ANSERBS DENDROCYCNA 125 



Description. Adult Male. — Front half of the head, sides of the 

 face and chin, and a separate patch in the middle of the neck in 

 front white ; hinder half of the head, back of the neck and a band 

 across the middle of the throat black ; lower half of the neck all 

 round, upper breast and ulnar portion of the wing rich maroon, 

 becoming brown on the upper back and scapulars, the feathers 

 becoming edged and banded with fulvous ; a chestnut patch in the 

 middle of the back ; primaries black, secondaries and rest of the 

 wing olive brown ; lower back, tail-coverts and tail and whole of the 

 centre of the breast and abdomen black ; sides of the body and 

 flanks banded black and white. 



Iris hazel (black according to Alexander) ; bill black, with an 

 irregular transverse bar near the tip leaden-blue ; legs and feet 

 leaden. 



Pig. 37. — Head of Dendrocycna viduata. x J 



Length about 19-0 ; wing 9-5 ; tail 2-5 ; tarsus 2-15 ; culmen 2-0. 



The female resembles the male ; the young bird has the abdomen 

 whitish mixed with black. 



Distribution. — This Duck has a rather remarkable range, being 

 found throughout the greater part of South America from the West 

 Indies to the Argentine, and in Africa, south of the Sahara, from 

 the Gambia and Khartoum downwards, as well as in Madagascar. 



Except in the Lake regions and on the Zambesi this is a rare 

 Duck in South Africa, and has hitherto not been met with within 

 the limits of Cape Colony or in Great Namaqualand or Damara- 

 land. 



The following are recorded localities : Natal— Umlazi Eiver 



