92 Mr. F. B. Simson on Birds 



Grus cinerea and two Pelicans. The Ducks were in enormous 

 flocks. We approached as quietly as avc coiild; and when it 

 appeared that the body of tlie flock was about to rise I fired 

 two hansels of one breech-loader^ and then, while the flock 

 was rising with a rushing noise like a tempest, I stood up 

 and delivered the two barrels of tlie duck-gun. The next 

 half hour was always taken up by the cripple-chase ; and I 

 made it a rule to shoot again every wounded bird that looked 

 at all lively ; my men picked up the dead and wounded with 

 two landing-nets. By the time this was all done, a man, sepa- 

 rately employed, had watched where the largest flock of 

 wildfowl had again settled, and a new attack was arranged. 



Tadorna vulpanser was often observed by me on the quick- 

 sands at the mouth of the NoakhoUy river and in the Mcgna. 

 I could not get at it : no boat could approach; and the quick- 

 sands were too deep and treacherous to be trusted. Jerdon 

 informed Hume that I had observed Anas leucoptera to the east 

 of Dacca ; but I never saw it, nor have I ever seen a skin of it 

 yet. I told Jerdon that I had heard of a large flock of dai'k 

 Ducks in these waters, but had never met them myself. 

 Jerdon himself only observed it from the deck of a steamer. 



Haplopterus ventralis is occasionally seen in the churs and 

 sandbanks of the eastern outlets of the Ganges; and twice I 

 met with Glareola lactea resorting in very large numbers to 

 islets covered with tamarisk jungle. On one of these occa- 

 sions the birds appeared to be hawking after insects in the 

 moonlight till quite a late hour. 



The pretty little bird Terekia cinerea is often to be found 

 about Backergunge and between that district and Novakholly. 

 I have seen small parties seated on drift-Avood and running 

 aboixt catching aquatic insects on it. 



Every autumn the jheels near the mouth of the Eoori- 

 guanga river, on the right bank, are visited by large flocks of 

 Godwits {Limosa agucephala) . When shooting Snipe in these 

 small jheels I often used to make a large bag of Godwits in a 

 double discharge of barrels. The natives call them Little 

 Curlews. 



I will conclude this article with a notice of one more place. 



