i;68 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL IILST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIV. 



No. XVIII.— BREEDING OF THE MARBLED TEAL {MARMA- 



RONBTTA ANGUSTIROSTRIS) AND OTHER BIRDS 



AT SONMEANI, BALUCHISTAN. 



Sonmeani is a coastal village of some importance about 50 miles from 

 Karachi in the State of Las Beyla, Baluchistan. About the middle of May 

 I sent my collector there prospecting for eggs, and on his return he in- 

 formed me that he had seen appreciable numbers of Marbled Teal, as well 

 iis Shovellers and Garganeys, on a large jheel several miles in extent, in the 

 vicinity of the village. He was also informed by the local people that a 

 certain number of duck year after year hatched out their broods on the 

 jheel. I sent hiai back to investigate matters and on his return on the 

 20th June, he brought me back eggs which from his description of the bird, 

 coupled with the colouration, texture and size of the eggs I took to be 

 those of the Marbled Teal. 



To make sure, he was sent out once again to shoot a specimen for identi- 

 fication. He did better than this and brought in a pair of young Marbled 

 Teal alive, which have been presented to the Karachi Zoo. 



Two nests were found by him on the 14th June on his second visit, one 

 with a clutch of 12 (incubated), the other with a clutch of 9 (^unincubated). 

 The nests were found on an island in the aniddle of the jheel, and were 

 constructed within a thick tussock of grass completely shrouded from view. 

 A grass tunnel track betrayed the mode of entry. The female when dis- 

 turbed performed the broken wing trick. 



My collector told me that he was informed that eggs of this bird were 

 found annually and that when fresh they were generally taken and eaten. 

 On his third visit he found several other nests containing broken egg shells, 

 the young having hatched out. 



He volunteered the remark that at least a dozen broods must have been 

 hatched out on this jheel. 



I give this account in some detail, because as far as I am aware the 

 records of this bird breeding anywhere near Indian limits have only been 

 reported twice, viz. : — 



(i) Blanford records Captain Butler as having obtained eggs at first 

 believed to be those of the Garganey, but subsequently referred 

 to this species at Ormara on the Baluchistan Coast. 

 (ii) Mr. Aitken in the summer of 1913 records a brood of 14 ducklings 

 of this species on the Khusdilkhan Lake near Quetta. 



The Shovellers and Garganeys seen by my collector on his first visit were 

 not seen subsequently. 



Altogether Sonmeani appears to be a very interesting spot, as besides 

 the eggs of the above species, the following were also brought in : — 



Black Winged Stilt [Himantoijus candidus) — Eggs t^ken May 20th. 



Great Stone Plover {Esacus recurvirostris) — Eggs taken 12th June. 



Caspian Tern {Hydroproc/ne caspia). 



Gull-billed Tern {Sterna anglica) . 



Black Shafted Ternlet [Sterna saundersi). 



Colonies of H. caspia and S. anylica were found breeding on a saltish 

 maidan on June 13th. The nests were a mixture of earth and dry grass 

 slightly raised above the general surface of the ground. Specimens of all 

 these terns were shot and brought in for idtntihcation. 



Spoonbill {Platalea leucorodea) 1 egg only obtained on the 8th July. 

 According to Blanford this is very early. 



White Ibis {Ibis vielanocephala) — Eggs taken 8th July. 



It is almost certain that either the large Indian Pratincole {Glareola 

 orientalis) or the Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola), or both also breed 

 at Sonmeani as my man saw them there at the end of May. He was unaware 



