ANAS PCECILORHYNC'HA PcECILORHYNCHA 103 



Sind, on the 1st May, which had contained ten incubated eggs, but 

 these, with the exception of one, were all scattered aljout and broken. 

 Before reaching the island on which the nest was placed he had 

 noticed a family of otters playing about, which all bolted at his 

 approach, and which were doubtless the culprits concerned in the 

 pillage of the nest. 



The greater number of nests are placed on the ground, well 

 concealed in rushes and grass, often at the edge of some piece of 

 water or stream, frequently on islands, and not seldom in patches of 

 grass well away from water. The ridges lietween rice-fields seem to 

 be favourite places for them to make their nests upon, the proximity 

 of the food supply doubtless being the incentive to the birds to make 

 use of such spots. 



Hume thus describes the first nest taken by him : — • 



' It was placed on a drooping braucli of a tree which hung down 

 from the canal bank into a thick clump of rushes growing in a jheel 

 that near the bridge fringes the canal. The nest was about nine 

 inches above the surface of the water, and was firmly based on a 

 horizontal bifurcation of the bough. It was composed of dry rushes 

 and had a good deep hollow in which down, feathers, and fine grass 

 were intermingled. The nest was at least a foot in diameter, perhaps 

 more, and I suppose two inches thick in the centre and four at the 

 sides ; it contained three fresh eggs." 



The number of eggs laid seems to vary considerably ; but from 

 about eight to ten may be considered as the normal number laid, 

 often less, but not often more, though they may occasionally number 

 fourteen. They are much like the eggs of the mallard in appearance, 

 though rather broader on an average, as well as a little shorter. 

 Hume's dimensions for the eggs of this duck are : length from 2'OH 

 to 2'3 inches, breadth 1'65 to 1'18, and the average of fifteen, 2"15 

 X 1-70. 



The eggs in my collection are of two rather distinct types — the 

 one a broad regular oval, the other a narrower egg with one end very 

 much smaller than the other, and distinctly pointed. The texture is 

 the same in both kinds and the colour also, generally a pale buff-drab, 

 much stained as incubation progresses. The two types average 

 respectively 2-05 X 162 inches and 2-18 X IGO. 



Spot-Bills do fairly well in captivity, but are difficult to tame, and 



