132 Occasional Notes. 



and individually in different localities in regard to the period 

 at which they breed. 0£ the commoner Transvaal species, 

 I think it is not unlikely that No. 5 — the Berg Gans or 

 Egyptian Goose — will be found nesting, as a rule, in 

 September, October, and November in the Transvaal, and 

 probably not at all in the present shooting season. In the 

 Pretoria Zoo this species is now nesting in captivity. 



" No. G, the Bergeend, or South African Sheldrake — a 

 close ally of the Berg Gans — will, I think, be found in the 

 Transvaal nesting much about the same time as the Egyptian 

 Goose, the preceding species. 



"No. 7, the Geelbec, there should be no difficulty in finding 

 out about. I expect it will be found, together with No. 8 

 (the Black Duck), to breed in the TransA-aal mainly in April, 

 May, June, and July. 



"No. 11 (the Red-bill), No. 13 (the Pochard), and No. 14 

 (the White-backed Duck), all probably in their breeding- 

 habits in the Transvaal follow Nos. 7 and 8. 



" A great deal of the above suggestion is naturally a 

 matter of conjecture, and not, it should be at once stated, 

 founded on precise information. I have ventured, however, 

 to jot down the few notes which I give above, in the hope 

 that they may perhaps lead in some small way to a settlement 

 of this somewhat vexed question. 



" Apologizing for intruding upon your space at such length, 

 " I am, etc., 



" John A. Bucknill, 



"F.Z.S., M.B.O. U., President of the South African 

 " Pretoria, Ornithologists^ Unions 



"October 13th, 1906." 



" Wild Duck Shooting. 

 " To the Editor of the Leader. 



" SiK, — Many people must have enjoyed the very inter- 

 esting letter on the above subject appearing in your issue of 

 the 1.5th inst. from the pen of Mr. J. A. Bucknill. In the 

 belief that any observations of a lover of wild-fowl may 

 possibly be useful to that body of sportsmen who frame our 



