190 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIANA. 



coming, tliey at once opened out in all directions, and came into 

 violent contact with each other, breaking; their wings and stunning 

 each other. He often saw five to eight ducks come down. 



Schomhurgk nlso states (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 7G2) that he never 

 met this small interesting Duck on the coast but found it in 

 enormous flocks on the Savanna bogs. He says that they were 

 in small flocks on the rivers. Although so very common he did 

 not find them breeding, but they were supposed to nest on the 

 edges of the bogs. Their numbers were so great and dense that 

 one shot sometimes brought down from ten to eighteen birds. 

 When taken young it is easily tamed, and is commonly kept 

 domesticated by the Indians. The flesh is very good. The 

 " Macusis '^ call it Waiving and the " Warraus " Vis-sisi. 



We have copied the following note from Mr. Barringfon Brown 

 (Canoe and Camp Life, p. 105) : — "The pretty little Wicissi duck 

 (Dendrocj/gna riihiata) generally fly by night, when their presence 

 is known by their whistle." 



119. Dendrocygna discolor. 

 Grey-breasted Tree-Duck. 



Dendrocygna discolor Sclater & Salvin, Nomencl. Av. Neotr. pp. 129, 



161, 1873 (Maroiii Elver, Surinam) ; Salvin, Ibis, 1886. p. 172 ; 



Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 161, 1895 (Eupurumi Eiver) ; 



Beebe, Our Search for a Wilderness, p. 355, 1910 (Abary Eiver) ; 



Brabourne & Chubb, B. S. Amer. i. p. 55, no. 509, 1912. 

 Dendrocyqna antiimnaUs (nee Linn.), Cab. in Schomb. Eeis. Guian. iii. 



p. 762, 18-18. 



Adult male. Upper back, scapulars, and innermost secondaries 

 chestnut ; u]H)er wing-coverts ochreous, the lesser series near the 

 edge of the wing blackish, those on the outer margin of the wing 

 inclining to grey ; median series grey, the greater series white ; 

 bastard-wing, marginal coverts, and outer primary-coverts blackish; 

 inner primary-coverts white ; primary and secondary quills black 

 with white on the outer webs towards the base except the two 

 outer feathers, the first of which has the outer v/eb entirely black 

 and the second one grey ; the second, third, fourth, and fifth 

 primaries incised on the outer web and the first to the fourth on 

 the inner web; crown of head and lower hind-neck pale chestnut, 

 which is continued on to the fore-neck ; nape and upper hind-neck 



