876 Birds of Celebes: Anatidae. 



brown Teal are plentiful in which the males and females are similar and they 

 are known to breed in this dress, but a male bird often occurs (in Australia, 

 at least) which has a green-black head and neck and chestnut under parts; its 

 female is similar to the brown birds: is it a distinct species, or is the chestnut 

 dress of the male only a phase of plumage? 



Gould took the chestnut dress for the nuptial plumage of the old male. 

 He writes: "It is very rare that the male is killed in the nuptial dress, and I 

 am induced to believe that it is not assumed till the bird is two or three years 

 old; after the breeding-season the sexes are alike in plumage, and for at least 

 nine months of the year there is no difference in their outward appearance". 



While repeating this remark in his Handbook afterwards issued, he greatly 

 modifies it in effect by an additional remark: "There appear to be two very 

 distinct races of this bird, one of which is much larger than the other ; so great 

 in fact is the difference in this respect in specimens from various parts of the 

 country, that the idea presents itself of their being really distinct species. The 

 smaller race inhabits Tasmania, the larger the western and southern portions of 

 Australia". 



Dr. E. P. Ramsay was at first under the impression that Australia was 

 inhabited by only one form of this Teal, N. castanemn: comparing it with a 

 specimen of N. gibberifrons from New Zealand, he points out some differences — 

 the smaller feet and toes and smaller size of the flattened portion of the bill 

 at the base of the forehead of the New Zealand specimen (Pr. L. Soc. N. S. W. 

 1879, m, 38). 



Later (ib. 1886, 2 ser. I, 1151 ; Tab. List 1888, 22, 31), Dr. Ramsay recognised 

 both species as occurring in Australia, but remarks: "I have not been able to 

 find any good characteristics between the females of this species up to the pre- 

 sent time". 



In 1871 (P. Z. S. 649), Prof. A Newton stated that the female of Nettion 

 castanemn possessed a bulla ossea on the lower larynx, like that of the male. Now 

 the bulla ossea is known only in the male sex in the Duck family. The supposed 

 female had a free process on the posterior sternum, the male an enclosed fenestra. 

 Dr. Ramsay, however, showed that the female of the bird known to him as 

 Anas castanea was without the bulla ossea. (Pr. L. Soc. N. S. W. 1879, III, 154). 



The Zoological Society of London received 18 living examples of a duck 

 in 1879, which were registered as Anas punctata (castanea). Dr. P. L. Sclater 

 wrote in the following year (P. Z. S. 1880, 452) : "Having examples of both sexes 

 we naturally expected that the male would put on in the spring the chestnut 

 breast and full breeding plumage portrayed by Mr. Gould in his figure of that 

 sex. Such, however, has not been the case; little change has occurred except 

 the brightening of the colour; and, as far as I can make out, the birds do not 

 belong to A. punctata at all, but to A. gibberifrons Miiller, a species closely 

 resembling the female of A. punctata, which has lately been ascertained to occur 



