294 INDIAN DUCKS 



I showed the first bird to a very intelligent native at Ghazi, 

 and he assured me that thoy. appeared there every year regularly, 

 and that three years ago he shot one. I am certain that I shot a 

 duck of this species some three years ago. It puzzled me at the 

 time, but now I have no doubt what it was." 



Then, in a second letter, Mr. Stoker again writes : — 



" Since I last wrote, I have succeeded in obtaining a fine drake 

 Golden Eye, which I am sending you. 



There wei-e four of them together in a little stream opposite the 

 village of Hassanpur. 



"The natives called them 'Burgee,' the ' bur ' pronounced as 

 in burrow. Burgee, I believe, only means patches of black and 

 white. 



Mr. Barlow informs me that these ducks come to Ghazi every 

 winter. 



" This drake measures : wing 9'0 inches .... 



" We all said what a heavy bird, but it only weighed 1 Hi. 10 ozs., 

 which is 6 ozs. less than the lightest weight given by Hume for an 

 adult male. 



.... The stomach contained fish, weeds, and sand. 

 With this drake was procured a female similar to those 

 formerly sent. It was wounded, and was put in a cage, and 

 unfortunately was allowed to escape. 



We may now set down the Garrot or Golden Eye as a regular 

 winter visitant to the Punjauli portion, at any rate, of the Indus, 

 and as Barnes procured it near the mouth of the Indus, it most 

 probal)ly occurs throughout the length of that river. But can it be 

 confined to the Indus ? Surely, if properly looked for, it will be 

 discovei'ed in the Chenab and other Punjaub rivers. Is it purely a 

 river duck with us, or will it also occur in jheels '? Other sports- 

 men in the Punjaub must help us to settle these questions. 



" P.S. My last Golden Eye is a young female, weight 1 lb. .3 ozs., 

 .... it was seen with a number of others on a little pool. There 

 were no other ducks about." 



Thus Stoker seems to have got no less than five specimens, and 

 a sixth was got liy an officer whom he does not name. Barnes got 

 one other, and these are all that had hitherto been recorded ; but in 

 consequence of my noting in the original article on this duck in the 

 B.N.H.S. Journal to the following effect : — 



None have been since met with, so that it looks as if Stoker's 

 queries as to its regular appearance must be answered in the 

 negative." 



