270 Mvl•rnx,Anatid•e ofSouth Georgia. [July[Auk

P¾CRAFT,W. P.-- The Courtship of Animals. London, Hutchinson & Co.. 1913. SELOUS,E. ('01.) An observationalDiary of the Habits of the Great Crested Grebe (includes observations on the Peewit). Zoologist, 1901 and 1902. ('05•) The Bird Watcher in the Shetlands. N.Y., Dutton, 1905. ('052) *Bird Life Glimpses. London, Allen, 1905. ('09.) An ObservationalDiary on the Nuptial Habits of the Black- cock, etc. Zoologist, 1909 and 1910. ('13.) A Diary of Ornithologicalobservation in Iceland. Zoologist, 1913. WASHBURN,M. F.-- The Animal Mind. Macmillan, New York, 1909. WEISMANN,A.-- The Evolution Theory. * ZOOLOGIST,THE.--West, Newman & Co., London, monthly. (Many papers on Natural History).

ANATIDzE OF .

BY ROBERT CUSHMAN MURPHY.

Plate XIV.

THispaper is the twelfth • dealingwith the ornithological results of the SouthGeorgia Expedition of the BrooklynMuseum and the AmericanMuseum of Natural History.

Nettion georgicum (Gmel.) Anas georgica,Gmelin, Syst. Nat., I, 2, 1788, 516. Querquedulaeatoni, yon denSteinen, Intern. Polarforsch.,1882-83, Deutsch. Exp. II, 1890, 219 and 273.

XA list of the precedingpapers, not includingseveral brlef notes,follows: (1) preliminary Descriptionof a New Petrel, 'The Auk,' 1914, 12, 13; (2) A Flock of Tublnares,'The Ibis,' 1914,317-319; (3) Observationson Birdsof the SouthAtlantic, 'The Auk,' 1914,439-457; (4) A Reviewof the GenusPh•ebelria, 'The Auk,' 1914,526-534; (5) AnatomicalNotes on the Young of Phalacrocorax alriceps georgianus, Sci. Bull. Brooklyn Mus. II, 4, 1914, 95- 102; (6) Birds of Fernando Noronha, 'The Auk,' 1915, 41-50; (7) The Atlantic Range of Leach's Petrel, 'The Auk,' 1915, 170-173; (8) The Bird Life of Trinidad Islet, 'The Auk,' 1915, 332-348; (9) The Penguins of South Georgia, Sci. Bull. Brooklyn Mus. II, 5, 1915, 103-133; (10) Notes on American Cormorants,Bull. A.M. N.H., XXXV 1916, 31-48; (11) Two New Diving Petrels, Bull. A.M. N.H., XXXV, 1916, 65-67. THE AUK, VOL. XXXIII. PLATE X[V.

1. SOUTH GEORGIA TEAL. 2. MAGELLANIC GOOSE. ¾ol. 1916XXXIII] J MvRrn¾,Anatidce of South Georgia. 271

Querquedulaantarctica, Cabanis, Journ. f. Ornith., 1888, 118, pl. 1. Nettion georgicum,Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXVII, 1895, 264; LSnnberg,Kungl. Svensk.Vet. Akad. Handl. XL, 5, 1906, 66. EndemicAnatinm inhabit severalof the subantarcticislands, the speciespeculiar to South Georgiabeing the southernmostof the whole group. This little teal was amongthe birds noted by CaptainJames Cook in January,1775, on the occasionof the first recordedlanding at South Georgia. Eleven adults and one ducklingwere collectedby the writer betweenNovember, 1912, and March, 1913. A singleadditional skin was receivedsubsequently from Mr. Jos4G. Correia,of New Bedford, Mass. Under the new name Querquedulaantarctica, Cabanis in 1888 publisheda coloredplate of this teal. The figureis pooras regards both contourand coloration,and the bill is shownentirely black. LSnnbcrg(loc. cit. Tar. 2) illustratesthe head of a male, showing correctlythe distributionof coloron the bill, but here again the yellowof the lithographis very unlike the hue of the living bird's bill. I had LSnnberg'splate'with me at South Georgia,and com- paredit with freshlykilled teals. LSnnbcrg'sdescription of the speciesleaves little to be desired. It shouldbe amendedto this slightextent, viz., mature females, as well as males,have the central velvety black stripe along the tertials,although on the averageit is slightlymore pronounced in male specimens.In general,the femaleis distinguishableonly by the dull speculumand slightlysmaller size. The entire speculum in eachof my eight adult maleshas a greengloss when viewed obliquely. Birds in fresh plumagehave conspicuouslywhitish breasts,due to wide colorlessmargins on the featherswhich subse- quentlywear away, leavingonly the browncentral portions. Flesh colors. Iris dark brown. Culmcn, nail, and distal border of maxilla, black; remainder of tip of bill, slaty blue; sides.of maxillaNaples-yellow, becoming greenish where it blendswith the blue tip. Legsand feet oliveTgreen,mottled with sooty-brown.

