A MND LAKE. 95 



Mr. Reid in Game Birds remarks : " It will not only keep a sharp look- 

 out on its own account, but will fly along the jhil side before the gun- 

 ner, uttering its warning note and put every bird, on the qui vive." I 

 have always found it a slow clumsy bird, easy to approach. I 

 was very amused on one occasion watching a Pariah dog try in " to 

 approach one in some deep mud ; the dog with an unconcerned manner, 

 as if Brahminy duck was the one thing in this world which it had the 

 least thought of, the duck as if a dog trying to catch it was an equally 

 distant thought ; the dog at last manoeuvred till it was quite close and 

 was evidently heedless of the proverb " First catch your hare before yon 

 cook it ;" but then the Brahminy flapped away a few paces ; then the 

 same manoeuvres were repeated to the evident amusement of the bird 

 and the annoyance of the dog; how long the dog would have pursued 

 in this wild goose or more correctly wild duck chase I cannot tell, as I 

 was tired before the dog was ; walking on put a stop to any more 

 manoeuvres ; this duck and the former are considered not fit for 

 human food ; a brother officer tried a young Brahminy on one occasion 

 and ate some of it with relish ; he also had a whistling teal cooked ; 

 which he and another friend pronounced good ; I have never eaten 

 the former, but I have attempted to eat a little of the latter ; I shall 

 never do so again. 



The Shoveller (Spatula clypeata) is very numerous ; as a bird for the 

 table it also has a bad reputation, which, no doubt, is frequently well 

 deserved, as it is a foul feeder and delights in any dirty pool ; but 

 those 1 tried at tbe Manchar Lake were not bad eating. 



The Mallard (Anas boschas). — Last December I think this was almost 

 the most numerous species on the lake ; in February I only shot two in 

 about seven days' shooting. 



The Gadwall (Chaulelasmus slreperus) is also very common. 



The Marbled Teal (Chaulelasmus angustirostris) very common. When 

 flying, on account of its proportionately large expanse of wings, it 

 appears a much larger bird than it is. 



The Pintail (Da/ila acuta), another very common species. 



The Widgeon (Mareca penelope\ not very common ; I only shot one 

 last December. 



Both the Common and Garganey Teal (Querquedula crecca and Q. 

 circia) are common, especially the latter ; none of the males which I 

 shot of the last species during my last December visit had made any 

 attempts to assume the male plumage. 



