54 INDIAN DUCKS 



iilao of the uumeruus eggs he obtained ; whethei- they were hke those 

 he sent to Hume, or whether they "were like most other ducks' eggs. 

 He did send five eggs to Hume, one of which was, I beheve, taken by 

 himself and the others by INIr. T. Hill, of Jernneah factory, in 

 i'urneah. 



Of these five eggs Hume remarks : — 



" The eggs are quite unlike those of any other duck with whicli I 

 am acquainted. In shape they are very nearly spherical, indeed, one 

 is almost a perfect sphere. 



" The shell is very close and compact, but not particularly smooth 

 or satiny to the touch, and is entirely devoid of gloss. 



" In colour it is nearly pure white, with here and there traces of 

 an exceedingly faint yellowish mottling, probalily the result of dirt. 

 Even when held up against the liyht, the shell is white, with scarcely 

 a perceptible ivory tinge. 



" The live eggs sent me by Mr. ShiUingford measure as follows : 

 fS2 X 17 inches, 1'7« x l'G8, 1'8 X 1'62, 171 x I'Gi), I'bl x 

 I'Ul. 



" There is no possible doubt now^ that these eggs, taken at tw-o 

 different times by two different persons, are really the eggs of the 

 Pink-Headed Duck, but at the same time it must be admitted that 

 they are eggs which no one versed in oology could, without positive 

 proof, have accepted as pertaining to this species." 



An egg in my own collection also taken by ShiUingford in Malda 

 agrees exactly with the five described above, but I should call it very 

 smooth and satiny to the toucli. 



General Habits. — Shillingford's note on the Pink-Headed Duck 

 which appeared in the ' Asian,' gives so much information — and so 

 little is to be obtained elsewhere — that I reproduce it ui extenso : — 



" During the cold weather, November to March, the Pink-Headers 

 remain in flocks vai'ying from eight to thirty, or even forty birds, in 

 the lagoons adjoining the large rivers, and have been observed by 

 myself in considerable numbers in the southern and western portions 

 of the district, that portion of Eastern Bhagalpur which lies immedi- 

 ately to the north of the Eiver Ganges and south-western parts of 

 Maldali. They come up to the central or higher parts of the 

 Purneah district in pairs during the month of April, begin to build 

 in May, and their eggs may be found in June and July. The nests 

 are well-formed (made of dry grass interspersed with a few feathers), 

 perfectly circular in shape, about 'J inches in diameter, and 4 or 5 

 inches deep, 3 or i-inch walls, and have no special lining. The nests 



