11 



affluent of the Manawatu, preparatory to a meeting of the native tribes concerned in the sale, 

 when I observed a pair of these birds near the bank of the stream, and was fortunate enough 

 to secure both of them at one shot. It was years before I obtained any further specimens, for this 

 Duck has always been a rare one in New Zealand. It was new to me, and being unable at the 

 time to identify it with one of the known species, I described and characterised it under the 

 name of Anas gracilis* which appeared to me to happily express its distinguishing character. 



There is a specimen in the Otago Museum in which the white alar bar expands, so that the 

 white entirely covers the bastard quills. 



Count Salvadori, ' Cat. Birds, Brit. Mus., vol. xxvii, p. 256,' says : " We must wait for 

 additional information in order to settle the question of the specific difference between Nettion 

 castaneus and N. gibberifronsT 



Mr. North writes : " This species, both sexes of which so closely resemble the female of Anas 

 castanea, appears to be distributed all over Australia, except perhaps the north-west portion. . . 

 I know of no marks by which the immature birds of these species may be distinguished 

 from one another ; the spots on the under surface vary, even in the adult females of both." 



Order ANSERIFOEMES.l 



[Family ANATID^. 



ELASMONETTA CHLOROUS. 



(BROWN DUCK.) 



Anas chlorotis, Gray; Buller, Birds of New Zealand, vol. ii., p. 257. 



This Duck is still very plentiful on the west coast of "Wellington. I have seen a flock of 

 two hundred or more in the Papaitonga Lake ; but they have of late become very shy, and it is 

 almost impossible to get near enough for a shot. During the day they generally remain con- 

 cealed in the dense beds of raupo along the shores of the lake, coming out to feed in the evening. 

 In the cool hours of the day, however, they may often be seen consorting in a large flock 

 on the surface of the water. 



A specimen which has come into my possession has nearly the entire head pure-white, while 

 the rest of the plumage is normal. It is probably to a similar form that the following letter from 

 Captain Mair (June 30th) relates : " For a whole week before the shooting season commenced we 

 saw a pair of beautiful Ducks or Teal with white heads. I went out several times after them, but 

 could not get nearer than sixty or seventy yards. The head and neck was white, like the female 

 Paradise Duck, only it was a purer white, and the birds were small — hardly bigger than 

 the Black Wigeon. They were very conspicuous, and could be noticed a quarter of a 

 mile off. We saw them nearly every day for a fortnight. But unfortunately two men 

 came to my place [on the Manawatu Eiver] on Grood Friday and shot all over it during my 

 absence, and I fear they must have killed or wounded these birds, for we have seen nothing of 



- Ibis, 1869, p. 41. 



