DENDROCYCNA JAVANICA 127 



The eggs are like those ah-eady described as belonging to 

 D. fulva, that is to say, they are very spherical ovals, but little 

 compressed at the smaller end, and in texture are very smooth and 

 fine, but neither very close-grained nor glossy, and somewhat chalky 

 on the surface. They are nearly pure white, sometimes inclined to 

 ivory-white when first laid, but stain quickly, and soon lose the faint 

 gloss they sometimes show at first. 



Hume, in a footnote to 'Game-Birds,' says that the lining- 

 membrane of this teal's egg is a delicate salmon-pink, and gives a 

 faint rosy tinge to perfectly fresh unblown eggs. I have now 

 examined a huge series of these eggs, but have failed to find any 

 with the lining-membrane so coloured. When fresh, all the eggs 

 blown by me have had this membrane a very dull dead lemon-yellow, 

 and when dry it is of a dead grey-white; I should have said that the 

 tint of eggs in the condition he describes was more of a very faint 

 and very dull creamy yellow rather than rosy, but, as a matter of 

 fact, the shells are thick and have very little transparency, and as a 

 rule the yolk gives no tint at all to the shell. 



All my eggs come within the average given by Gates in Hume's 

 ' Nests and Eggs,' viz., length from 1'7'2 to '2'0 inches, and breadth 

 from 1'4 to 1'6. The average of over 150 eggs taken by me is, 

 however, larger, and measures 1'89 X 1'5'2 inches. 



The duck is a very close sitter, and will not move from her eggs 

 until very closely approached ; indeed, she may sometimes be caught 

 by hand. Mr. Brooks thus caught a duck on her nest, which was 

 placed at the bottom of a hollow in a dead stump. 



The drake keeps much to the tree where the nest is, and spends 

 much of his time alongside his mate on the nearest comfortable 

 perch, but I have never been able to ascertain whether he assists in 

 the incubation. 



In different parts of the country they breed from late June up to 

 September ; in Eastern Bengal principally in July, in Western Bengal 

 in late July and early August, in Western India later still. Barnes 

 says that in Eajputana they breed in August and September. 



In Ceylon it is one of the birds that does not alter its habits of 

 breeding much, and there they lay in June and July. 



General Habits. — This W^histling-Teal is, in many parts of India, 



