﻿4'jO 
  the 
  zoologist. 
  

  

  damaged 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  by 
  Pintails 
  (Dajila 
  acuta), 
  which 
  came 
  

   at 
  night 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  it. 
  These 
  Duck, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  Gadwall, 
  

   were 
  very 
  common 
  that 
  year 
  (1897). 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  often 
  been 
  explained 
  before 
  how 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  Bengal 
  

   snare 
  Duck, 
  but 
  this 
  method 
  will 
  bear 
  one 
  more 
  repetition. 
  In 
  

   the 
  middle 
  of 
  a 
  big 
  sheet 
  of 
  water 
  nets 
  are 
  fixed 
  between 
  two 
  

   poles, 
  and 
  allowed 
  to 
  hang 
  rather 
  loosely. 
  On 
  dark 
  nights 
  the 
  

   Duck, 
  flying 
  low 
  over 
  the 
  water, 
  go 
  right 
  into 
  the 
  nets, 
  and 
  get 
  

   entangled 
  ; 
  thus 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  morning, 
  and 
  taken 
  

   away 
  to 
  be 
  sold 
  in 
  the 
  bazaars. 
  Another 
  very 
  ingenious 
  way 
  the 
  

   fowlers 
  have 
  of 
  catching 
  them 
  is 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  birdlime, 
  but 
  this 
  

   can 
  only 
  be 
  done 
  when 
  the 
  Duck 
  are 
  feeding 
  near 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  

   water. 
  The 
  fowler 
  first 
  of 
  all 
  provides 
  himself 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  

   screen 
  made 
  of 
  leaves 
  and 
  grass. 
  This 
  he 
  carries 
  in 
  one 
  hand 
  ; 
  

   in 
  the 
  other 
  he 
  has 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  bamboos 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  jointed 
  

   together 
  like 
  a 
  fishing-rod, 
  the 
  last 
  joint 
  being 
  very 
  thin 
  and 
  

   forked 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  ; 
  this 
  being 
  smeared 
  with 
  birdlime. 
  Hiding 
  

   himself 
  behind 
  the 
  screen, 
  he 
  crawls 
  to 
  the 
  water's 
  edge, 
  and 
  

   one 
  by 
  one 
  very 
  cautiously 
  joints 
  the 
  pieces 
  of 
  rod 
  together, 
  

   gradually 
  pushing 
  them 
  all 
  the 
  time 
  near 
  to 
  the 
  flock 
  of 
  Duck. 
  

   When 
  he 
  thinks 
  he 
  has 
  got 
  near 
  enough 
  he 
  gives 
  the 
  rod 
  a 
  sharp 
  

   twist, 
  and 
  the 
  sticky 
  limed 
  ends 
  catch 
  in 
  the 
  bird's 
  plumage. 
  

   He 
  then 
  drags 
  the 
  bird 
  to 
  him, 
  and 
  slips 
  it 
  into 
  a 
  closed 
  basket 
  

   slung 
  at 
  his 
  side. 
  It 
  is 
  surprising 
  how 
  little 
  notice 
  the 
  other 
  

   Ducks 
  take 
  of 
  this 
  proceeding, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  a 
  clever 
  fowler 
  

   catch 
  several 
  one 
  after 
  the 
  other 
  before 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  flock 
  were 
  

   aware 
  of 
  what 
  was 
  taking 
  place. 
  Even 
  birds 
  as 
  wary 
  as 
  Grebes 
  

   and 
  Herons 
  are 
  caught 
  this 
  way. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  migratory 
  Ducks 
  arrive 
  in 
  India 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   October, 
  though 
  I 
  have 
  notes 
  of 
  very 
  early 
  arrivals. 
  I 
  once 
  saw 
  

   in 
  Bengal 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  Gadwall 
  on 
  Aug. 
  20th, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  shot 
  

   Garganeys 
  in 
  July. 
  This 
  looks 
  very 
  like 
  as 
  if 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  

   remain 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  India, 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  certain 
  they 
  do 
  so 
  at 
  times. 
  

   When 
  we 
  consider 
  the 
  vast 
  country 
  we 
  have 
  to 
  deal 
  with, 
  it 
  is 
  

   not 
  surprising 
  that 
  nests 
  are 
  overlooked 
  even 
  by 
  the 
  most 
  careful 
  

   observers 
  ; 
  otherwise, 
  how 
  can 
  one 
  account 
  for 
  quite 
  young 
  birds 
  

   (especially 
  Garganeys) 
  that 
  are 
  shot 
  in 
  summer, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   reason 
  why 
  some 
  should 
  not 
  breed 
  in 
  localities 
  especially 
  suited 
  

   to 
  their 
  habits. 
  

  

  