NETTAPTJS. 281 



noitre, as it were, the male sat on a bough watching for her 

 exit. No sooner did she make her appearance than they both flew 

 away together, giving utterance to a peculiar cackling sound, 

 which has been pronounced to be like the words ' Fix bayonets.' 

 Their visits used to be repeated at intervals of every fifteen or 

 twenty minutes. The Drake never went into the hole; and I am 

 therefore inclined to believe that he does not lend his aid in the 

 performance of the duties of incubation. 



" The greatest number of eggs laid by the Groslet, of which I have 

 a record, is twelve. This nest was taken by Mr. Spry at Budaon 

 in August last. The hole occupied was at no great height ; but 

 it was 3^ feet deep, and only large enough to admit of ingress and 

 egress ; the contents had to be removed by means of an iron spoon, 

 something like a soup-ladle with an extra long handle. 



" The eggs are obtusely pointed ovals, and certainly large for 

 the size of the bird; they measure 1*7 by 1*3 inch, and in shape 

 and colour are exactly similar to those of the Whistling Teal." 



Major C. T. Bingham says : "I found two nests of this bird 

 near the Phoolpere jheel across the Gauges at Allahabad, both in 

 hollows in decayed branches of old mango-trees, containing respec- 

 tively 5 and 8 eggs. There was no lining except bits of the wood 

 itself that had broken off. Both nests I found on the 13th July, 

 and the eggs were quite fresh ; one being stained in blotches by 

 the decayed wood." 



Mr. J. E. Cripps, writing from Furreedpore in Eastern Bengal, 

 says: "Very common during the rains; and I have on several 

 occasions noticed them during the cold season. Frequents swampy 

 ground. Builds in holes in trees at no great height from the 

 ground. I once found a nest in a hole in a date-tree at 7 feet 

 from the ground and close alongside of a ryot's house. There 

 were twigs and feathers from their own breasts made into a nest ; 

 one fresh egg. Some native boys killed the female, and I never 

 again found any more breeding in that hole ; they even lay their 

 eggs in the factory-chimney holes. When blowing the above- 

 mentioned egg, I noticed the drops appear phosphorescent as they 

 fell on a pucca floor ; the floor was perfectly clean, so cannot 

 make out the reason for this appearance." 



In Ceylon this Groslet is said to breed in the early part of the 

 year. 



Mr. Gates records the accompanying note from Pegu : " Xest 

 with ten eggs on the loth September, in the hole of a mango-tree 

 about 30 feet from the ground." 



The eggs are oval, scarcely more pointed at one end than the 

 other. They are miniatures of those of the next species, of 

 a delicate ivory-white colour, very smooth to the touch, but 

 scarcely so glossy as those of the Comb Duck, and as a rule much 

 less liable to become soiled during incubation than those of this 

 latter species. 



In length the eggs vary from 1/54 to 1'75, and in breadth from 

 1-17 to 1*38 ; but the average of twenty-six is 1*7 by 1/29. 



