607 



Genus COSMONETTA. 



Anas apud Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 204 (1766). 



Clangula apud Fleming, Phil, of Zool. ii. p. 260 (1822). 



Clangula apud Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 564. 



Platypus apud C. L. Brehni, Lehrb. eur. Vog. ii. p. 845 (1824). 



Histrionicus apud Lesson, Man. d'Orn. ii. p. 415 (1828). 



Cosmonetta, Kaup, Naturl. Syst. p. 196 (1829). 



Fuligula apud Nuttall, Man. Orn. U. S. ii. p. 448 (1834). 



Harelda apud Keyserling & Blasius, Wirbelth. Eur. p. 87 (1840). 



Phylaconetta apud Brandt, Mem. Ac. St. Petersb. vi. p. 9 (1849). 



Bucephala apud G. E. Gray, Hand-1. of B. iii. p. 87 (1871). 



The only species belonging to this genus is the Harlequin Duck, a richly coloured bird, which 

 inhabits the northern portions of both the Old and the New World. Full particulars respecting 

 its habits and nidification being given in the following article, I will not recapitulate them here. 

 Cosmonetta histrionica (being the only species belonging to the genus, and consequently the 

 type) has the bill rather small, much shorter than the head, much higher than broad at the base, 

 gradually depressed and narrowing towards the tip ; unguis large and convex ; lamella? but 

 slightly elevated, the ends not projecting ; nostrils oblong, median ; wings short, pointed, the 

 first and second quills longest ; tail moderate, much graduated, the central reetrices long and 

 pointed ; legs short, placed far behind, tarsus anteriorly scutellate ; hind toe slender, with a 

 large lobe, anterior toes moderate ; claws small, rather blunt ; plumage dense, soft ; the males 

 richly coloured. 



J 5 2 



