The Whistling Ducks. 



pad of grass, reeds and perhaps a few 

 creepers, measuring some i8" to 24" in 

 diameter, and with no more depression 

 in the centre than is caused by the birds 

 constantly sitting in them. 



"Now and then the nest is found on 

 trees close by villages and near some tank 

 or piece of water. When on this kind 

 of tree the nest may be placed either on 

 one of the bigger forks or in a large 

 hollow; and when in the former place 

 are quite well-built nests of twigs lined 

 with grass and a few feathers. If, on the 

 contrary, they are in the hollows, the nest 

 is scanty and sometimes merely consists 

 of the fragments naturally contained in 

 the hole. 



"In Rungpur, I found nearly all my 

 nests on trees, though very often they 

 were not built by the birds themselves, 

 but they used old crows' nests sometimes, 

 old kites' nests frequently." 



The eggs of this Duck at times number 

 as many as fourteen, but eight or ten is 

 perhaps the most usual number. In 

 shape they are either elliptical or broad 

 oval, short and somewhat rounded. They 

 are not quite so smooth as the eggs of 

 many other species of Ducks, and they 

 are but very slightly glossy. The colour 



