558 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XL 



States to Mexico) and then from Venezuela and Peru to the Argentine 

 Republic, Africa South of the Sahara, and Madagascar." 



Capt. Shelley reports (Ibis, Vol. VI, No. 21, p. 28) four birds from 

 Lake Shirwa in Nyasaland, mentioning that it is the first instance he 

 knew of in which the birds had been found so far south. 



The distribution of this duck is the more remarkable when we con- 

 sider that it is not a migratory bird, or at till events only so in a partial 

 manner, as influenced by the want of water, etc. Thus it is a resident 

 inhabitant of various tracts of country, large in themselves, but very 

 widely separated from one another, yet never, as far as is known, occurs 

 in the intervening parts, 



Unlike I), javanica this bird is usually found in rather small flocks ; 

 even in Jessore and Kulna, where it is perhaps more abundant than in 

 any other portion of its range, I seldom noticed it in flocks of much over 

 twenty, and never, I think, over forty. Generally there were some 

 dozen or fifteen members to each flock. Of course, in some bheels and 

 lakes where they are especially numerous, several small flocks may 

 be seen feeding together, forming a total of 100 birds or more, but 

 on being disturbed it will be found that as a rule they, though rising 

 en masse, soon divide again into parties. 



They are wilder birds than their smaller cousins, and also .stronger 

 and quicker on the wing; indeed, when once well started they are no 

 mean fliers, and require a straight gun to knock them over. One can- 

 not well describe the difference in the voice of the two Whistling Teals; 

 but it is recognizable, and I think consists in the bigger bird having a 

 shriller whistle than the other, though it is not such a noisy bird. I 

 doubt if they perch as much as D. javanica does ; the latter bird often 

 takes to trees in the day-time without any apparent purpose except to 

 rest, but D.fulva does not seem to do this. Of course both birds, when 

 perching, choose large boughs and branches, as they have no great 

 grasping power and could not retain their hold on small ones, especially 

 if there was any wind to sway them about. As Hume remarks, this 

 Whistling Teal is far more often seen on land than is the smaller species, 

 and he also notes their goose-like gait. Their legs are, as we all know, 

 set forward much as are those of geese, and in consequence they 

 naturally walk freely and well as do those birds. I have noticed them 

 resting during the heat of the day on the spits of grass- covered land 



