254 Capt. H, J. Walton on the 



a good many apparently spent the whole winter there, as 

 they were constantly seen by onr Mounted Infantry patrols 

 in February. The Geese breed on these and many other 

 lakes, according to Tibetan accounts, but I had no oppor- 

 tunity of seeing their nests. There were some eggs for sale 

 in the Lhasa bazaar, which probably belonged to this species. 

 When we arrived at Gyantse, in April, there were very large 

 numbers of Geese there and they were so tame that we shot 

 a good many. They had all left the Gyantse plain by the 

 middle of May. 



117. Casarca rutila. 



Casarcarutila (Pall.) ; Blanf., Faun. Brit. Iud., Birds, iv. 

 p. 428; Sharpe, Sci. Result. Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 128; 

 Berez. & Bianchi, Aves Exped. Potan. Gan-su, p. 6. 



a. ? sex. Khamba Jong, 15,200 feet, Sept. 1903. 



No. 1897. $ adult. Tuna, 15,000 feet, March 3, 1904. 



A very common resident and breeding species. I saw 

 Ruddy Sheldrakes all through the winter, but their numbers 

 were much increased in the spring. There were very many 

 pairs of these birds along the road from Tuna to Gyantse, 

 and at Gyantse itself they swarmed. They bred in the 

 holes in the river-banks or in the ditches between the 

 fields ; the young were hatched by the end of May. Both 

 adults and young were surprisingly tame — indeed, almost 

 ludicrously so. Until they had been shot at they were ex- 

 tremely reluctant to take to flight, and would merely waddle 

 a few yards out of the way. To those who are familiar with 

 the wariness of this Duck in India, the fearlessness of the 

 Tibetan birds seems extraordinary. 



118. Anas boscas. 



Anas boscas Linn. ; Blanf., Faun. Brit. Ind., Birds, iv. 

 p. 435; Sharpe, Sci. Result. Yark. Miss., Aves, p. 130; 

 Berez. & Bianchi, Aves Exped. Potan. Gan-su, p. 6. 



The Mallard was common on the lakes and rivers at the 

 end of March and during April ; also at Lhasa in August 

 and September. Possibly a few pairs breed on the larger 

 lakes, but Tibetan accounts on this point were conflicting. 



