ORNAMENTAL WATERFOWL. 149 
then new to the Society’s collection of waterfowl, since which it 
has bred freely. 
Male.—Upper body reddish-brown, lighter on the upper 
back ; crown dusky, terminating in a long crest; under parts 
and breast dirty white, the feathers tipped with brown; wing- 
coverts brown ; wing-bar metallic purple and green, edged with 
white ; upper mandible black; lower mandible yellow; legs 
and feet black ; eye orange. 
Female.—The same. 
Egg.—Brownish-white; five in number. October— 
November. 
MELLER’S DUCK. 
(Anas mellert). 
This bird, which inhabits Madagascar, was presented to 
the Zoological Society by W. H. Sharland, Esq., in April, 1894. 
Dr. Sclater gives the following note with reference to this bird :— 
“In the ‘ Proceedings’ of this Society for 1863, I have given a list 
of mammals and birds collected by Dr. C. Meller during his journey up to 
Antananarivo. I there included a species of Duck, of which two examples 
were obtained in the marshes near Analamazotra, under the name of Dajila 
erythrorhyncha (Gm.) My attention having been again called to this bird 
through meeting with fresh specimens in the collection of the Royal Institu- 
tion at Woolwich, lately obtained in Madagascar by Mr. J. Caldwell. I 
have been induced to re-examine it, On comparing it with the fine series of 
Anatide in the British Museum, I find it is certainly not Dafla erythro- 
rhyncha ; indeed it is very little like that species. As it is moreover not in 
the British Museum, and cannot be associated with any other species 
mentioned by Hartlaub in his work on the ‘ Birds of Madagascar,’ I believe 
I am justified in considering it as probably new to science. I propose to call 
it therefore after its discoverer.” 
Hybrids, between Meller’s Duck and the Mallard, were 
bred at the Zoological Society’s Gardens in 1904. 
