RHYNCHASPIS CAPENSIS.— Smith. 
Aves.— Plate XCVIII. (Male and Young.) 
R. superne brunneus tteniolis rufo-albis variegatis ; humeris pallide cseruleo-griseis ; tectricibus secon- 
dariis partim albis; alarum speculo viridi nitente ; rostro superne profunde rubro-brunneo. 
Longitddo e rostri apic& ad basin caudee 17 une. ; caudffi 4 unc. 
Ruynciiaspis Capensis, Smith, Eyton’s Monograph on Anatidse, p. 135, Lond. 1838. 
Colour. — The upper surface of the head dull brownish red, finely freckled 
or pencilled with rusty white arising from each feather being narrowly edged 
with the latter colour ; sides of the head and upper portion of the neck rusty 
white, freely sprinkled with short and narrow waved brown lines. Lower 
portion of neck posteriorly umber-brown narrowly barred with pale buff- 
orange; interscapulars, back, rump, and upper tail coverts umbei*-brown 
glossed with duck-green, all the feathers variegated with one or more narrow 
waved bars of pale buff-orange, and also indistinctly tipped with dusky 
white ; lower part of throat, breast, belly, and vent mottled reddish brown 
and pale buff-orange, the latter colour edges each feather, and also forms a 
transverse lunule some way behind the point. On the belly and vent the 
light colour, instead of being buff-orange, is often rusty reddish orange. 
Shoulder coverts bluish purple with a faint shade of green, and a few of them 
towards the point of the shoulder are narrowly barred with white. The 
primary and base of secondary quill coverts umber-brown, the remainder of 
the latter pure white, and the outer vanes of the former are narrowly edged 
with a faded bluish purple. Primary quill feathers and inner vanes of 
secondaries brownish red ; outer vanes of latter shining duck-green, and 
indistinctly edged with bluish purple. Scapulars and outer vanes of tertiary 
quill feathers towards base shining blackish green, inner vanes and portion 
of outer vanes towards tip tinted with shining blackish green. Insides of 
shoulders and axillary feathers pure white. Tail feathers brownish red, 
narrowly and faintly edged with pale cream-yellow. Bill deep reddish brown 
shaded with umber-brown ; nail, at apex of upper mandible, the latter colour. 
Legs, toes, and webs connecting toes intermediate between gall-stone and 
ochre-yellow ; claws light brownish red. 
Form, &c. — Body rather robust ; head large, compressed and subcrested; 
wings pointed and when folded reach nearly to the point of the tail, first and 
second quill feathers equal and longest, third rather shorter, and the fourth 
