122 Manual of the Game Birds of India. 



and I will therefore quote what he says 

 about them : — " They are wilder birds 

 than their smaller cousins, and also 

 stronger and quicker on the wing; in- 

 deed, when once well started they are 

 no mean fliers, and require a straight gun 

 to knock them over. One cannot well 

 describe the difference in the voice of 

 the two ' Whistling Teals ' ; but it is recog- 

 nisable, and I think consists in the bigger 

 bird having a shriller whisde than the 

 other, though it is not such a noisy bird. 

 I doubt if they perch 7x.^\nMQS\2i^ D. javanica 

 does ; the latter bird often takes to trees 

 in the day-time without any apparent 

 purpose except to rest, but D.filva does 

 not seem to do this. Of course both 

 birds, when perching, choose large boughs 

 and branches, as they have no great grasp- 

 ing power and could not retain their hold 

 on small ones, especially if there was any 

 wind to sway them about. As Hume 

 remarks, this ' Whistling Teal ' is far more 

 often seen on land than is the smaller 

 species, and he also notes their goose-like 

 gait. Their legs are, as we all know, set 

 forward much as are those of geese, and 

 in consequence they naturally walk freely 

 and well as do those birds. I have 

 noticed them resting during the heat of 



