130 INDIAN DUCKS. 



found TO Ijreeil on swamps about the foot of these mountains; hut I can 

 find no record of their fver liaving done so. 



As far as we know, Kashmir is the breeding-place par excellence of 

 our Indian Malhirds ; here they are found in such great numbers that 

 their eggs form a veritable article of commerce, boatloads at a time being 

 collected on the >hore- of those lakes which tlu-y principally affect for 

 breeding-purposes. 



The nest is a massive affair, compose<l of all and any materials, but 

 principally of grasses, rushes, reeds, and >iinilar articles. 



The lining of feathers and down varies very much. I have seen a nest 

 into which one could plunge a hand to the wrist into down and feathers ; 

 and. aiiain. I have seen others which had not a handful of these in the 

 whole nest. 



The normal position of the nest is on the ground in thick cover : often 

 it is placed in amongst the dense sedges, reeds, and bushes growing at the 

 edge of the water ; but at other times it is placed at some distance from 

 the water, and at other times, again, absolutely in tlie water itself, amongst 

 some thick cluster o£ reeds or other aquatic }jlants. 



The nest is not always, however, placed on the ground. Here in India 

 the natives say that they sometimes find the eggs in nests on trees ; but 

 there seems to be no authentic record of one ever having been so found. 

 In England there are numerous records of such nests, and two have come 

 within my own personal experience. One of these was a huge construction 

 of grass and reeds placed in the head of a polled willow. There was a 

 deep indentation where the nest was placed, and thf masses of twigs, then 

 in thick foliage, quite concealed the nest from anyone on the ground. 

 The duck w^as, however, seen going in, and the nest spotted in consequence. 

 It contained eight eggs, which were, I believe, all hatched and the 

 ducklings reared in safetv. 



The second nest was quite different. A huge tree (1 forget now what 

 it wasj, which divided into three quite close to the ground, threw out great 

 horizontal limbs over a piece of water which lay still and dark and very 

 deep beneath the shade of this and that of many other trees equally big 

 and densely foliaged. At the end of one of these boughs, and in a most 

 perilous position, on a few small twigs and branches, was the deserted nest 

 of a Magpie. Although knocked out of shape, it still formed a strong 

 platform of sticks and twigs, on which the duck placed a little down and a 

 few feathers and laid her eggs. My brothers and I were small boys at the 

 time, and, of course, with the usual curiosity of small boys, paid constant 



