AND NORTHERN GUZERAT. 19 
[Oceurs throughout the whole region, but is comparatively 
rare in Jodhpoor, Thurr, and Pakur and Cutch. I once, 
towards the end of April, saw a flock of fully one hundred 
in a small village pond, a mere puddle, below one of the bun- 
galows between Deesa and Ahmedabad, and shot ten or twelve 
with a single barrel. They were perfectly tame. In Upper 
India they are very much rarer than in this part of the 
country, very wild, and only seen on the banks of rivers or 
large pieces of water.—A. O. H.] 
900.—Metopodius indicus, Lath. 
The Bronze-winged Jacana is not common as a rule, but I 
found it plentiful in one or two of the tanks N. E. of Langraij 
between Ahmedabad and Deesa. It only occurs in tanks 
overgrown with dense rushes, lotus leaves, weeds, &c. It is 
not an easy bird to procure, as it runs out upon the top of the 
masses of floating weeds into the middle of the tank when 
pursued until out of gunshot, and then either dives or hides 
amongst the rushes, from which it is not easily flushed. 
I tried driving them, but unless you can creep into a 
“ ougour”’ unobserved, and unless you are completely hidden 
behind a good screen, this method of getting a shot is of no 
use as they have a very quick eye and stop when running 
towards you at about every yard to look and listen, and if 
once they catch sight of you they invariably take wing and 
fly back towards the beaters, or dive to re-appear no more 
until you and your beaters have left the tank. Even when you 
do knock one over, unless it falls stone dead, it will dive the mo- 
ment it touches the water, and you will not see it again, so that 
when a chance does occur you cannot be too careful in 
taking a steady shot if you want to recover your bird. Out 
of five I knocked down in one afternoon, four dived the 
instant they reached the water,-and consequently I only 
procured one. 
In habits and actions it closely resembles the Rails, and when 
on the wing flies like a Coot with its long legs stretched out 
behind it. 
[This species does not belong at all to the region with which 
we are dealing. Jerdon indeed says that it is found throughout 
India, but this is a mistake. It does not occur, to the best of 
my belief, in Sindh, Cutch, Kattiawar or Jodhpoor, or indeed 
in any part of Rajpootana, or in the Punjaub, or in the greater 
portion of the N. W. Provinces. In these latter I only know 
of it, about Jhansi and Lullutpoor, and other places south of 
the Jumna, in districts east of the confluence of this river and 
the Ganges, and in the Sub-Himalayan Terais.—A. O. H.] 
