BIRDS FULIGULINAE — -AYTHYA AMERICANA. 793 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When 
collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig'l 
No. 
Collected by- 
Length. 
Stretch 
Wing. 
134 
1186 
4516 
9870 
8429 
3 
9 
a 
Oct. 23,1840 
Oct. 28,1843 
Mar. —,1856 
Mar. —,1855 
S. F. Baird 
do 
10.00 
18.00 
23.00 
26.75 
7.50 
32 
32 
AYTHYA, Boie. 
Jythya, Boie, Isis, 1822. Type Jlnas ferina, L. 
Ch. — Very similar to Fidigula in general characters of shape. The hill elongated, longer than the head, and about equal to 
the middle toe with the claw. The bill more slender in one species, the nail smaller and less decurved ; the hill higher at base and 
the upper outline nearly straight to beyond the end of the nostrils, which do not quite reach the middle of the bill. Colors 
similar to those of Fidigula ; the head and neck red. Tail of fourteen feathers. 
I have based the generic characters of Aythya upon the Anas vallisneria of Wilson, the type 
A. ferina being much more like the A. americana. The latter would seem to come more 
naturally with Fidigula, (which see,) being combined with vallisneria chiefly on account of 
the great similarity in color. Still A. vallisneria is much like Fidigula in all points, except 
the bill, which is merely longer, narrower, higher at the base, and sloping. The nostrils 
are further forward, occupying the anterior portion of the posterior half of the bill. Should it 
be considered expedient, for these reasons, to establish for the canvas-back a new genus, the 
name of Aristonetta would be very appropriate, on account of the great superiority of its flesh 
as an article of food. 
SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. 
Common characters. — Head and neck chestnut ; body anterior to shoulders, the rump, and tail 
coverts, black. Sides, scapulars, and interscapulars waved transversely with black and white. 
Speculum grayish blue, on the ends of the secondaries ; the innermost edged narrowly with black. 
Bill broad, not longer than the head. Anterior extremity of nostril two-fifths the 
distance from upper corner of bill to the tip. No brown on the head. Black and 
white mottling on the back in equal amount . A. americana. 
Bill narrow, longer than the head ; anterior extremity of the nostril half the distance 
from upper corner of bill to the tip. Top of head and about base of bill dusky. 
White greatly predominating in the mottling of the back ; the black in dotted 
lines A. vallisneria. 
AYTHYA AMEBIC AN A, Bon. 
Red-head. 
Anas ferina, Wilson, Am. Orn. VIII, 1814, 84 ; pi. lxx, (not of Linnaeus.)— Doughty, Cab. N. H., II, 1832, 40 ; pi. iv 
Anas (Fidigula) ferina, Bonap. Obs. Wils. 1825, No. 270. 
Fuligula ferina, Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 452.— Nuttall, Man. II, 1834, 434.— Aim. Orn. Biog. IV, 1835, 198 ; 
pi. 322.— Ib. Birds Amer. VI, 1843, 311 ; pi. 396. 
August 19, 1858. 
100 
