ANATLNLE — THE DUCKS — DAFILA. 
511 
they all differ in having the sexes alike, in the dull (much, spotted) coloration, and in the very 
slight elongation of the middle rectrices. They constitute a group somewhat intermediate between 
Dafila and Nettion, and are again directly connected with the latter by several small Ducks of the 
southern hemisphere, usually referred to the genus Querquedula (e. g. Q. flavirostris, of Soirth 
America, and Q. JEatoni, of Kerguelen Island). The genus Pcecilonetta, (type, Anas bahamensis, 
Linn.) was proposed for this group by Kaup, and should probably be retained for it. 
Dafila acuta. 
THE PIN-TAIL; SPRIG-TAIL. 
Anas acuta, Linn. S. 1ST. I. 1766, 202. — Wils. Ain. Orn. VIII. 1814, pi. 68, fig. 3. — Nutt. Man. 
II. 1834, 386. — Aud. Orn. Biog. III. 1835, 214; V. 1839, 615, pi. 227 ; Synop. 1839, 279; 
Birds Am. VI. 1843, 266, pi. 390. 
Dafila acuta, Bonap. Comp. List, 1838, 56. — Baird, B. N. Am. 1858, 776 ; Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, 
no. 578 ; Coues, Key, 1872, 286 ; Check List, 1873, no. 490 ; 2d ed. 1882, no. 710 ; Birds N. W. 
1874, 561. — Eidgw. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 605. 
Anas alandica, Sparrm. Mus. Carls. III. , pi. 60. 
Anas Sparrmanni, Lath. Ind. Orn. II. 1790, 876. 
Anas caudacuta, Pall. Zoog. Rosso-As. 11. 1826, 280. 
Anas longicauda, Briss. Orn. VI. 1760, 366, pi. 34, figs. 1, 2. 
Anas caudata, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. 869. 
Dafila acuta, var. americana, Bonap. Compt. Rend. XLII. 1856. 
Hab. The whole of North America ; Europe. Breeding chiefly far north, migrating south in 
winter as far as Panama ; Cuba. 
Sp. Char. Adult male in winter: Head and upper half of the neck hair-brown or grayish 
umber, the upper surface darker, often inclining to deep burnt-umber ; all the feathers (usually) 
appreciably darker centrally, producing an indistinctly and minutely speckled appearance; on 
each side of the occiput the brown has a metallic gloss of dull green, showing a faint purple reflec- 
tion in some lights. Upper half of the 
nape opaque intense black, separated from 
the brown by an upward extension of the 
white of the lower neck nearly to the occi- 
put. Stripe on each side of the nape (as 
described above), lower half of the neck 
frontally and laterally, jugulum, breast, 
and abdomen immaculate white. Lower 
half of the nape, with entire dorsal region 
and lateral lower parts, finely waved with 
transverse, rather zigzag, lines of white 
and black, of nearly equal width. Longer 
scapulars opaque velvety black centrally, 
edged broadly with grayish white ; outer 
scapulars with exposed ends of their outer 
webs entirely velvety black. Tertials 
silvery ash, with a medial stripe of intense 
velvety black. Speculum dull green, va- 
rying to dull bronzy purple, with a sub- 
terminal bar of velvety black and a tip of 
white. Wing-coverts very uniform brown- 
ish gray, the last row broadly tipped with 
cinnamon-rufous. Primaries dull slaty. 
Upper tail-coverts with outer webs black, the inner ones grayish white ; lower coverts deep opaque 
velvety black, the exterior row with their outer webs white ; post-femoral space delicate cream-color. 
Tail-feathers dark cinereous edged with white, the elongated middle pair uniform deep black. Bill 
