THE 
MERIAN DUCK. 
Generic Character. 
Bill broad and flattened ; the edges marked with 
{harp lamellae. 
Tongue broad and ciliated at the edges. 
Specific Character. 
DUCK varied with copper-ferruginous, deep 
blue, and green : white beneath ; with the 
head, back of neck, and tips of fecondary 
wing-feathers carunculated. 
The very extraordinary and beautiful bird here fi¬ 
gured is accurately copied from a molt elegant drawing 
by the celebrated Madam Merian, and is one of the 
birds of Surinam which occur in the reprefentations 
by that lady now preferved in the Britifh Mufeum. 
This bird has uniformly puzzled every ornithologift 
who has viewed it, to determine its real fpecies. It 
is evident at firft fight that it bears a firong affinity to 
the Anas mofehata of Linn^ius, which is commonly 
called the Mofcovy Duck ; but is much more tuber- 
culated about the head, and even a very confiderable 
diftance down the back of the neck ; and what is to 
the laft degree lingular, the fame fort of tubercles ap¬ 
pear 
