GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. 493 



Now except in Goruckpoor aud Bustee, it occurs nowhere 

 to the best of my belief in Northern India, i.e., in the North-West 

 Provinces, Central Provinces, Punjaub, Rajpootana, Sindh, 

 Central India or Bombay. In Oudh, as in Goruckpoor and 

 Bustee, it appears, but apparently only as a rather uncommon 

 migrant. In the southern part of the Purneah district it 

 appears at one season of the year in small numbers. No one 

 that I can meet with knows where it is common or has taken its 

 eggs. I have enquired about the Howrah, Jessore, Dacca, 

 Furreedpoor, Sylhet districts. The same story everywhere, 

 " nowhere common," " very scarce here," &c. 



Can any one help me to the home of this species ? It appears 

 to be unknown in Tenasserim aud scarce in Upper Burma, and 

 either absolutely wanting or uncommon in every part of India. 

 It does not extend to China or, so far as I know, Central Asia or 

 Siberia. It is migratory in an eminent degree, but its migra- 

 tions are confined apparently within the limits of the Empire, 

 and I may say the eastern half of the Empire. I have it from 

 the Pulicat lake and from near Lucknow, but I don't think it 

 goes much west of the 80° E. Long. 



961. — Chaulelasmus streperus, Lin. 



962. — Dafila acuta, Lin. 



967. — Fuligula rufina, Pall. 



969. — Fuligula nyroca, Giild. 



These are the commonest Ducks in the market, and though a 

 less number of each of them may come in taking the lohole year 

 round than of Dendrocygna javanica, they all outnumber this 

 during the cold season. It must have been a bad night, indeed, 

 in which half a dozen of each have not been brought to bag, 

 and when the moon is about full, ten times this number of each 

 maybe seen in the morning market. Probably about twice as 

 many nyroca come in as of streperus, and three times as mauy as 

 of rujina or acuta. 



961 Us.— Chaulelasmus angustirostris, Menetr. 



On the 19th December, what should I hit upon in a batch 

 of Teal, just coming in from a swamp some 22 miles south- 

 west of Calcutta, but a fine male of Querquedula angustiros- 

 tris, the Marbled Duck ! 



This upsets one's ideas altogether about distribution. Up to 

 1872 it was not known to occur eastwards of Egypt and the 

 Mediterranean littoral. In that year I discovered it in Sindh 

 and announced its occurrence there. Later in 1863 I heard of 

 its being found in Northern Guzerat. 



