ANAS CEISTATA 103 



The Antarctic Duck was originally described from Staten 

 Island, in the vicinity of Cape Horn. It is not recorded by 

 Darwin, or Durnford. 



There are specimens in the British Museum from 14,000 feet 

 altitude in Peru. 



This is the only Duck I found in the island at the end 

 of winter. It is resident all the year, frequenting the sea coast 

 in winter, the inland fresh-water lagoons and streams in summer. 

 I have occasionally seen and shot this bird in some of the remote 

 lakes in the forest south of Useless Bay. It is somewhat of 

 a tyrant with other Ducks. It is more a marine than a fresh- 

 water form. The plumage on the whole is unusually sombre, 

 but the speculum is indescribably beautiful in its many changing 

 colours, in which perhaps burnished copper tinged with mauve 

 is the most remarkable. It is possibly more wary than any other 

 Duck except M. sihilatrix. If put up, it invariably flies round — 

 not overhead like M. sihilatrix and D. spinicauda. The 

 quack is curiously harsh, resembling rather the Landrail. It 

 possesses extraordinary vitality. 



Capt. King found this the common Duck in the vicinity 

 of Port Famine, and in the winter months excellent eating. 



In the Falkland Islands, Abbott says it is very common 

 everywhere, and although sometimes seen in fresh-water 

 ponds, generally frequents the vicinity of salt water. The old 

 birds are always found in pairs in the same spot ; they live upon 

 shell-fish, and have certain boundaries of w^ater along the coast, 

 upon which they will not allow others of their species to 

 encroach. They breed inland among the grass, and on the edges 

 of ponds, laying five eggs in a beautifully made nest covered with 

 down. The time of laying is the beginning of October, and 

 frequently a month later. 



On the " Nassau" Survey, Cunningham met with this Duck 

 in the Strait of Magellan almost everywhere in greater or less 

 numbers, generally swimming among the broad belts of kelp at 

 some distance from the shore. 



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