48 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. XV, 



secondaries largely white, the inner webs brownish. Elongated terti- 

 aries brownish with white shafts, the outermost with an oily green 

 tinge, edges buft". 



Primaries brownish, darker at the tips ; inner aspect of wing whitish, 

 axillaries white. 



Bill apparently uniform black, feet dull yellowish-brown (in skin). 



Wing 248 mm. ; culmen 45 mm. 



The Gadwall is of course a very common duck in India during the 

 winter, though it is not known to breed within the Empire. Eunetta 

 falcata on the other hand is very rare indeed within Indian limits, being 

 normally an East Asiatic species. Individuals have, however, been 

 recorded from localities so far apart as Bhamo, Burma and Narra, Sind. 

 Several obtained in the Calcutta bazaar by Mr. F. Finn are in the 

 collection of the Zoological Survey of India and full details of other 

 occurrences are given by E. C. Stewart Baker {Indian Ducks and their 

 Allies, p. 143. et seq.,'London, 1908). 



In 1891 Mr. W. L. Sclater {Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1891, p. 313) 

 described a male duck (20505, Z.S.I.) brought in alive to the Indian 

 Museum which he considered to be a hybrid between the Mallard and 

 Gadwall (Avias hoschas x Chaulelasmus streperus). 



There is nothing to add to his very full description, but it would 

 appear probable that the bird is a hybrid between Anas hoschas and 

 Querquedula crecca rather than with Ch. streperus. The sides of the 

 head are rich brown and the breast has a distinctly spotted appearance, 

 both of which features occur in Q. crecca, but cannot be said to be repre- 

 sented in Ch. streperus. 



The cross is well known and numerous references to it occur in 

 ornithological literature generallv under the name of Anas himaculata 

 (Bp.). 



The attached plate gives a good idea of the general appearance of 

 the two specimens. 



