INDIAN DUCKS AND THEIR ALLIES. 451 



Then too they keep much to fairly open water when resting and 

 the sudden appearance of a detached clump of weeds floating towards 

 them at once puts them on the qici vive long before the clump gets 

 within shooting distance two out of three times, they leave for safer 

 abodes. 



I once, however, came on a ilock of these little birds who stuck more 

 persistently to their ground, or water, than any other flock of ducks 

 it has been my fortune to meet. This was in the district of Hazari- 

 bagh, and I was going from Giridi to Hazaribagh in a jyiish-push a 

 sort of four-wheeled, inferior, springless brougham, when I saw a flock 

 of about forty Teal on a tank close by the road. I got out of the rush- 

 push, walked up to the tank and got two birds with a rio-bt and left 

 as they rose, the birds wheeled round and I got a third, they then 

 went to another tank about 600 yards away, and as I followed them 

 up again rose and returned to the first piece of water lea vino- a fourth 

 bird with me. I too went back and got yet another brace, and after 

 these yet another bird on the second piece of water, and when I left 

 with seven Teal the rest were already hack on the tank bv the roacl. 

 This was of course in a badly watered part of the countrv, but on no 

 other occasion, whether there was water in abundance or not have I 

 ever known Garganey remain to have more than a rio-ht and left 

 fired at them. 



They are very silent birds as a rule. Hume speaks of them chat- 

 tering like all other ducks in confinement on the slightest provocation 

 but their ordinary note, a loud strident quack, is very seldom used 

 when the birds are in a state of nature. 



As regards the breeding of the Garganey within Indian limits there 

 is practically no evidence of any value. 



Colonel Irby told Hume that when in Oudh he caught some young 

 half fledged, in the month of September. This shows, of course, that 

 once upon a time a pair of Teals did remain in India and breed, but it 

 does not at all show- that Teal ever stay of their own accord to breed. 

 This unfortunate pair had very likely been slightly damaoed bv shot or 

 accident and so were unable to take the exertion of mioration, and this 

 doubtless, is the reason for the mauy Teal staying in India and beino- 

 seen in various months when they should have been far away 

 and breeding in other climates and countries. They have been seen 



