INDIAN DUCKS AND THEIR ALLIES. ', 663 



had come to a place where it widened out and then divided into two 

 branches. Here there was a small sandy ohur (bank) and on this I saw 

 six ducks, but what they were I was still too far off to determine. Four 

 of the ducks were close together, two a little apart, but all six appeared 

 to me to be exactly identical in size and colouration. Selecting the two 

 birds which were the nearer to me, I fired both barrels at them, upon 

 which all six birds rose and flew ahead. I was certain, however, that 

 my shots had told, nor was I wrong, for one bird, after flying some 

 forty yards dropped into the water. Picking the bird up I at once 

 recognized that it was something new to me, but at the same time had 

 no idea of the value of what I had got. Consequently, although 1 

 repeatedly flushed the pair to this bird, I made no attempt to shoot it, 

 even though it got up well within range and gave me easy shots. 



The birds when first flushed flew away strong and low, but the 

 single bird which I afterwards put up reminded me of the stupid 

 performance of the Little Green Bittern {Butoroides javanica) in the 

 way it flew from the bank and across and down stream, only instead of 

 selecting a small tree to perch on, he always managed to drop into the 

 long elephant grass which, with other jungle, bordered the stream. 



We found the flesh of this bird very coarse, a fact which saved the 

 pair on several occasions afterwards when I saw it. Afterwards, when 

 I learnt the value of my acquisition, I of course never again saw it." 



This is the only occasion on which the Mandarin has actually been 

 obtained in India beyond all doubt. I was, however, onoe told by a 

 sportsman that he had shot a Marbled Teal in Assam, and when asked to 

 describe it, he gave a very minute and accurate description of the female 

 Mandarin. This bird had l)een shot by him near Margherita, in the 

 Dibruoarh district of Assam, the same district as that in which Mr. 

 Stevens shot his bird. 



Again, Mr. Gruning, I.C.S., and myself saw six birds on the River 

 Ranganadi, which I am sure were of this species. We were going along 

 in a small launch and the birds flew across us so close that we could see 

 their silver grey heads and the clear white speculum ; unfortunately we 

 had no guns ready and the birds flew straight away. Their flight was 

 very strong and quick, much like that of Nettion erecca (The Common 

 Teal) but less swift than that of that bird. 



This splendid little duck is one far better known in a captive than 

 in a wild state. Long ago Latham wrote ; " We do not find it i^ear so 

 4 » 



