





forms an oblong protuberance, which is rounded off towards the vertical extremity, and divided 

 from the base of the bill by a distinct line as shewn in the accompanying cut. The bend of 



the wing in the present bird and a narrow margin of the basal portion of the outer primary 

 are white. The specimen, now in the collection of Messrs. Salvin and Godman, from which 

 our description and figure are taken, was procured on the lagoon of Tambo, in the month of 

 November, 1857, by Mr. Henry Whitely. In this bird, the bill is marked "lavender-colour," 

 and the head-shield " white." But this would appear to be different in the breeding season, 

 as Dr. Hartlaub describes the head-shield as red in one of his specimens, and this is also the 

 case in an example of this species in the collection of the British Museum. 



The specimens of this species, in the Paris Museum, from which Hartlaub's description and 

 Gay's figure were taken, were collected during the voyages of D'Orbigny and Castelnau 

 and Deville in various parts of Bolivia. Those of the latter travellers are stated to have been 

 procured in the vicinity of La Paz. Under these circumstances it appears strange that the 

 name cMensis should have been applied to them; Gay's assertion, that this species is "very 

 common" in that country being unquestionably incorrect. 



On the lagoon of Tambo, in the valley of the same name on the western coast of Southern 

 Peru, Whitely met with large numbers of this Coot, but found them shy and difficult to shoot. 

 Tschudi informs us that the species occurs all along the western slope of Peru, from the sea- 

 shore up to an elevation of 14,000 feet. In the lagoon of Junin he tells us it was very 

 common, and was killed by the Indians, dried and kept for food. 



The only other locality recorded for this species is the highlands of Ecuador between 

 Eiobamba and Mocha, where Fraser procured a single example in 1859. Fraser describes the 

 frontal-shield of his specimen as " delicate orange blending into lemon at the sides and back," 

 the bill as " flesh-coloured, the point being blueish," and the " legs and feet delicate slate-colour." 

 Fraser's specimen is now in the Bremen Museum. 



Our figure represents the bird reduced to one half its natural size. 



August, 1868. 



[114] 





V 



