AXA.S. 123 



Genus ANAS. 



This genus contains seventeen species, some o£ which are practically 

 cosmopolitan, and others confined to comparatively small areas. India 

 possesses but three species — Anas hoscas, A. j^oecilorki/ncha, and A. zono- 

 rh^nvJia, the first of which is cosmopolitan, whereas the others belong to 

 the Eastern and South-eastern Asiatic a'^ifauna. 



The genus may be recognised by its broad but not spatulate bill, which 

 is about the length of its head ; moderate tail, of which the central 

 feathers are not lengthened; its non-chestnut inner secondaries and dark 

 grey coverts. 



Ive>/ to Species. 



A. No white on outer webs of inner secondaries . . . . A. hoscas. 



B. Outer webs of inner secondaries more or less white. 



«. Speculum metallic green A. j^oecilorJiipuha . 



b. Speculum metallic purple A. zonorlujnclia. 



In vol. xvii, p. 558, of the ' Bombay Natural History Journal/ Gates 

 has described as new a duck which he names Polionetta [Anas] liaringtoni. 

 I have most carefully examined five supposed specimens of this new species 

 and can find absolutely nothing by which they can be distinguished from 

 young birds of Anas poecUorliyncha. One of these specimens comes from 

 China, where it was procured by Reeves. It is, I consider, extremely 

 unlikely that we shall get a new species in the Shan States, where we 

 know that the two forms jxccilorltuncha and zonorliynclia overlap and quite 

 possibly hybridize. 



