502 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXV. 



She started laying on the 5th March on the bare pucca floor in a corner 

 of the house and laid on the 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th and 14th, making five eggs 

 at close intervals Avhich would have formed a clutch ; three more were laid 

 from the beginning to the 3rd April and one again on the 6th and three 

 more eggs from the 22nd to the 25th of that month, or a total of 

 eleven eggs in seven weeks forming three clutches. The chicks hatched 

 out on the 26th day. 



The cock was unfortunately by mistake killed by my sweeper on the 24th 

 March and though through the kindness of Mr. D. Ezra of Calcutta I was 

 able to purchase another one in April of the same year, I have not been 

 successful in getting any more fertile eggs. I have kept a cock from the 

 chicks hatched in April and it is now five and a quarter years old but 

 no fertile eggs have been laid by the hen, so I am afraid she is too old. 



Et/gs. — Some of the eggs are only slightly and others very deeply pitted, 

 a number having some circular swollen ridges at the thin end. The ground 

 colour varies from pale cream to pale salmon buff and deep rich buff, some 

 being freckled with a darker shade of the same colour, others with deeper 

 or lighter purplish grey ; one egg was deeply spotted with fine spots espe- 

 cially round the thick end forming a small zone, there being some, large 

 blotches of reddish brown at the other end ; another was speckled all over 

 with reddish brown, and another had no freckles at all, only a few 

 brownish pink blotches scattered about the centre and small end. The 

 average of a number of eggs measured was 3" x 2-11" ; the lengths running 

 from 2 '90" to 3-19," the breadths from 2" to 2-20". 



Habits. — The call of this bird, I make out as Aow awe, Aow awe, Aow 

 awe. This is sometimes made whilst resting on his perch inside the house 

 during the heat of the day and sometimes on the ground outside the house, 

 whilst uttering it his head is v."ell raised up. It is a much pleasanter note 

 than that of the Common Peafowl and like that of the latter bird can be 

 heard from a great distance. He does not appear to have any special time 

 for calling as 1 have heard him from 6 a.m. right up after 6 p.m., generally 

 at shortish intervals, the longest break being between 10-30 a.m. and 1 p.m. 

 I have seen the cock bird running round and round his enclosure and call- 

 ing Aow, Kavv, Kavv, Kaw, Kaw, 1 think this note is uttered when some- 

 thing has frightened him. 



In showing off. which he does at all times except during the heat of the 

 day, he gives his tail a shake and up goes his train : every now and again he 

 shakes his tail, probably this is done when the train starts to droop and he 

 steps about as if on hot bricks, sometimes with his back, and sometnnes 

 with his front to the hen. She appears to pay no attention whichever side 

 is facing her. Should she come near him in front, he gives his quills a 

 shiver and should she continue to remain in front of him this is repeated 

 several times, probably to draw her attention. Whilst showing oft', the head 

 is kept down and the bill slightly open. 1 have heard him calling whilst 

 displaying. 



Baghownie Fty, Laheria Saeai, C. M. INGLIS. 



August 1917. 



No. XI.— OCCURRENCE OF THE PINK-HEADED DUCK 

 (RHODONESSA CARYOPHYLLACEA) IN THE PUNJAB. 



On the 29th September 3917 I was crossing the Keshopur Jheel in a 

 punt where we put up three large duck which I did not recognise. I shot 

 one. It was a large duck chocolate brown above and dark brown below 

 with a very distinctive rose pink-head and a very distinct tinge of the 

 same colour to the white lining of the wings. The Shikaris (who reside in 

 the locality of this jheel and are very knowledgable folk) declared it to be a 



