 the first, second, and third feathers longest and almost equal, the fourth 

 rather shorter, and the fifth rather shorter than the fourth. Tail rather long, 

 all the feathers pointed. Tarsi short and laterally compressed ; anteriorly 

 with a vertical row of small plates, laterally and behind coated with small 

 irregular-shaped scales. Bill narrow and throughout nearly of equal width, 

 high at base from the projection of the culmen, depressed anteriorly and 

 slightly convex. Toes rather long and slender, the webs reaching to the 

 claws ; claws slightly curved. 



Female. — The colours generally are lighter and less clear than those of the 

 male ; the most striking diflerence, however, is the absence of a defined 

 brilliant speculum to the wings, the portion of the feathers in the female 

 being only slightly green. 



The only specimens of this species (two in number) which I have seen, were shot on a large 

 lake about one hundred miles to the north-west of Cape Town. It is a shy bird, and readily 

 takes to flight ; but it never, so far as I observed, proceeded to any great distance. 



