556 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol XI. 



15. Dendeocycna fulva. 

 The Greater Whistling Teal. 

 Dendrocygna major. Jerdon, " Birds of India," III, p. 790 ; 

 Hume, " Nests and Eggs," p. 640 ; id, " Str. Feath.," Ill, p. 193. 



Dendrocygna fulva. Hume and Davis, " Str. Feath.," VI, p. 488 ; 

 Hume, "Str. Feath.," VII, p. 463; VIII, p. 115 ; Legge, *' Birds of 

 Ceylon," p. 1069; Hume and Marshall, " Game Birds," III, p. 119; 

 Hume, Cat., No. 953 ; Parker, " Str. Feath.," IX, p. 487 ; Oates, ibid, 

 X, p. 245 ; id., " Birds of British Burmah," II, p. 274; Barnes, " Birds 

 of Bombay," p. 399; Hume, " Nests and Eggs" (Oates' ed.), Ill, p. 286. 

 Dendrocycna fulva. Salvadori, " Cat., B. of B. Museum," XXVII, 

 p. 151. 



Description of Adult. — " Head, neck, and lower parts deep reddish- 

 ochraceous, passing into cinnamon on the flanks, where the longer 

 feathers have a broad mesial stripe of pale ochraceous ; crown ferrugi- 

 nous ; nape with a distinct brown-black stripe, commencing at the 

 occiput ; middle of the neck whitish, minutely streaked with dusky on 

 the edges of the feathers ; prevailing colour above brownish-black, the 

 dorsal and scapular feathers broadly edged with cinnamon colour, giving 

 a barred appearance ; lesser wing coverts chestnut ; upper and under 

 tail coverts buffy-white : quills and tail dark brown" (Salvadori). 



The bill varies from dusky black, black on the terminal third and 

 slatey at the base to dusky throughout, merely tipped black, and much 

 shaded with bluish-lead colour at the base and basal half. In the same 

 way the legs and feet vary from quite a pale, dusky plumbeous more or 

 less of a blue tint to almost black. According to Monill the legs are 

 brioht slatey-blue, but personally I have seen no Indian birds with 

 brightly tinted legs. Claws black ; the irides are light to dark brown. 

 " Length, 18-20 inches ; wing, 8'10-8-90" ; tail, 2*2" ; culmen, 

 1-66-1 -95"; tarsus, 2'10-2'4"; middle toe, 2'30-2'8 inches" (Salvadori). 

 Jerdon gives the length as 21 inches and wing 9| inches. The 

 largest 1 have seen had the wing 9*20 inches, which is practically the 

 same. 



The female. — Only differs from the male in being slightly smaller ; 

 length, 17-19 inches; wing, 7'85-8'25 inches. A female obtained by 

 Capt. Shelley from Nyasaland measured, wing 9'1 inches, tarsus 2"1", and 

 culmen 2*2 inches. This gives a larger bird, with proportionately even 



