pear in full luxuriance at the tips of the fecondary remi- 
ges or wing feathers, forming a double carunculated 
band acrofs the middle of the M ing. This is, a cir- 
cumfiance fo extremely peculiar, that it has given rife 
to ftrong fufpicions of the fidelity of the drawing ; 
there being no other inftance of a fimilar appearance 
in the birds of this genus, or indeed, in fo ftriking a 
degree, in any other. 
It is true that in the bird called the Ampelis Garru, 
lus, or Bohemian Chatterer, the tips of the fecondary 
wing-feathers are terminated by flat callous or horny 
appendages of a bright red color ; and an appearance 
in fome degree analogous to this takes place alfo in the 
tips of the neck-feathers of the common cock in a 
Hate of Nature. Whether therefore in this fpecies of 
duck the tips of the fecondaries be really furnilhed 
with tuberculated appendages ; or whether the bird, 
at paiticular feafons may not be furnilhed with lateral 
caruncles, which may occafionally protrude between 
the feathers of the wings as reprefented by Madam 
Merian ; or laftly, whether that ingenious lady may 
not in this infiance have departed a little from her ge¬ 
neral accuracy, and have given what ihe might have 
confidered as an additional ornament, muft be left to 
future enquiries to determine : certain it is that the 
bird is unknown to modern ornithologifts, and is nei¬ 
ther figured or deferibed by any other natural hiftorian. 
The fize of Madam Merian’s figure is nearly that of a 
common duck. 
