274 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



darker on the hind neck ; back and scapulars dark brown, each feather 

 broadly edged with fulvous ; rump and the shorter upper tail-coverts 

 black; the longer upper tail-coverts chestnut; tail brown; lesser and 

 median wing-coverts chestnut ; greater coverts and quills ashy black ; 

 breast yellowish, shading gradually into the light chestnut of the lower 

 plumage ; under tail-coverts light fulvous. 



Bill, legs and feet brownish blue, the nail of the bill nearly black ; iris 

 brown ; eyelids bright yellow ; claws bluish horn-colour. 



Length 16 inches, tail 2'3, wing 7*5, tarsus 1*7, bill from gape 1*9. The 

 female is of the same size. 



The Lesser Whistling Teal is found abundantly over the whole Province, 

 except perhaps in the Thayetmyo and Prome districts, where I procured 

 only the next species. 



It is met with throughout nearly the whole of the Indian peninsula and 

 Ceylon, the Indo-Burmese countries, Siam, Cochin China, the Malay 

 peninsula, Sumatra, Java and Borneo. 



This very common Teal occurs on all large pieces of water covered with 

 weeds, in marshes and inundated paddy-fields, and is a constant resident. 

 Usually it associates in large flocks ; but in the breeding-season it is more 

 frequently seen in pairs. It habitually perches on trees when not engaged 

 in swimming, and is not often observed walking on the ground. It swims 

 and dives well, and feeds almost entirely on vegetable food. I have fre- 

 quently found its nest in Pegu in July and August a mass of dead leaves 

 and grass placed on a low thick cane-brake in paddy-land, and containing six 

 very smooth white eggs. The site for the nest varies much, however ; and 

 it is often placed in tall trees, either on a branch or in a hole in the trunk. 

 At times the nest is on the ground. Those nests I myself found were 

 invariably situated, as above described, on cane-brakes. 



637. DENDROCYGNA FULVA. 

 THE LARGER WHISTLING TEAL. 



Anas fulva, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 530. Dendrocygna major, Jerd. Madr. Journ. 

 1840, p. 218 ; id. III. 2nd. Orn. pi. xxiii. ; id. B. 2nd. ii. p. 790 ; Hume, S. F. iii. 

 p. 193. Dendrocygna fulva, Sclat. $ Salv. P. Z. S. 1876, p. 372 ; Hume 8? 

 Dav. S. F. vi. p. 488 ; Hume, S. F. vii. p. 403 ; id. S. F. viii. p. 115 ; Parker, 

 S. F. ix. p. 487 ; Hume fy Marsh. Game Birds, iii. p. 119, pi. ; Oates, S. F. x. 

 p. 245. 



Description Male and female. Forehead, crown and nape chestnut; re- 

 mainder of the head and upper neck paler chestnut ; a streak the whole 

 way down the hind neck black ; fore neck and sides of the lower part of 



