THE BRAHMINY DUCK. 277 



Genus TADORNA, Fleming. 



639. TADORNA CASARCA. 

 THE BRAHMINY DUCK. 



Anas casarca, Linn. Syst. Nat. iii. App. p. 224. Anas rutila, Pall. Nov. Comm. 

 Petrop. xiv. pt. i. p. 579. Casarca rutila, Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 791 ; Hume 

 fy Renders. Lali. to Yark. p. 296 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 641 ; id. S. F. iii. 

 p. 193 ; El. B. Burin, p. 105 : Scully, S.F. iv. p. 198 ; David et Oust. Ota. Chine, 

 p. 497 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi. p. 489 ; Hume, 8. F. viii. p. 116; Scully, S. F. 

 viii. p. 362 ; Hume $ Marsh. Game Birds, iii. p. 123, pi. ; Oates, S. F. x. p. 245. 

 Tadorna casarca, Dresser, Birds Eur. vi. p. 461, pi. ; Anders. Yunnan Exped. 

 p. 699 ; Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 1070. 



Description. Male in summer. The whole head yellowish or ochraceous 

 white, tinged with rufous in places ; the neck, the whole lower plumage, 

 back and scapulars chestnut, deepest on the breast, vent and under tail- 

 coverts ; a black ring round the neck ; smaller and median wing-coverts 

 white ; greater coverts and secondaries glossy green ; tertiaries chestnut 

 on the outer webs, whitish on the inner ; primaries, tail and upper tail- 

 coverts glossy black ; rump fulvous, minutely cross-barred with black. 



The male in winter has no black collar round the neck. 



The female never has the black collar at any time ; the front of the head 

 is whitish ; but she does not otherwise differ from the male. 



Bill black ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet very dark brown ; claws black. 



Length 26 inches, tail 6, wing 15'3, tarsus 2'5, bill from gape 2'3. The 

 female is considerably smaller. 



The Brahminy Duck is a visitor to the Province from October to March. 

 It is very abundant in the large rivers of Pegu ; but Mr. Davison did not 

 observe it in Tenasserim. It is probably common in Arrakan, whence 

 Mr. Blyth received it. 



It occurs, according to season, over a great part of Southern and Central 

 Asia, Northern Africa and Southern Europe. It has not yet been recorded 

 from Siam, Cochin China or the Malay peninsula. 



This handsome Duck is found almost entirely on large rivers such as 

 the Irrawaddy, the Sittang and the Pegu ; and banks of nice clean sand 

 seem almost necessary to its existence. It spends a good deal of its time 

 on the shore, especially during the heat of the day, and it is very shy and 

 difficult to approach. It breeds at high elevations in the Himalayas and 

 Central Asia, making its nest on cliffs or in holes in the ground. 



