174 LETTERS To THE EDITOR. 
found him, but brought him down with the second barrel. In 
looking for him amongst the long grass and rushes a second 
bird was flushed, which 1 winged with my second barrel, and 
bagged, but in doing so we lost the first bird that I had knocked 
over; and though we hunted for it for over half an hour we 
could not find it. Ihave no doubt but that some one of us 
most have trodden on it, and crushed it down into the mud 
which, in parts, waz nearly a foot deep, as otherwise the dogs 
would have found it. 
I think it will be interesting to you to know that on two 
occasions these birds were found in company, in 1879, there 
being three birds within a radius of 50 yards, and in 1882 two 
birds within 25 yards of each other. 
I see that Captain Baldwin says they are particularly gamey 
birds and most excellent for the table. My experience of 
them is that they are very much inferior to the Pintail in flavor, 
and the meat is coarser in texture. Hxceedingly handsome 
birds in appearance; they feel soft and flabby to the touch 
when compared with the firmness of a Pintail. 
The weight of the nemoricola bagged to-day was 7} oz. 
On rising he gave a hoarse sort of croak, as described by Captain 
Baldwin, and the same, but much louder, when picked up 
with a broken wing. The first bird to-day rose silently. 
A peculiarity of the Pintail this season is that the majority rise 
silently, and consequently many get away which otherwise 
would not do so. 
J. W. Ditmas. 
I have long had by me a collection of Birds kindly sent me 
by Mr. Chill. Amongst these I now find, a fine adult female 
Scaup, killed near Gurgaon, on the 5th of March 1881, which, 
except in having the wing rather shorter (7°75), and having 
the bill rather shorter and broader, the white on the primaries 
purer, and the grey speckling on the back rather more extended, 
does not seem to me to differ from my Hnelish specimens. 
Mr. Chill also sends a young female Scaup procured at the 
same place on the 14th March, and a fine male of the Marbled 
Teal, also shot near Gurgaon, on the 28th April 1881. Lastly, 
he sends a specimen of Coracias garrula, which he shot there 
on the 30th of May 1881.—Eb., S. F. 