Measurements in millimeters.

Eight males,collected between November 30 and December30. Length (skins),418-445; wing, 211-222; tail, 93-104; culmcn, 272 Mcl•raY,Anatidce ofSouth Georgia. [July[Auk

•rom frontal feathers,32-36; width of bill at base,12.5-16; tarsus, '35.5-39; middletoe and claw,45-51. Four females, collected between December 1 and March 3. Length (skins), 390-412; wing, 195-207; tail, 85-93; eulmen, •rom frontal feathers,31-34; width of bill at base, 12•I5; tarsus, 35-36; middle toe and claw, 46-49.

Bill LengthWing Tall CUbhen widthTarsus Toe Average of 8 males 432 217 100 34 14 37 48

" "4 females 404 201 89 33 13 36- 48

The testesof a male shot on December 1, 1912 measured38 X 19 millimeters. The cropof a femalecollected January 2, 1913,contained marine amphipods. Salvadori(1. c., p. 264), without havingseen a specimenof Netliongeorgicum, concludes that its affinitiesare with the groupof teals containing the South American speciesN. flavirostre, N. oxypterum,and N. andium. A comparisonof my specimenswith all of these, however,shows that the South Georgia bird is quite distinct. Its real relationship,hitherto unsuspected,is with the duck known as Dafila s?inicauda(Vieill.), a widely distributed species,occm-ring, apparently in the form of severalundescribed geographicraces, from Brazil to the Straits of Magellan and the . The South Georgian teal is, indeed, almost a facsimileof Dafila spinicauda,smaller, considerably darker (espe- cially on the undersurface), but with similarproportions, the same patternand distributionof colorover the wholebody including the bill (fideR. H. Beck,label), the samewholly black speculum with a greensheen, the sameblack-striped tertials and pointedtail. Dr. Frank M. Chapman, who first called my attention to the striking resemblancebetween the South Georgiabirds and skinsof Dafila s•inicaudain themagnificent Brewster-Sanford collection, remarked at the same time that the case furnished an excellent example of taxonomicrelationship obscured by inaccuratenomenclature. Vol. XXXIII] 1916 J MURPHY,Anatidce of SouthGeorgia. 273

Consideringthe si•nilarit• of thesetwo ducks, it is rathersur- prising to discoverthat Dafila spinicaudahas only fourteen rec- trices, whereasNettion georgicumhas sixteen. Usually, a•nong the Anati&e as well as other groups,the larger specieshave the greater nmnber of tail feathers, but here the rule is reversed. Dafila acuta has sixteen rectrices,so that in this character it is no closerto D. spinicaudathan the latter is to Nettion georgicum, while in all its other charactersit is vastly further re•noved. In short, after co•nparingthe colorpattern, the proportionatedi•nen- sionsof bill, wing, foot and tail, the shapeof the central and outer- •nost rectrices,and the graduationof the pri•naries,in these three speciesof ducks,I a•n forcedto the conclusionthat Dafila spini- cauda, the closest known relative of Nettion georgicum,should likewisebe relegatedto the genusNettion, or else a new genus, intermediate between Dafila and Nettion, should be erected to contain it. Since the establishmentof numerouswhaling stationsat South Georgia,the native teal has fared badly, the whalemenlosing no opportunity of bringing the toothsomebirds to table. In the neighborhoodof CumberlandBay its numbershave beengreatly reduced,although I saw six, all extremelywild, on November28, 1912. Fortunately, the configurationof the land at SouthGeorgia is of a characterto prevent the exterminationof the species,for the half dozennorthern fiords to which the whaling stationsare confinedare for the most part separatedfrom adjacentfiords by impassableglaciers and ice-cappedranges. Thereforethe teals may be wipedout in onevalley, and yet be abundantjust beyond the next mountain. Judging from several accountsof South Georgia,particularly that of Klutschak(1881), thesebirds are not found at all on the southerlyor slopeof the island. At the isolatedBay of Isles, I found the teals commonabout the middle of December,which correspondsto our June. They weremore numerous on the isletsin the bay than on the mainland, and were remarkably unsophisticated,allowing bands of men to walk right up to them as they fishedfor amphipodsfrom the rocks in the kelp fieldsat low tide, or dabbledin the freshwater ponds that filled every hollow of the grassyislands. As they fed, they quackedsoftly from time to time. 274 MvI•r•¾,Anatidee ofSouth Georgia. t[AukJuly

