130



the drake when in his undress plumage, a garb which he puts

on in winter, not in summer like other drakes which undergo

this change. He may, however, always be distinguished by the

green and white of the wings, which do not change.


The Cotton-Teal, as it is called by Anglo-Indians, is

almost the commonest duck in India, and is not migratory. It

is not considered a very good table bird, but hundreds are,

nevertheless, brought into the market at Calcutta for sale as food

during the wild-fowl-netting season in our “ cold weather” here.

It has, however, very rarely been sent to Europe, as it is by no

means an easy bird to keep in close confinement, although when

let loose on a pond or in a large aviary with plenty of water, it

thrives very well and becomes remarkably tame—not to say

cheeky, for it does not appear to have much respect for larger

ducks, and I have seen one show a bold front to an obtrusive

crow. It is a most active little bird, a fast swimmer and a very

good diver, and very agile on the wing. On land, however, it is

at a great disadvantage, being naturally weak in the legs and

hence readily disabled. Although not by any means unable to

walk, as stated by some writers, it does not like to go more than

a few feet at a time, and is very apt to collapse when it tries to

turn round or go fast! It seems also never to stand on one leg

like other ducks. Yet its feet are strong enough for some

purposes, as it perches readily, being naturally a builder in trees,

and will cling or climb up wire-netting in a manner remarkable

in a duck. Herein lies the difficulty of keeping it in any

ordinary cage ; it will climb up the sides, to fall ruinously down

again; and if debarred from clambering will jump and flutter

foolishly.


Hence, when I sent some to the London Zoo four years ago,

I had to devise some means for keeping them penned up and yet

uninjured. This I managed by confining them in a metal tank

about four feet by three, with a movable wire-netting cover.

Into this was put daily a few inches of water, the foul water of

the day before being let off by a plug, while a flat cage or a

plank supported on two bricks set on edge served as a resting-

platfonn for the dozen birds I kept confined. Of course at

flighting-time at nightfall they waddled along the platform and

sprang up, but, falling back into the water, did not hurt them¬

selves, and so “ survived successfully,” as Mr. Kipling’s Babu

says. After several weeks of this they were very tame and quiet,

and I sent them home in a cage just high enough for them to

stand upright in, and provided with a deep detachable tin



