lOy INDIAN DUCKS 



percentage of the wretched villagers' winter crops. They will eat 

 ahuose any young, tender, green stuff, but probably prefer the 

 late rice crops to any other. They feed, as a rule, during the 

 night-time, but, where they are not interfered with, commence 

 to graze aljout four p.m., and continue on the ground until an 

 hour or so after sunrise. 



Their flight is typically goose-like, and in the usual V formation. 

 Mr. Damant notes a very peculiar action of these birds : — 



"Tliey then appear flying in the fornj of a wedge, each bird 

 keeping his place with perfect regularity. When they reach the 

 lake, they circle round once or twice, and finally, before settling, 

 each bird tumbles over in the air two or three times, precisely 

 like a tumbler pigeon ; after they have once settled, they preserve 

 no regular formation." 



As a matter of fact, each bird does not, as a rule, if ever, keep 

 in its exact place in the V, but all observers have noticed that geese 

 and other birds which adopt a V-shaped or line formation in flying 

 constantly alter their position, each leader retiring after a few 

 minutes to the rear, and the second bird taking its place, and then 

 giving it up again in a short time to the bird immediately behind. 

 This has been much remarked on in observations on migrating 

 birds passing Heligoland. 



I have never seen any geese of this species tame, but Hume 

 says he has seen many, though they do not ever appear to assume 

 the confidential lap-dog familiarity of the grey lag. Their call 

 is rather harsher and more shrill than is that of the grey lag, 

 and very easily distinguishable from it. 



They arrive in India in the end of October, but in Bengal 

 and youthern India few put in an appearance before the end of 

 November. In the same way they leave these parts earlier than 

 they do elsewhere, and there is little chance of any being found 

 after the end of February. 



