INDIAN DUCKS AND THEIR ALLIES. 31 



The eggs are said by various authors to number five to fourteen ; but 

 probably six to eight or ten is the normal clutch. 



The eggs vary much in colour, from an almost pure white to a 

 greenish-drab. As with most eggs of ducks, as incubation advances the 

 colours get duller and darker, and eggs which are white with a clean 

 yellow or green tinge when laid become a dull grey or drab with the green 

 tint dulled and sometimes quite lost. In texture and shape they do 

 not vary from th(;S0 of the Mallard, except in being slightly smaller. 



Thirteen eggs of Hume are said to have averaged 2'62X1"'51", but 

 this is probably a mistake for 2"26"xl*51". 



The Gadwall seems to thrive well in confinement, and has often bred 

 under these conditions, including several times in the Zoological 

 Gardens. 



{To be continued.) 



