C 9at =} 
(primaries) and tertiary feathers dark purplish ; breast white ; under 
parts are reddish brown, also head of the bird. From the above 
description, you will notice a quantity of brown, in its various 
degrees of shades and tints of colour, to be looked for, when identi- 
fying this bird from numerous Water-birds it associates with, to- 
gether with its general shape and cut. The Shoveller is looked 
upon, as a good type of the duck family, owing to its well developed 
particularities of its race. 
Genus ANAs. Bill is of moderate length, depressed and_ fairly 
uniform in width, tip rounded ; lamellz short ; tail short containing 
16 feathers, and a few curly feathers on upper base, which we are 
familiar with, on domestic ducks. 
(958) ANAS BoscHAS, Mallard, is prettily marked, it has rich 
and variegated plumage ; a conspicuous looking white collar round 
the neck. These ducks are frequently met with in the Terai, and 
_at times at Chullen Beel, though a somewhat rare bird and only a 
winter visitant in India. At Shumpu or at that elevation in North 
Sikkim, near the snows, in spring or during the rains afew couples 
are likely enough to be met with. Mallards are strong on the wing, 
and appear to pass, rapidly, over Darjeeling, high up in the air, their 
heads pointing due north, and usually fly far to lakes in the interior 
of Thibet. Some of these birds are known to breed among rushes, 
by the edge of lakes in Cashmere, at a considerable elevation. Their 
eggs are often brought into the market, and sold as ordinary (wild) 
duck’s eggs, so I am told, at so much a dozen. On eastern side of 
the Himalayas, it would be looked upon as uncommonly good piece 
of luck to find a Mallard’s nest, and thus to learn more about the 
nidification of this duck, and some of the rarer water-birds, which 
retire to high elevations to breed. There are scores of birds in India, 
whose nests and eggs remain yet to be discovered, by one who can 
accurately identify them. Size of Mallard is about 24 inches ; bill 
greenish yellow ; legs orange ; irrides reddish brown ; colour of plu- 
mage is rich and variegated : chesnut brown on upper back : upper 
tail-coverts blackish-green ; head with part of the neck emerald 
green, cheeks nearly black ; collar as previously mentioned, white ; 
sides of the lower back light grey with wavy lines of dark brown ; 
scapulary feathers greyish with undulating marks ; wings brown 
with a speculum of deep prussian blue, tinged greenish purple with 
a whitish border ; tail-feathers greyish brown edged white ; breast 
chestnut. I have endeavoured to keep from overburdening you with 
a veritable picture of a Joseph’s coat of many tints and colours, and 
yet doing some show of justice to this beautiful and picturesque 
looking bird. At the same time, a few of the leading colours will 
quite suffice to distinguish the Mallard, when observed amongst 
