ANAS FLAVIROSTRIS.
red, all the feathers narrowly edged and tipped with dirty white. Bill—upper
mandible and the lower towards tip gamboge-yellow,—the former with an
oblong liver-brown stripe extending from its base to within less than an inch
of its point, in which are situated the nostrils ; the nail and tip of upper mandible
and a triangular block at the corresponding part of the lower liver-
brown. Legs, toes, and webs brownish red.
F orm, &c.—Body moderately robust; head large and slightly compressed.
Wings pointed, and when folded reach rather beyond the first half of the
tail, the second feather rather the longest, the first and third equal and rather
shorter, the fourth a little shorter than the third and about the same length as
the tertiary quill feathers. Tail rigid and slightly rounded, the feathers
pointed. Bill rather long, narrow, and throughout of the same width. Tarsi
and toes moderately long and rather slender, the former laterally and posteriorly
covered with small reticulated scales, anteriorly with small transverse
plates; the web between the toes reaches to the base of the claws, and on
each side of the middle toe is covered with a few rows of small scales. Claws
slightly curved and pointed.
DIMENSIONS.
Inches. Lines.
Length from the point of the bill to Length of the tarsus ........... . 1 6'
the tip of the tail................ 23 6 of the outer toe ........ ; . • 1 10£
of the bill to the angle of the of the middle to e ........... . 1 H
mouth ................................ 2 of the inner toe .............. . 1 5
of the wings when folded....... 10 6 of the hinder t o e ................ . 0 4
of the tail................................ 4 0
Female.—Colours like those of the male, only not quite so dark ; the wing
speculum has less lustre, and her size is inferior.
Of all the South African ducks this is perhaps the most common and widely diffused.
Near Cape Town it occurs in the marshes, on the small lakes, and about the hanks, of the
various streams. In the interior again, it is generally found on the comparatively stagnant
portions of rivers, probably from the circumstances that the other collections of water in which
it more particularly delights exist only in but a few localities.