THE 



MERIAN DUCK. 



Generic Character. 



Bill broad and flattened ; the edges marked with 



fharp lamellae, 

 Tongue broad and ciliated at the edges. 



Specific Character. 



DUCK varied with copper-ferruginous, deep 

 blue, and green : white beneath ; with the 

 head, back of neck, and tips of fecondary 

 wing-feathers carunculated. 



The very extraordinary and beautiful bird here fi- 

 gured is accurately copied from a moft elegant drawing 

 by the celebrated Madam Merian, and is one of the 

 birds of Surinam which occur in the reprefentations 

 by that lady now preferved in the Britifh Mufeum. 



This bird has uniformly puzzled every ornithologift 

 who has viewed it, to determine its real fpecies. It 

 is evident at firft fight that it bears a ftrong affinity to 

 the Anas mofchata of Linn;eus, which is commonly 

 called the Mofcovy Duck ; but is much more tuber- 

 culated about the head, and even a very considerable 

 diftance down the back of the neck ; and what is to 

 the laft degree lingular, the fame fort of tubercles ap- 

 pear 



