NESTING IN WESTERN INDIA. 137 



It ls, 1 believe, a cold weather visitor to mosl places; Colonel Butler 

 found a aest a1 Belgaum, and Lieut. Burgess found one containing 

 thr< t;s on the Singwa tank, 18 miles north of Ahmednuggur ; 



these are, I believe, the only recorded instances of the nest having been 

 taken within our limits. It most probably breeds on the Munchur 

 lake in Siud and on some of the larger lakes in Rajpootana. I shot 

 a pair during the rains on a small pool of water near Ooria on 

 Mount Aboo, and have once or twice seen them on the Aboo lake. 



.Mr. Hume says* that they breed throughout India in large j heels 

 and lakes that contain water all the year round. The nests are some- 

 i iines very large conical masses of reeds, rushes, and weeds, built 

 amongst beds of rushes and rice, in water from six to eighteen inches 



>p, but based on the ground, and rising several inches above the 

 water level, those built, in shallow water are less massive. They 

 breed during July and August. The eggs, from seven to ten in 

 number, vary greatly in size and shape, but are very uniform in 

 colour, and in the character of the markings ; they have no gloss. 

 The ground-colour is a pale bufty-stone, and the whole surface is 

 closely and evenly stippled with black and blackish-brown specks. 



They average 1'98 inches in length by 1*4 in breadth. 



904. THE WATER COCK. 

 Galiicrex cinereus, Gm. 



The Water Cock occurs sparingly in some parts of Siud ; it has 

 not been recorded from any other part of Western India. 



I shot a female with the ovaries much developed, during the raius, 

 near Hyderabad, Siud, and have a clutch of eggs, said to have been 

 taken in the Province. These were given to me by a friend who could 

 give me no particulars as he did not take himself, but he was sure 

 that they were taken in Sind, because the person who gave them to 

 him had a local collection only. 



Mr. Doig had reasons for thinking that they bred during June in 

 the Eastern Narra, but I am not aware whether he ever succeeded in 

 finding eggs. 



The nest is said to resemble that of the Coot, but to be much 



* Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds, ]» 595. 

 IS 



