• ERISMATURA- LEUCOCEPHALA. 457 



Personally, of course, I know nothing of this species, but in 

 order to give some idea of its habits, I may quote from the 

 Ihis of 1875, Messrs. Danford and Harvie-Brovvn's remarks in 

 regard to i^, the result of their observations in Transylvania : — 



" This curious bird, which we found in the Mezoseg, is not 

 very common. We met with a flock of nine or ten birds at a 

 small reedy lake near Zah ; but, owing to the difficulty of pad- 

 dling the wretched square-ended canoes or punts {csSnak), the 

 only substitutes for boats in the country, we found great diffi- 

 culty in getting near them, and for some days only succeeded 

 in shooting one male, and that at a very long range. A couple 

 of days before our departure, however, we were more fortunate ; 

 the birds were tamer, and let us get a number of long shots, by 

 which we killed three more males and a female. They never 

 attempted to leave the lake, but after a short, rapid, flight 

 pitched again, generally about the same place. They swam 

 very fast, keeping their stiff Woodpecker-like tails erect at right 

 angles with the body, and when wounded, though they dived 

 constantly, showed no disposition to escape, like other Ducks, 

 by hiding among the reeds, but on the contrary avoided them, 



" The bill of the male, when newly killed, is of a beautiful 

 pale ultramarine; this colour extending even to the interior 

 of the mouth. It soon fades, being merely connected with 

 a thin, easily moved membrane ; and in twenty-four hours 

 the billloses its brilliant appearance, turning to a brownish grey." 



In Southern Europe, the South of France, Spain, Italy, Aus- 

 tria, Greece, Turkey, and the larger islands of the Mediterranean, 

 it occurs, though nowhere apparently in great numbers, but it is 

 more plentiful in Southern Russia, especially in the Lower Volga. 



It is also found, as already mentioned, in Asia Minor and 

 Palestine, and throughout the North of Africa, Algeria, Tan- 

 giers, and Lower Egypt. 



It is said to be entirely a fresh-water species, frequenting, aa 

 a rule, the larger lakes. 



It is apparently very much of a diving Duck, often preferring 

 to seek safety under water, rather than by flight; and Tristram 

 tells us that both in flight and habit it more resembles a Grebe 

 than a true Duck. 



Whether the precise locality at which these two specimens 

 were procured is likely ultimately to be included within our 

 new " scientific frontier" I cannot say ; but it is quite certain 

 now that whether within or without our nominal frontier, this 

 whole tract will henceforth be included, like Kelat, within the 

 list of British dependencies ; and the species should therefore be 

 included in our list. 



