WILD DUCKS AND TEAL 



presence of man if systematically protected from 

 all interference. I well remember how tame were 

 the barred-headed geese which frequented the tank 

 which occupies the centre of the Civil Station of 

 Sibsaugor, in Assam. A public road ran all round 

 the tank, and along the former were the Europeans' 

 houses and the official buildings. The geese were 

 perfectly at home, were never molested while on 

 the tank, and would approach its edge quite 

 fearlessly, regardless of passers-by. But this tame- 

 ness lasted only so long as the birds were in their 

 sanctuary, viz., the said tank. When met with 

 elsewhere on their feeding grounds, they were as 

 hard to approach as are any other wild geese. 



WILD DUCKS AND TEAL 



Out of the many species of wild ducks and teal 

 which are found in India, a few only merit special 

 notice. 



The mallard (Anas boscas) is almost entirely 

 restricted to the far north, and is but very occasion- 

 ally found elsewhere. 



The ruddy sheldrake, or Brahminy duck 

 (Casarea rutila) is a very handsome bird, but is 

 not at all good upon the table. I have shot this 

 species in Assam and Sylhet, where it was common, 

 but I have never seen it, as far as I remember, 

 in Southern India. 



The grey or spotted-bill duck (Anas pozciloryncha) 

 is a splendid bird, which even Lucullus would have 

 welcomed as an addition to his bill of fare. Most 



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