274 DAFILA.— QUEEQUEDULA. 



Genus DAFILA. 

 Tail long, of sixteen or eighteen feathers, with central tail elongated. Lamellae 

 not projecting. Bill a little broader at tip than at base. 



311. Dafila acuta. The Fintailbd Duoe. 



AcUta=ahzTp, pointed ; from acUo=l sharpen. 



Sinkpar, N.W.F. ; Dighons, Bengal; Laitunga, Manipur ; Taw-boy, Burma; 

 Digoonch, Nepal; Kokarali, Drighush, Sind ; Sinkdum, CaJ>ul ; Chasugshu-aurdah, 



Yarkand. 



$ 22" to 29"; If to 2f lbs. 5 20" to 22"; 1 to 2 lbs. Legs grey-black. 

 Bill black, sides blue. Head umber. White neck-streaks. Back and sides 

 finely vermiculated black and white. Speculum green, glossed purple, bordered 

 above by a pale bar and below by a white one. Long central tail black. — Female 

 largely marked dark brown, edged white. Speculum dull, unglossed. Northern 

 Hemisphere, and wintering in N. Africa, India, Ceylon, Burma, China, Japan, 

 and N. and C. America. Five to nine eggs (2-1 x 1-5), greenish buff. (J. 962. 

 B. 1600.) See illustration, p. 275. 



Also D. modesta. Probably to be identified with D. acuta. C. Pacific. 



D. eatoni. 17". Legs dark slate. Bill plumbeous. Head and upper neck dark brown, 

 with darker shaft stripes. Back brown, with narrow white wave lines. Throat divided from 

 neck by a white band. Below dully grey, thickly dotted on breast with small black spots. 

 Speculum hazel, black, bronze-green, black and white. Kerguelen Island. 



D. spinicauda. 20". Legs plumbeous. Bill yellow, culmen black. Crown rufous. Upper 

 neck with black shaft streaks. Throat whitish. Below dark brown, edged white. Wings 

 grey-brown. Speculum black, glossed green, margined white above and below. Tail grey- 

 brown, margined rufous. Central tail dark brown. S. America. 



Also the genus Pcedlonetta, with narrow speculum. Tail rufous or brown. Three species, 

 viz. — 



P. lahamensis, 19". Legs brown. Bill bluish, with two red spots at base of upper 

 mandible. Crown, nape, lower neck, upper back, breast, and abdomen reddish, with black 

 spots. Cheeks, sides of head, and throat white. Speculum fawn, glossy green, black and 

 fawn. Bahamas, Antilles, and S. America. 



P. galapagensis. 14". Similar to P. bahamensis, but the cheeks are white, thickly speckled 

 brown. Galapagos Islands. 



P. erythrorhyncha. 17". Legs dark ashy. Bill purple. Upper half of head dark brown. 

 Sides of head and throat white. Neck grey, mottled black. Back brown, edged buff. Below 

 whitish, with grey-brown spots. Speculum fawn, black and fawn. Tail and upper tail-coverts 

 brown, edged grey. Africa and Madagascar. 



Also the genus Elasmonetta. With edges of upper mandible fringed in front with a narrow 

 soft membrane. Lamellae extremely developed. One species from New Zealand, viz. E. chlorotis, 

 18", legs slate-grey, bill bluish black, head and neck brown, collar white. Breast and abdomen 

 chestnut, spotted black. Speculum cinnamon, black and rufescent white. Tail brown, edged 

 lighter. 



Also the genus Neacmetta. With wings very small, useless for flight. Lamellae moderate. 

 One species, viz. N. aucklaTidica, 14", coloured similar to E. chlorotis. Aucklands. 



Genus QUERQUEDULA. Gaeganey Teal. 



Querqued&la, a kind of Duck mentioned by Varro and Columella ; perhaps from KipKovpos 

 =a light vessel used by the Cyprians, or from K4pKaipu = I ring. Professor Skeat says the 

 name is from an onomatopoeic base, querq or kar!c, significative of any loud noise. According 

 to 0. MiiUer's conjecture, from the Greek K^pKovpos. Hence the French ferfelle. 



Differs considerably from Nettium in structure, plumage, and habits. A soft 

 membrane fringes the end of the upper mandible, and the upper wing-coverts are 

 blue or bluish grey. Northern Hemisphere and Neotropical region. 



