222 INDIAN nXTCKS 



(ii'st alimnier of dawn finds them on the win"; once more ni nuitr 

 to the larger waters. Big rivers frhey do not seem to Hke ; all down 

 the Surma Valle_y the Pintail is very common, but though found in 

 numbers on the vast expanses of water quite close to the Barak, Surma, 

 Megna, &c., and often seen evening and morning crossing the river 

 high up out of range, yet I have never heard of its haunting any of 

 these rivers. 



In the same way I believe it is practically non-existent on the 

 Ganges, Indus and other large rivers. Small rivers, if of clear 

 and quick-running \\ aters, are no more pleasing to the Pintail ; but 

 small creeks of almost still water and canals, which have vegetation 

 about them, are visited for the purpose of getting food, and occasion- 

 ally a Hock may be put up from such places in the daytime. 



Wait says that in Ceylon it seems to be confined to coastal 

 lagoons which during the winter are flooded with i-ainwater and 

 become brackish, and in some places almost fresh. 



The food seems mainly to consist of small and fragile shell-fish, 

 but the birds also eat a large variety of other animal matter, and also 

 are to a certain extent vegetarians. Unlike, however, the majority of 

 the ducks which are more animal than vegetable feeders, the Pin- 

 tail is amongst the very best of birds for the table. Sometimes, it 

 is said it becomes rank, fishy and almost uneatable, but as a rule it 

 is excellent and nfarhj always good. 



^ran\ others must have noted a peculiar habit of the Pintail 



to which Hume alludes : — 



" It is worth noting, because it is a peculiarity almost confined 

 to this species, that during the cold season one continually comes 

 across large flocks consisting entirely of males. I cannot say that 

 I have ever noticed similar flocks of females ; but this may be 

 because the females do not attract the eye similarly, and are not 

 equally readily discriminated iit a distance: but 'bull picnics' 1 

 liave nati'il times without number, as a speciality of the Pin-tail." 



Pintail are decidedly good swimmers, sitting light and very high 

 on the water, their long necks and rather raised tails giving them 

 a very graceful appearance: as divers, however, they are failures; 

 they cannot stay any time under water, nor can T find any observer 

 giving them credit for being able to hide under water amongst the 

 weeds, or of holding on to submerged weeds, etc., with their feet. 



