RUDDY SHELDRAKE 51 



it is found, and it occiu's all over oui* Indian Empire except in 

 the extreme south of India and Ceylon, where it is rare, 

 Tenasserim, and the islands of the Bay of Bengal. It is a 

 winter visitor in the plains, but breeds in the Himalayas. 



Even if it were not so conspicuous by its colouring — and one 

 gets the full benefit of this by its habit of frequenting the most 

 open places — its voice would make its presence known every- 

 where, especially as it is seldom silent for long, and even when 

 conversing with its beloved mate and unalarmed, has no idea 

 of lowering its trumpet tones, which have something very 

 stirring and picturesque about them. 



There is no noticeable difference in the trumpeting call of 

 the sexes, and their colour also looks alike at a little distance; 

 but on close inspection it will be seen that the female has a 

 white face, contrasting with the buff of the rest of the head, 

 which is in both sexes much lighter than the body as a rule. 

 The male also has in some cases a black collar round the neck, 

 which is supposed to be assumed in summer and lost in winter, 

 though in captive birds, at any rate, and probably often in wild 

 ones, the reverse may be the case. Many birds of this species 

 in India are very washed-out in colour, no doubt owing to 

 bleaching, since in England, where the bird is a familiar 

 favourite on ornamental waters, they are always of the beautiful 

 auburn or chestnut tint. 



The Brahminy duck, to give this species the name by which 

 it is usually known in India, is a lover of sandy shores and clear 

 open water, and prefers the banks of rivers to any other haunt, 

 being usually seen in pairs. It keeps more on the land than in 

 the water, walking with an upright carriage and very gracefully ; 

 when it does swim it is with the stern high like a goose, and its 

 diving powers are rather limited. It seems to be chiefly an 

 animal feeder in India, devouring small shell-fish and other 

 forms of animal life to be found along the water's edge ; it has 

 even the reputation, apparently justified in some cases, of eating 

 carrion ; but it admittedly feeds on grain, grass and young corn 

 as well even in India, and in our London parks seems to graze 

 nearly as much as a goose, though there it spends an abnormal 

 amount of its time in the water, no doubt because being pinioned 

 it cannot fly about. 



