106 INDIAN DUCKS 



through my hands. These are just like the eggs of Aiiser cuiscr, but 

 average smaller, and the measurements of the sixty I have seen were 

 as follows : — 



The maxima ... 6;££ x .55'4 and 87'8 x ,3.97 mm. 



The minima ... 80|0 X ,5r6 and 81"3 X 50' 5 mm. 



Average of 50 eggs .. . 84'2 x 55'1 ^ 3'32 x 2'2.5 inches. 



The colour was pure white when they were unsoiled, and the texture 

 exactly like that of the eggs of A. aiiscr. Four or five appear to be 

 the normal full number in a clutch. Most eggs are decidedly long 

 ovals. 



General Habits. — Speaking broadly, this goose is far more of a 

 river than a lake or tank bird, though it is, of course, also found on 

 the larger lakes and bheels. In Jessore and Khulna we only saw 

 one flock on the Moolna bheel, and that not a large one, but on the 

 rivers we saw several big flocks. Here I tried Hume's plan of iloating 

 down on them in boats, but a good many circumstances combined to 

 prevent my having any success. In the first place, the water was 

 almost everywhere too deep to enable a man to wade and push 

 behind the boats: then, also, the fear of "muggers'" was much too 

 strongly felt by the men for them to remain in the water long 

 enough to get near the birds; and, finally, these last were exceed- 

 ingly wide-awake, and would not allow us to get within distance of 

 anything but the longest shots. I did get one pair, eventually, but 

 it was only by an adaptation of Hume's plan. The geese, of which 

 there was a flock of about forty, were on a sand chur about fifty 

 yards from the bank of the river, which was about 200 yards wide. 

 I dropped down the river along the bank furthest from the geese, 

 and then, when below them, worked across the river and got out on 

 the same side as they were. Hiding at once in the rank grass on the 

 bank, I sent the boat back to within a couple of hundred yards of 

 the geese, and when I saw that their attention was fully taken up 

 with it, managed to stalk to the edge of the water nearest where 

 they were. Armed with wire cartridges (No. 2 shot), I thought I 

 could do some execution on the flock as they sat on the bank, but 

 after I fired at them only two remained and the rest flew off. The 

 fiock, however, seemed to consider that the boat was the aggressor, 

 and sweeping round flew within twenty yards of me, and I knocked 



