ASAECORNIS SCUTULATA 47 



forty or fifty yards from me, just as I emerged from the forest. 

 Two barrels of No. 7 pattered on their backs at once, but seemed 

 not to have the smallest effect on them. These two birds flew like 

 geese, one bird (the male, I suppose, for he looked much the heavier) 

 about two yards in front of the other, their necks fully outstretched 

 and squawking loudly as they flew for the first few hundred yards. 

 Whilst in the open they flew within a few feet of the ground, but on 

 regaining the forest mounted higher, until they disappeared altogether 

 in the distance. 



Whilst beating for tiger in scrub and tree-jungle on the banks of 

 the Dibru stream, at that time only a succession of muddy pools, we 

 once put up a flock of seven of these grand birds, which flew round 

 and round us, at a considerable distance, for a long time before they 

 eventually cleared off. These seven — the largest number met with 

 in a flock that I have any certain record of — flew in line as geese 

 do, and in the distance would probably have been mistaken for such. 



Mr. Moylan, in narrating to me how he met with this Duck in 

 Sini, in Singbhoom, said that at the time they were shooting in 

 grass-covered swamps at the edge of heavy forest. They were 

 standing thus, when they saw four birds, which he took to be geese, 

 coming down towards him and his companions. They were at a 

 great height, but a charge of S.K.G. took efl'ect on the foremost, and 

 he came crash to the ground, turning out to be a fine drake. It is 

 possible that Mr. Moylan may have been wrong in his identification, 

 but I failed to discover any reason to make me think so, though I 

 questioned him closely on the matter. This was the only occasion 

 on which he ever saw the duck. 



In addition to the ringing trumpet-call of this bird, both drake 

 and duck indulge in a very low quacking note, sounding very much 

 as if a mallard were trying to quack under its breath. Whilst uttering 

 this note, the head is always held low, and the bill wide open. When 

 angry, they also make a hissing noise at one another. 



They are charming birds in captivity, and are tamed without the 

 slightest difficulty. When the breeding-season approaches, they, 

 if not confined or pinioned, fly away; but throughout the cold 

 weather months they may be allowed to wander about at their own 

 discretion, and will always keep near home if regularly fed. When 



