24G JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY^ Vol. XTI. 



these ducks fly very low, following the plains . which abound with 

 lakes, and as soon as one is perceived whio'h is not frozen, they at 

 once settle down on it." 



Most notiueahle of all their characteristics is their voice. They are, 

 especially the draives, noisy birds, constantly uttering a strident, 

 clucking call like the syllable *' mok," repeated very quickly. 1 have 

 heard their cry likened to that of the Cotton Teal as uttered by the latter 

 bird when flying, but far louder and more distinctly syilableized. 



As a rule, it would appear that they are inland birds, keeping much to 

 swamps and morasses or to rivers, and less often to large open sheets of 

 water. In Japan and Formosa it has been seen on the sea coast in tidal 

 creeks and, I believe, even en the seashoi-e itself. 



They are shy birds and difl&cult of approach as a rule, but appear to 

 become less so during the breeding season. Sociable birds, they consort 

 with ahnost any kind of duck. Thus Ruddle says that he saw in 

 Gompnny "in a small morass above the Udir rivulet. Anas hoschas, 

 A, crecca, A. (jlvcitans, A. cli/peata, A. acuta and a few of A.penehps 

 sitting quietly close together after a meal, resting." 



As regards their breeding, the two notes quoted by Hume are all 

 there are on record. 



Middendorf says : " Although the commonest duck on the Boganida 

 (70° North liititude) it did not occur as i'ar North as the Taimyr 

 river. It was not observed before the 12th of Juno on the Boganida. 

 On the 3rd July we found a nest on the river bank under a willow- bush 

 containing 7 fresh eggs. On the 24th July, the young in down began 

 to exhibit feathers on the head, shoulder and wings, but were still unable 

 to fl.y on the 4th August. On the 28th July a male was shot which had 

 lost its perfect plumage. The latest birds were seen on the 23rd. 

 August on the Boganida. This bird was similarly plentiful on the 

 Standvvay mountains (Aim River) and at Udskoj-Ostrog, where it 

 arrived during the first week of May , . . The eggs are bluish- 

 yellow in colour and small — the smallest was 1'98" long by 1*4" greatest 

 breadth." 



Of course, Middendorf meant largest, not smallest as he gives the 

 greatest breadth, and l'9b" seems big for the egg, not small. 



In the lines above quoted the point which will be most quickly noted 

 is the extremely brief breeding season. Thus, although the .12tli of 



