794 



U. S. p. E. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENERAL REPORT. 



Aythya erythrocephala, Bonap. List, ]838, (not of Brehtn, 1831, which is European Jl. ferina.) — Newberry, P. R 



Rep. VI, IV, 1857, 103. 

 Fuligula americana, Etton, Mon. Anat. 1838, 155. — Gosse, Birds Jam. 1847. 

 J^yroca americana, Gray, Genera. 

 Aythya americana, Bp. Comptes Rendus, XLIII, Sept. 1856. 



Sp. Ch. — Bill as long as the head, broad, blue, the end black ; the region anterior to the nostrils dusky. Head, and neck 

 for more than half its length, brownish red, glossed above and behind with violaceous red. Best of neck and body anterior to 

 the shoulders, lower part of back and tail coverts, black. Beneath white, sprinkled with gray and black anterior to the crissum ; 

 the sides, interscapulars, and scapulars finely lined with undulating black and white in nearly equal proportions, imparting a 

 general gray tint. Wing coverts bluish gray, finely sprinkled with whitish. The speculum, consisting of the ends of the 

 secondaries, hoary grayish blue, lightest externally, and the innermost narrowly edged externally with black. Basal portion of 

 mner primaries somewhat similar to the speculum. Tail of fourteen feathers. 



Female with the head, neck, and fore part of body brownish ; the region round the base of the bill whitish. Length of male, 

 20.50 ; wing, 9.50 ; tarsus, 1.60 ; commissure, 2.30. 



Hai. — Whole of North America. 



This species, with a strong resemblance to the canvas-back, is readily distinguished by the 

 shorter, broader bill, absence of brown on the head, and a greater predominance of black in the 

 waved lines, this being equal in amount to the white, instead of much less. It is very similar 

 to the A. ferina of Europe, which, however, appears to have the bill more like that of the 

 canvas-back, A. valUsneria. 



List of specimens. 



AYTHYA VALLISNERIA, Bonap. 

 Canvas-back., 



^nas valUsneria, Wilson, Am. Cm. VIII, 1814, 103; pi. Ixx.— Doughty 's Cab. N. H. II, 1832, 36 ; pi. iv. 



Fuligula valUsneria, Stefhehs, XII, 1824, 196.— Bon. Syn. 1828, 392.— Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 451.— 

 NuTTALL, Man. II, 430. 



.Sythya valUsneria, Bon. List, 1838.— Newberry, Rep. P. R. R. VI, it, 1857, 103. 



tQnas valUsneriaiia, Sabine. 



Fuligula vallisneriana. Aim. Orn. Eiog. IV, 1838, 1 ; pi. 301.— Ib. Syn. 1839.- Ib. Birds. Araer. VI, 1843, 299 ; pi. 395 . 



.Sristonetta vallisnena, Baird. 

 Sp Ch. — Bill long, slender, and tapering. Head all round and neck chestnut ; the top of the head and region around the 

 base of the bill dusky brown Rest of neck, body anterior to the shoulders, back behind, rump and tail coverts, black. Unde • 

 parts white ; the region anterior to the anus, the sides, the interscapulars and scapulars, white, finely dotted in transverse line, 

 with black, the white greatly predominating. Speculum bluish gray, lighter externally ; the innermost secondaries of the 

 speculum edged externally with black. 



