186 WATER-BIRDS 



Of these numerous ducks and geese, perhaps the whistling 

 teal is the most common, not only in this province, but also in 

 other marshy regions. In the western part of Imerina the 

 Tsiriry, as it is called, may be seen in flocks of five hundred 

 together, so that a certain district probably gets its name of 

 " Be (many) tsiriry " from their numbers. At evening this 

 bird and a tree duck (Tahld) settle down in such numbers 

 along the shore of the lake that one cannot walk by the water- 

 side, for the ground is black with them. The tsiriry builds its 

 nest on hillocks among the grass, and the young birds are 

 taken to the water as soon as hatched. Another bird, the 

 humped duck (Ardsy), lays its eggs in the crevices of rocks. 

 Many of the native names of these wild fowl are imitative of 

 their screaming cry ; others are descriptive, as " white- wings," 

 " handsome-bird," " white-eyes," " many-shields," etc. Besides 

 the above-mentioned birds, there are also coots, water-hens, 

 herons, ibises, grebes, snipes and curlews in the lake and the 

 marshes. Of the white-backed duck (Tafiotrd) the natives 

 say that the female bird experiences some difficulty in the 

 laying of her eggs, which are very large in proportion to the 

 size of her body ; this is said to make her faint and become 

 unconscious, so that she may be taken off her nest with the 

 hand. On account this of peculiarity, the duck is jady, or 

 tabooed, by the native women, who think that they would 

 experience a similar difficulty in child-birth were they to eat 

 the bird. 



From the abundance of water-birds in this province, the 

 keeping of ducks and geese is an important occupation of the 

 Sihanaka. Geese are greatly esteemed, and alive or killed 

 are always presented as a mark of respect to strangers. On 

 account of their abundance, goose quills for pens, as well as 

 chillies and fine long mats, formed the tribute formerly paid by 

 the people to the queen at Antananarivo. Guinea-fowls are also 

 plentiful and are found in flocks of from twenty to thirty 

 together, but chiefly in unfrequented places. 



After about two hours and a half's journey we arrived at 

 Ambohitromby, a large village of nearly a hundred houses, 

 situated on a rounded hill which rose like an island from the 

 plain. We were formally received by an old man in a red 

 lamba, the chief of the village, in the presence of a large number 



