pear in full luxuriance at the tips of the fecondary remi- 

 ges or wing feathers, forming a double carunculated 

 band acrofs the middle of the wing. This is a cir- 

 cumftance fo extremely peculiar, that it has given rife 

 to ftrong fufpicions of the fidelity of the drawing ; 

 there being no other inftance of a limilar appearance 

 in the birds of this genus, or indeed, in fo ftriking a 

 degree, in any other. 



It is true that in the bird called the Ampelis Garru- 

 lus, or Bohemian Chatterer, the tips of the fecondary 

 wing-feathers are terminated by flat callous or horny 

 appendages of a bright red color ; and an appearance 

 in fome degree analogous to this takes place alfo in the 

 tips of the neck-feathers of the common cock in a 

 ftate of Nature. Whether therefore in this fpecies of 

 duck the tips of the fecondaries be really furnifhed 

 with tuberculated appendages ; or whether the bird, 

 at particular feafons may not be furnifhed with lateral 

 caruncles, which may occalionally protrude between 

 the feathers of the wings as reprefented by Madam 

 Merian ; or laftly, whether that ingenious lady may 

 not in this inftance have departed a little from her ge- 

 neral accuracy, and have given what me might have 

 conlidered as an additional ornament, muft be left to 

 future enquiries to determine : certain it is that the 

 bird is unknown to modern ornithologifts, and is nei- 

 ther figured or defcribed by any other natural hiftorian. 

 The lize of Madam Merian 's figure is nearly that of a 

 common duck. 