On December29, Mr. Correiaand I cameacross a pair of these birds, whose photographis here reproduced,while. they were feedingin a tiny glacial streamleton the mainland south of the . They were well hidden by tall tussock(Poa fiabel- lata), and we did not see them until we had almost stumbled over them. They seemedunconcerned, however, and continued proddingabout in the mud. When I steppedwithin six feet, they raisedtheir headsand waddiedfarther off amongthe hummocks, from where they peeredout through a screenof droopinggrass. All but their bright eyesand yellow bills blendedcompletely with the surroundings. Much againstour sentiment,Mr. Correia shot the female•as up to that time I had beenable to collectonly two of this sex. The drakeflew off whistling,with a teal'scharacteristic speed. Two or three of the duck-huntingNorwegian whalemen informedme that if, on the other hand, we had shot the drake, his mate would have refusedto leave the spot. If this be true, does it indicate peculiar fidelity, or merely dependenceand lack of initiative? Certainly the femaleteals as well as the malesshow plenty of courageand resourcefulnesswhen it comesto the protectionof their young. The ever-presentenemy at SouthGeorgia is the skua (Catharacta),and whena teal and its broodof ducklingsare sur- prised the parent feigns lamenessin a manner which needs no description,while the downy young disappearlike magic in the tussockgrass. I havehunted on hands and knees for half anhour, but, like my predecessors,I failed to locate even one of the silent, practically invisibleyoungsters. Our ship'sfox terrier, however, was more successful. On February 6, 1913, after the dog had been called back from a "wild goosechase," that is from following a motherteal whichhad beenduping him, he sniffedabout the spot where the family had beenflushed, and at length caughtone tiny duckling. It had evidently been recently hatched, and was a pretty, brown,long-tailed, confident little bird. It sat on my hand in the ship's cabin and preeneditself, stroking its back with its bill, and scratchingits head with its foot. It could also jump lightly from considerableheights to the floor without beinginjured in the least. During the last few days of February, we found the teals abun- Vol. 1010XXXIII J1 MtmrttY,' Anatidce ofSouth Georgia. 275 dant and exceedinglytame on the east shoreof PossessionBay, several miles back from the ocean front. Here they fed in the pondsand in the bare, wet runwaysbetween tussock hummocks. Many times pairs came whizzing toward me down the wind, wheelingto faceit just beforethey settledon the groundor water, generallywithin a few yards of me. I often startledparents with their broods,and heardthe • sharp note of alarmas the ducklings scamperedto cover. Oncea misguidedskua pounceddown upon a femaleas shewas fluttering lamely around me, but the duckflew away with a bound and easily distancedher enemy. On other occasions skuas carried off in their bills teals which the mate of our vesselhad just shot. Many previouscollectors have likewise beenexasperated b• thisbold trick of theskua. On February28, I discovereda teal's neston top of a hummock, dose beside a pond and two hundred yards from the shore of PossessionBay. It was coveredby dead, standingblades of grass which completelyarched it over. The sittingduck peepedout when I approached,but did not leave Until I touchedthe hum- mock. The nestwas lined with deadgrass and a very few feathers, and held five eggswhich lay with their small endstogether in the deep bowl. The eggs were rounded-ovate,and eream colored, with a highly polishedsurface. Believingthem to be heavily incubated, I did not disturb them. Members of the German expeditionof 1882-83 observedthe first pairingof the tealson November19, the firsteggs on December 8, andthe firstyoung on December18. The majorityof the young, accordingto yon den Steinen,were nearly full-grownby the end of January; but newly hatched ducklingswere seen again in the middleof February,and one still in the downwas noted as late as March 15. Possiblythe birdsnormally rear two broods,or it may be that a secondlaying is often forced through the destructionof the first eggsby skuas. Five eggsand young is the number reported by L6nnberg, and the numberthat I notedinvariably. The eomparatiYesmallness of the brood conformsto a generalstate of affairs amongbirds of the far south, where the strugglefor existencemay be considered as peculiarly severe. Thus the Antarctic terns, both Ster•m vittata of South Georgia, and Ster•a hiru•dinacca of the Powell 276 MvarnY,Anatidce ofSouth Georgia. kJuly[Auk

