856 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



No. XIV.— DUCKS IN OKHAMANDAL. 



The Okhamandal District is a small strip of outlying territory 

 containing the holy city of Dwarka and belonging to the Baroda State, 

 situated on the Kathiawar Coast immediately South of the Runn of Cutch. 

 It is less than 40 miles in length and nowhere extends more than 12 

 miles inland. The following list of ducks shot in this area by a single gun 

 during the past cold weather (November 1909 to March 1910 inclusive) 

 may be of interest as recording approximately the proportionate abundance 

 of the different species in Western Kathiawar :— 



Total 303 head. 



Perhaps the most interesting item on this list is the Mallard, regarding 

 which it is stated in " Indian Ducks and their Allies" that South of the 

 Punjab and Oudh " it is decidedly rare. It has been shot occasionally in 

 Rajputana, and also in the Central Provinces and in Bombay." It has 

 certainly not been rare this season in this district, occurring, though in 

 small numbers, in any suitable place. The Red-Crested Pochard is not 

 included in the above list, as I did not shoot any, but once saw a little 

 party of half-a-dozen of this species. 



One piece of flooded land about a mile long and half-a-mile broad held, 

 in March, from 150 to 200 Shovellers. They were scattered in small flocks 

 but the total number struck me as an unusually large one to find of this 

 species in a single place. The shoveller seems in no hurry to depart and 

 undertake family responsibilities ; only to-day (1st May) I counted 14 on a 

 small tank. Other belated birds were a dozen common Teal and five or 

 six tufted Pochards on the 17th April. 



I do not think there were fewer Pintail than Gadwall in the district; 

 the former's well-known objection to making the acquaintance of the 

 cooking-pot accounts for the smaller proportion in the bag. 



A. H. MOSSE, Captain, S. A. 



Dwarka, 1st May 1910. 



[This note was kept back as it was intended to include it in the Small Game 

 Shooting returns for 1909-10, but owing to so few members having sent in 

 returns it is impossible to publish any information. It is hoped that members 

 will respond more freely at the completion of the present shooting season. — 



Ed?.J 



