CASAKCA. 429 



upper tail-coverts, tail, and quills black ; the secondaries metallic 

 green and bronze on their outer webs ; inner tertiaries orange- 

 brown on outer webs, grey on inner ; wing-coverts whitish buff ; 

 wing-lining white ; middle of lower abdomen to vent chestnut \ 

 lower tail-coverts orange-brown like breast. 



Fig. 108. Head of C. rutila. 



Females are, as a rule, duller in tint and the head whitish or 

 white ; the black collar is always wanting. The plumage in both 

 sexes varies considerably in depth of tint. 



Bill, legs, and feet black or blackish ; irides dark brown. 



Length of male 26 ; tail 5 ; wing 15 ; tarsus 2-5 ; bill from 

 gape 2-3. Females are smaller, wing 13. 



Distribution. The Ruddy Sheldrake is a migratory bird, breeding 

 in Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Western and Central Asia. 

 Great numbers breed in Ladak and other parts of Tibet, also in 

 Yarkand. The bird is a winter visitor to India, arriving about 

 October, and leaving Southern India in March and Northern 

 India in April, a few pairs remaining later in each case ; it is 

 found in suitable places throughout the Peninsula, except on the 

 Malabar coast. It is of rare occurrence in Ceylon. It is found in 

 Baluchistan and Afghanistan, Assam, Manipur, and the Irrawaddy 

 valley, but not in Tenasserim nor the Malay countries, though it 

 is met with in China and Japan. 



Habits, #c. In India this species is very common on all rivers of 

 any size, generally sitting in pairs on the sand by the riverside 

 during the day. It feeds partly on grass or crops like geese, 

 parti}' on mollusca and Crustacea ; it swims well, but is not often 

 seen on the water. The story that is told of its eating carrion is 

 very improbable, but it may visit carcases in order to feed on 

 insects. Occasionally the pairs collect into flocks, but this is 

 exceptional. Birds may often be seen about tanks or marshes, 

 but rivers are their regular haunt, by day or night, and it is diffi- 

 cult, so long as one is on an Indian river, *to get out of sight of 

 these birds or out of hearing of their peculiar clanging bisyllabie 

 call or alarm cry, which is uttered frequently on the slightest 

 excuse. The Euddy Sheldrake in Tibet breeds generally in May 

 and June at elevations of 12,000 to 16,000 feet, and makes a nest 

 in a hole, usually in a bank or cliff. The eggs are white, and 

 measure about 2'5 by 1'8. The young when hatched appear to be 

 carried to the water by their parents. 



