OXYURA LEUOCEPHALA 306 



Finn, again iu the columns of the ' Asian,' says that twice, to his 

 knowledge, this duck has been obtained in the Calcutta Bazaar. 



There is also a specimen in the British Museum, obtained by 

 General Kinloch in Peshawar. 



In 1908 Tenison shot a pair of innuature birds near Nowshera 

 and Ommaney secured one at Sukkur. 



On the Baluchistan frontier Stiff-tail Ducks may be said to occur 

 almost regularly and in some numbers. Whitehead recorded them 

 in 1906 — 7 at Kohat, Logan-Hume reported many seen and several 

 shot there in 1910—11, and again Bailey the same in 191(1, and in 

 this latter year, Captain J. E. B. Hotson sent five specimens from 

 Zangi Nawar to the Bombay Museum. 



Of the birds whose age is recorded, only two would appear to 

 have been adult birds — the male got at Peshawar and the female at 

 Ludhiana. 



It will be noted, also, that nearly all the birds were obtained 

 between the 20th October and the 8th February, and whilst the 

 bird shot at Hardoi in January was in heavy moult, none of the 

 others, so far as we know, appeared to have been moulting at all. 

 Therefore it is very doubtful whether this particular specimen had 

 not been indulging in an abnormal moult. I do not consider it of 

 any weight in reference to the bird being a resident or otherwise ; all 

 that we know at present pointing strongly to the fact that it is not 

 resident. There is, however, no reason why this duck should not 

 breed in Kashmir, which is quite far enough north ; and it is to be 

 hoped that anyone working the water-breeding birds of that State 

 will bear this in mind. 



Nidification. — The species breeds inland on lakes and marshes, and 

 also on small ponds, placing its nest in amongst dense herbage at the 

 edges, and always well-concealed. It is a typical duck's nest, con- 

 taining perhaps more wet weeds and rotten material in the base than 

 do those of most other ducks, but, like them, well lined with down, 

 which in this case is said to be pure white. 



The eggs vary from six to ten, are a chalky-white in colour, often 

 much discoloured and stained, very large for the size of the bird, and 

 remarkable for their very rough surface ; so rough indeed is it, that 

 this egg is chosen to represent those having rough surfaces in the 

 National Collection of typical eggs. 

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