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ANAS SPARSA 
Kirk (1864) states that it is a not common breeding bird on the Zambesi. Mouritz (1915) has re- 
Rhodesia forded its breeding in the Matojipo district of southern Rhodesia. It has been found a 
few times in Portuguese East Africa, on the Goronzoga River (W. L. Sclater, 1912a), at 
Somba (Shelley, 1894a) and in Gazaland, where it is the commonest duck in the uplands, especially 
at Jihu, on the upper Buzi and on the Umswirizwi (Swynnerton, 1908). W. L. Sclater (1912a) has 
recorded it from Tambarara, Gazaland. I find no evidence of its occurrence in southern Rhodesia 
but in Bechuanaland it has been met with on the Botletle River (Bryden, 1893). It ap- 
pears to be of somewhat more frequent occurrence in the Transvaal, where it breeds 
on the Potchefstroom (Horsbrugh, 1912) and it is said to be the commonest duck on the Olifant 
River (Atmore, Reichenow, 1900). Buckley (1874) has recorded it from Pretoria and T. Ayres 
(1876, p. 433) states that it has been met with on the Potchefstroom and at Lydenburg. It is known 
also from Kaffir Lake in the Orange River Colony {Kiehs, fide Reichenow, 1900). In Basutoland 
Transvaal 
Natal 
it is said to be common on the mountain streams (Murray, Stark and Sclater, 
1906) and Layard (1875-84) states that it breeds at Maseru. The species breeds also 
in Natal, on the Mgoye Hills in Zululand (W. L. Sclater, 1912a), on the Umkusi River in Zululand 
(R. B. and J. D. S. Woodward, 1899) and very likely also in more southerly districts. It has been 
found at Durban (T. Ayres, 1880), on the Umbile River near Pinetown (Stark, ^de Stark and 
Sclater, 1906), at Maritzburg (Buckley, 1874), on the Ingagane River at Newcastle (Reide, fide 
Stark and Sclater, 1906) and on the Mooi River (T. Ayres, 1880). 
Although widely distributed in Cape Colony, the present species seems to be everywhere rare and 
is met with only in small numbers, usually only a couple at a time. Indeed C. H. T. Whitehead (1903) 
Cape states that it is common on the Orange River, but this is exceptional. It has been found 
Colony breeding on the Buffalo River near King William’s Town (Trevelyan, ^de Stark and 
Sclater, 1906; Pym, ibid.). In the east it is rare on the streams about Matatiele, East Griqualand (C. 
G. Davies, 1908) and it is known also from St. John’s River, Pondoland (Shortridge, 1904). Victorin 
{fide Stark and Sclater, 1906) has reported it from Knysna, and Rickard {fide Stark and Sclater, 
1906) from Port Elizabeth. The British Museum has a specimen from Grahamstown. Seimund {fide 
Stark and Sclater, 1906) found it at Deelfontein, Bradshaw {ibid.) on the Orange River near Uping- 
ton, C. H. T. Whitehead (1903) at Aliwal, and Holub and von Pelzeln (1882) on the Harts River near 
Taungs. It is probably to be found throughout the course of the Orange, though not in the desert 
areas to the north. On the west coast it has been found in former German West Africa along the 
course of the Great Fish River, Namaqualand; and Andersson (1872), who met with it in this region, 
is inclined to think that it is not very uncommon there during the rains. It was also found at Quin- 
dumbo, in Angola (Barboza de Bocage, 1877-81). 
GENERAL HABITS 
Haunts. The African Black Duck, not a very characteristic species of the genus 
Anas, is quite different in its habits from the Yellow-bill {Anas undulata) though it 
inhabits the same general region. It is usually found on the rapid streams of hilly 
districts. In South Africa, however, it is common at times on reed-covered, flowing 
waters in rather low-lying country, and is seldom seen on stagnant waters (Ilolub 
and von Pelzeln, 1882). C. G. Davies (1911) tells us that it seldom visits the lieis 
except when the rivers are flooded by heavy rains. Almost everywhere it is a solitary 
species, found only in small numbers and rarely seen. Layard (1875-84) considers it 
“ solitary and shy in its habits, frequenting rivers, under the banks of which it con- 
ceals itself during the day.” In Natal it is the characteristic duck of rocky streams 
