NETTAPUS COROMAND ELIAN US. 53 



but the parent bird seemed to find the carriage of its young no easy 

 matter, and flew with some difficulty, and fell into the water with some 

 force. I do not vouch for this man's story being true, but give it for what 

 it is worth, and believe it myself. 



They breed in Bengal in late June, July, and August, the end of July 

 principally. In Ceylon they are said to breed much earlier, but there, of 

 course, their weather arrangements are different, and the birds of all kinds 

 have to make their nesting-time suit accordingly. 



The eggs are true duck eggs, though more spherical than most, much 

 like those of Denth'oeygna in shape, texture, and polish. Oates calls them 

 miniatures of those of the Comb-Duck, but says they are less glossy. 



They vary in length between 1'5 and 1*8 inches, and in breadth between 

 1'17 and 1*41 inches. The averaoe of 40 eoos including: the 26 mentioned 

 in Hume^s ' Nests and Eggs,' is exactly 1*7 by 1*3 inches. 



Cripps, in blowing an egg of this bird, noticed that the drops as they 

 fell on to a pucca floor appeared phosphorescent. He could give no 

 reason for this, but the fact that they did so certainly deserved mention in 

 any article on the Cotton-Teal. 



The Cotton-Teal has often been unjustly accused of being unable to 

 progress on land. I do not know how this idea was started, but it is quite 

 without reason. Mr. Finn, of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, states that 

 his birds, which he had in captivity, walked perfectly well, and suggests 

 that the idea arose from people seeing wounded birds shuffling along. 

 I think there may be, however, another explanation. I had once a pair of 

 Cotton-Teal tame, and these birds were allowed to wander about where 

 they liked, though I had to keep one wing clijiped or they might have 

 Avandered too far and got shot. Now, under ordinary circumstances, the 

 two little Ijirds waddled about in complete comfort, though without any 

 undue speed. Under the effects of excitement, however, whether pleasur- 

 able or frightened, they attempted to hurry themselves, and at once 

 flopped about in the most ludicrous fashion, tumbling over every little 

 obstruction they met with, and appearing as if their hind-quarters were 

 going too fast for their heads and breasts to keep in front. 



