﻿NOTES 
  ON 
  THE 
  INDIAN 
  AN 
  AT 
  ID, 
  E. 
  449 
  

  

  Mallards, 
  the 
  sexes 
  are 
  different 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  Spot-bills 
  they 
  are 
  un- 
  

   distinguishable 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  place, 
  whereas 
  the 
  Mallards 
  

   are 
  migratory, 
  the 
  Spot-bills 
  are 
  resident, 
  and 
  I 
  agree 
  with 
  and 
  

   follow 
  Mr. 
  Oates 
  in 
  separating 
  them. 
  

  

  Now 
  I 
  am 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  nomenclature, 
  I 
  might 
  as 
  well 
  

   say 
  that 
  the 
  popular 
  names 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  Ducks 
  are 
  

   misleading. 
  We 
  have 
  " 
  Whistling 
  Teal 
  " 
  and 
  " 
  Cotton 
  Teal," 
  

   which 
  are 
  not 
  Teal 
  at 
  all, 
  and 
  I 
  should 
  suggest 
  for 
  the 
  former 
  

   the 
  name 
  Tree-Duck 
  as 
  being 
  much 
  more 
  suitable, 
  as 
  these 
  

   birds 
  (Dendrocycna 
  javanica 
  and 
  D.fulua) 
  both 
  nest 
  and 
  perch 
  

   on 
  trees. 
  As 
  for 
  the 
  Cotton 
  Teal 
  (Nettopus 
  coromandelianus) 
  , 
  it 
  

   is 
  difficult 
  to 
  know 
  what 
  name 
  to 
  call 
  it 
  by, 
  as 
  Jerdon's 
  " 
  White- 
  

   bodied 
  Goose-Teal 
  " 
  is 
  as 
  bad, 
  and 
  quite 
  as 
  misleading 
  ; 
  so 
  the 
  

   name 
  it 
  has 
  always 
  gone 
  by 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  stand 
  for 
  the 
  present. 
  

   It 
  is 
  a 
  pretty 
  little 
  Duck, 
  and 
  quite 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  commonest 
  of 
  the 
  

   Indian 
  Anatida, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  it 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  in 
  thousands. 
  

   It 
  has 
  a 
  curious 
  cry, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  likened 
  to 
  "fix 
  bayonets." 
  

   No 
  true 
  sportsman 
  would 
  waste 
  a 
  cartridge 
  on 
  them, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  

   quite 
  unfit 
  to 
  eat. 
  Common 
  as 
  the 
  bird 
  is, 
  I 
  never 
  came 
  across 
  

   its 
  nest 
  ; 
  neither 
  did 
  any 
  of 
  my 
  numerous 
  native 
  collectors. 
  

  

  The 
  Shoveler 
  (Spatula 
  clypeata) 
  is 
  another 
  Duck 
  that 
  is 
  often 
  

   condemned 
  as 
  being 
  uneatable 
  (though 
  my 
  experience 
  was 
  exactly 
  

   the 
  reverse), 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  foul-feeder. 
  If 
  this 
  be 
  the 
  case, 
  

   then 
  nearly 
  all 
  Ducks 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  unclean 
  feeders, 
  and 
  

   therefore 
  not 
  fit 
  for 
  food 
  ; 
  the 
  Mallard 
  (Alias 
  boscas), 
  for 
  instance, 
  

   is 
  a 
  gross 
  feeder, 
  and 
  nothing 
  comes 
  amiss 
  to 
  its 
  hungry 
  maw, 
  

   and 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  pronounced 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  Duck 
  for 
  the 
  table. 
  

  

  The 
  Common 
  Teal 
  (Nettium 
  crecca) 
  occurs 
  in 
  countless 
  num- 
  

   bers, 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  only 
  being 
  outnumbered 
  by 
  " 
  Whistlers," 
  

   " 
  Cotton 
  " 
  Teal, 
  and 
  Garganeys 
  (Querquedula 
  circia). 
  I 
  hap- 
  

   pened 
  one 
  day, 
  with 
  two 
  other 
  guns, 
  to 
  be 
  on 
  the 
  look-out 
  for 
  

   something 
  to 
  shoot, 
  when 
  word 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  us 
  by 
  some 
  

   natives 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  Teal 
  were 
  feeding 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  

   creek 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  distant. 
  When 
  we 
  got 
  near 
  the 
  place 
  a 
  

   confused 
  murmur 
  of 
  sounds 
  reached 
  my 
  ears, 
  but 
  no 
  Teal 
  could 
  

   I 
  see 
  ; 
  when 
  all 
  at 
  once 
  the 
  whole 
  flock 
  rose, 
  and 
  what 
  I 
  had 
  

   taken 
  for 
  mud 
  was 
  one 
  vast 
  living 
  mass 
  of 
  Teal. 
  We 
  made 
  a 
  

   grand 
  bag 
  that 
  time. 
  

  

  One 
  year 
  when 
  I 
  was 
  in 
  Bengal 
  the 
  rice-crop 
  was 
  seriously 
  

  

  