BIRDS—ANSERINAE—DENDROCYGNA. 
769 
Si\ Ch.—B ody bluish gray. Quills with a black stripe anterior to the white tip. Head, nape, and tail white; throat black, 
dotted with white. Bill red, or yellowish edged with dusky ; nail white. 
Length, 26. inches ; wing, 15 25 ; tail, 5.50 ; tarsus, 2.90 ; middle toe, 2.66 ; bill from front, 1.50. 
Hub. —Aleutian islands. 
I introduce a short notice of the Chloephaga canagica as a species belonging to our continent, 
and said to be quite common on the Aleutian islands. It will, doubtless, in time, be found on 
the northwest coast of the United States. 
The genus Cliloephaga was separated by Eyton, Mon. Anat. in 1838, from Bernicla, to 
accommodate species with a shorter bill and more convex culmen, the legs robust, the membrane 
of the toes scolloped out, the colors different from Bernicla. 
DENDROCYGNA, Swain son. 
Dendrocygna, Swainson, Class. Birds II, 1837,365. Type Anas arcuata, Cuv. 
Dendronessa, Wagler, Isis, 1832,282. Not of Swainson, 1831. 
Ch.—B ill much longer than the head; plane at the base above; high at base, the edges nearly parallel, or slightly con 
verging; the nail very large, much decurved, and projecting considerably anterior to the rest of the bill, of which it forms the 
tip. Nostrils small, oval, not reaching the middle of the commissure. Lamellae of bill low, not projecting below the edge of 
the bill. Neck and legs very long; the tibia bare for more than half the length of tarsus. The tarsus covered with large 
hexagonal scales on the anterior half, and with smaller ones on the posterior. Hind toe lengthened, more than one-third the 
tarsus. Feet very large. Wings broad and much rounded, the first quill shorter than the fourth. 
Thus far but two species are well established as inhabiting the United States, confined 
chiefly to the Rio Grande and south California. There is strong reason to believe that a 
species occasionally visits the coast of Georgia and other southern Atlantic States from the 
West Indies, which, though possibly the D. autumnalis, is more probably D. arborea. The 
characters of the three species are as follows : 
Head and neck grayish, inclining to brownish red on top of head. Fore part of body all 
round chocolate red. Posterior portion of body, with quills and under surface of body and 
wings, blackish brown. A white patch on wings. Bill and legs red. D. autumnalis. 
Neck dirty white ; crown black. Fore part of body dark brown. Tail black. Under parts 
of body white, each feather barred with brown. Bill lead color ; legs and feet black.. D. arborea. 
Head yellowish brown, darker on the crown ; a black streak down the nape. Wings, tail, 
and rump black ; the lesser coverts chocolate ; under parts uniform pale cinnamon. Under 
and upper tail coverts white. Bill and legs bluish black. D.fulva. 
Comparative measurements of species. 
Catal. 
No. 
Species. 
Locality. 
Sex. 
Length. 
Stretch Wing. 
ofwing9. 
Tail. 
Tarsus. 
Middle 
toe. 
Its claw 
alone. 
Bill 
above. 
Along 
gape. 
Specimen 
measured. 
10399 
A 
18.50 
. 9.10 
3.16 
2.20 
3.18 
0.50 
1.58 
2.18 
20.00 
36.50 . 
2682 
3 
. 9 40 
3.00 
2.16 
2 76 
0.46 
1.87 
2 14 
9871 
.do... 
s 
,. 10 00 
3.60 
2.26 
3 10 
0.50 
2.06 
2.20 
. 
97 b 
August 17, 1858. 