Islands (South Orkneys),lay but a singleegg as againstthe larger sets of their northern congeners. It would seem, as a rule, that birdswhose downy young are particularly liable' to fall a preyto such enemiesas predatory earnivores,fish, or turtles, e.g. many northern waterfowl, lay a large numberof eggs; but that southern species,among which the chiefsource of dangerlies in the destruc- tion of the eggsbefore hatching, either by exposureto the perpet- ually chilly weather, or discoveryby the skua, have uniformly small sets. Many northern water birds are known to cover their eggswith down or vegetationand to abandon them temporarily. At South Georgia,where the equalized,mean annual temperature is closeto the freezingpoint, even brief exposuremeans certain death to the eggs,as I observedin the penguin colonies. Under these conditions,it is obviousthat a small number of eggscan be more successfullyincubated than a large number. It must be admitted, however,that the applicationof this rule to the one-egg sets of certain tropical birds, such as Gygisand An6us, is rather obscure. I seldomif ever saw more than two dozen South Georgia teals during one day, and I shouldsay that althoughthe speciesis com- mon, and well distributedalong the temperatecoast of the island, it has never attained the abundance and relative dominance of its counterpart, Dafila eatoni, at the somewhatless polar region of Kerguelen Island in the southern Indian Ocean. At Kerguelen, British officersof the Transit of VenusExpedition are saidto have shot more than two thousand teals within a radius of eight miles. Such a slaughtercould not be duplicatedat South Georgia, al- though both yon den Steinenand L6nnbergreport that in winter the teals gatherin flocksof a hundredor more alongthe shoresof the fiords. The latter writer says also that the males are more numerousthan the females,a statementwhich my observations tend to confirm.

Chloi•phaga magellanica (Gruel.).

The upland gooseis an introducedspecies at South Georgia,a few pairshaving been imported from the Falkland Islandsin 1910 or 1911by Mr. J. Innes Wilson,British Magistrateat Cumberland Vol. 1916XXXIII] I •]•URPHY,Anatidce of SouthGeorgia. 277'

Bay. The immediatereason for the experiment,as Mr. Wilson informedme, was that the fine bird had becomepersona non grata to sheepranchers in the Falklands,because it was designedby natureto feedupon grass, and hence was considered an impediment to the fattening of mutton. So the Falklandershad outlawedthe goose,and placeda bountyupon its head. Mr. Wilsonfreed the transportedbirds in the admirablyadapted, grassy country about Westfiord, , where they increasedand spread eneouragingly, apparently assured of a future in a land in whichthey wouldbe foreveruntroubled by the rivalry of sheep. I sawabout a dozenadults in this regionon December 9, 1912. Unfortunately, someof the whalemenfrom a neighboringsta- tion have persistedin huntingthe geesein defianceof the law. A letter receivedfrom South Georgiaduring 1915 stated that the numberhad beenreduced to six or sevenbirds which had a very slightchance of repletingthe population. During our stay in CumberlandBay, the cabinboy of the Daisy emneaboard one eveningin high glee,bringing in his pocketsfive very youngupland geese which he had capturedin oneof the West- fiordlakes. OrdinarilyI shouldhave beenglad to receivespeci- mens,but in the easeof this speciesI felt constrainedto carry the livelygoslings back to theirhome, and, if the parentsdid not appear after a time, to attempt to rear the youngin captivity. But the formerexperiment was a completesuccess. Arriving next morning at the lake, we sawseveral pairs of adultslurking on the far side. One of the goslingspeeped, and immediatelya gutturalclucking cronein answerfrom acrossthe water and a barredgoose began to swim straight toward us, followed at a discreetdistance by the snow-whitegander. I put the youngbrood in the lake, but each goslingattempted to scrambleout, until it heard the call of the approachingmother, when all five turned their tails and swam bravelyaway. The parentsjoyfully receivedtheir fmnily again, andthe flotilladisappeared around a pointof landwith the young- sterswell guarded, side by sidebetween the gooseand her pompous Illate.