794 
U. S. P» R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
Aythya erythrocephala, Bonap. List, ]838, (not of Brehm, 1831, which is European A. ferina .)— Newberry, P. R 
Rep. VI, iv, 1857, 103. 
Fuligula americana, Eyton, Mon. Anat. 1838, 155.— Gosse, Birds Jam. 1847. 
Nijroca americana, Gray, Genera. 
Aythya americana, Bp. Comptes Rendus, XLIII, Sept. 1856. 
Sp. Cii.—B ill as long as the head, broad, blue, the end black ; the region anterior to the nostrils dusky. Head, and neck 
for more than half its length, brownish red, glossed above and behind with violaceous red. Rest of neck and body anterior to 
the shoulders, lower part of back and tail coverts, black. Beneath white, sprinkled with gray and black anterior to the crissum ; 
the sides, interscapulars, and scapulars finely lined with undulating black and white in nearly equal proportions, imparting a 
general gray tint. Wing coverts bluish gray, finely sprinkled with whitish. The speculum, consisting of the ends of the 
secondaries, hoary grayish blue, lightest externally, and the innermost narrowly edged externally with black. Basal portion of 
inner primaries somewhat similar to the speculum. Tail of fourteen feathers. 
Female with the head, neck, and fore part of body brownish ; the region round the base of the bill whitish. Length of male, 
20.50 ; wing, 9.50 ; tarsus, 1.60; commissure, 2.30. 
Hah .—Whole of North America. 
This species, with a strong resemblance to the canvas-hack, is readily distinguished by the 
shorter, broader hill, absence of brown on the head, and a greater predominance of black in the 
waved lines, this being equal in amount to the white, instead of much less. It is very similar 
to the A. ferina of Europe, which, however, appears to have the bill more like that of the 
canvas-back, A. vallisneria. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex and 
age. 
Locality. 
When 
collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig. 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
1330 
$ 
S. F. Baird. 
20.50 
33.50 
9.50 
1185 
Or? 
Oct. 23,1843 
19.50 
82.75 
9 00 
1727 
9 
.do. 
19.50 
31.50 
8.75 
5135 
Feb. 14,1855 
17 
15.50 
24.50 
7.50 
black, iris brown. 
9786 
26 
9787 
s 
9784 
9 
4621 
Feb. 7,1855 
45 
9783 
Eyes red .. 
9785 
Feb. —,1855 
AYTHYA VALLISNERIA, Bonap. 
Canvas-back. 
Anas vallisneria, Wilson, Am. Orn. VIII, 1814, 103; pi. lxx.— Doughty’s Cab. N. H. II, 1832, 36 ; pi. iv. 
Fuligula vallisneria, Stephens, XII, 1824, 196.— Bon. Syn. 1828, 392.—Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 451.— 
Nuttall, Man. II, 430. 
Aythya vallisneria, Bon. List, 1838.— Newberry, Rep. P. R. R. VI, iv, 1857, 103. 
Anas vallisneriana, Sabine. 
Fuligula vallisneriana, Aud. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838,1; pi. 301.—Ib. Syn. 1839.—Ib. Birds. Amer. VI, 1843, 299; pi. 395. 
Aristonetta vallisneria, Baird. 
Sp. Ch. —Bill long, slender, and tapering. Head all round and neck chestnut; the top of the head and region around the 
base of the bill dusky brown Rest of neck, body anterior to the shoulders, back behind, rump and tail coverts, black. Unde- 
parts white ; the region anterior to the anus, the sides, the interscapulars and scapulars, white, finely dotted in transverse line, 
with black, the white greatly predominating. Speculum bluish gray, lighter externally ; the innermost secondaries of the 
speculum edged externally with black. 
