876 
Birds of Celebes; Anatidae. 
brown Teal are plentiful in which the males and females are similar and they 
are known to breed in this dress, but a male bird often occurs (in Australia, 
at least) which has a green-black head and neck and chestnut under parts; its 
female is similar to the brown birds: is it a distinct species, or is the chestnut 
dress of the male only a phase of plumage? 
Gould took the chestnut dress for the nuptial plumage of the old male. 
He writes: “It is very rare that the male is killed in the nuptial dress, and I 
am induced to believe that it is not assumed till the bird is two or three years 
old; after the breeding-season the sexes are alike in plumage, and for at least 
nine months of the year there is no difference in their outward appearance”. 
While repeating this remark in his Handbook afterwards issued, he greatly 
modifies it in effect by an additional remark: “There appear to be two very 
distinct races of this bird, one of which is much larger than the other ; so great 
in fact is the difference in this respect in specimens from various parts of the 
country, that the idea presents itself of their being really distinct species. The 
smaller race inhabits Tasmania, the larger the western and southern portions of 
Australia”. 
Dr. E. P. Eamsay was at first under the impression that Australia was 
inhabited by only one form of this Teal, N. castanewn: comparing it with a 
specimen of N. gihberifrons from New Zealand, he points out some differences — 
the smaller feet and toes and smaller size of the flattened portion of the bill 
at the base of the forehead of the New Zealand specimen (Pr. L. Soc. N. S. W. 
1879, III, 38). 
Later (ib. 1886, 2 ser. I, 1151 ; Tab. List 1888, 22, 31), Dr. Eamsay recognised 
both species as occurring in Australia, but remarks: “I have not been able to 
find any good characteristics between the females of this species up to the pre- 
sent time”. 
In 1871 (P. Z. S. 649), Prof. A Newton stated that the female of Nettion 
castaneum possessed a bulla ossea on the lower larynx, like that of the male. Now 
the bulla ossea is known only in the male sex in the Duck family. The supposed 
female had a free process on the posterior sternum, the male an enclosed fenestra. 
Dr. Eamsay, however, showed that the female of the bird known to him as 
Anas castanea was without the bulla ossea. (Pr. L. Soc. N. S. W. 1879, HI, 154). 
The Zoological Society of London received 18 living examples of a duck 
in 1879, which were registered as Anas punctata (castanea). Dr. P. L. Sclater 
wrote in the following year (P. Z. S. 1880, 452) : “Having examples of both sexes 
we naturally expected that the male would put on in the spring the chestnut 
breast and full breeding plumage portrayed by Mr. Gould in his figure of that 
sex. Such, however, has not been the case; little change has occurred except 
the brightening of the colour; and, as far as I can make out, the birds do not 
belong to A. punctata at all, but to A. gibberifrons Muller, a species closely 
resembling the female of A. punctata, which has lately been ascertained to occur 
