50 WATERFOWL. 



the rising grounds surrounding these marshes, it may be 

 easily supposed that the whole district is a favourite resort 

 of waterfowl. During a tour of a fortnight round this 

 marshy country, in 1874, I w\as greatly struck with the 

 abundance and variety of bird-life found there. One day 

 especially, on a wet and drizzly morning, long lines of wild 

 ducks and other waterfowl flew over our heads and seemed 

 to fill the air, while the mnrshes and shallow expanses of 

 water swarmed with divers, teal, and black geese. Very 

 similar in its abundance of bird-life is the lake of Itasy, some 

 forty miles to the west of the capital, upon which I once spent 

 a long day in a canoe shooting waterfowl, herons, and divers. 

 And from what I have seen in ether parts of the island, 

 especially on the banks of the principal rivers on the eastern 

 coast of Madagascar, as well as from accounts given by other 

 travellers in the northern part, the whole island seems to 

 abound in this class of birds. A pretty little diving duck 

 (Hetfopus auritus), a large brown duck with exquisite blend- 

 ing of brown, fawn, and slate-coloured plumage, and a duck-like 

 widgeon with a rose-coloured beak, afford good sport. The 

 purple or Sultana waterhen is a very beautiful bird, with its 

 bluish-purple body, red patch on the head, and coral feet 

 adorned with a tuft of white feathers. A species of Jacana, 

 a bird of the waterhen family, is found in ]\Iadagascar. 

 Mounted on long legs, it has also very long feet, with which 

 it walks upon the broad flat leaves of water-lilies and other 

 plants in search of its food. One of the strangest-looking 

 birds is a grebe {Pocliceps polzelni), in which the massive legs 

 and immense broad-webbed feet seem curiously dispropor- 

 tioned to the size of the body. Species of snipe are plentiful, 

 l^ut they have a different flight from the European bird : one 

 is known as the painted snipe {Bhynchcea capensis) from its 

 beautiful markings. Guinea-fowl are tolerably abundant, and 

 also three species of quail, one {Margaroperdix striata) a 

 little smaller than the English partridge, and the smallest no 

 bigger than a sparrovv, with a flight like tliat of a landrail. 



There are several species of heron. " The sacred ibis of 

 Egypt is found in large flocks, as well as the green variety 

 of Europe. The crested ibis is peculiar to the country ; it is 



