1G6 INDIAN DUCKS. 



fliolit. As this is not (luitc likely, it is probaMc that though uc) hir.is 

 were seen before the date mentioned, yet many niii-t lune an-ived in 

 late May ; and when we look at the dates they arrive elsewhere, this is 

 the most probaljle .solution. 



In the Amur thev arrive and breed very much earlier. The oidy 

 Ggg of this (luck in my collection is one of many I owe to the generosity 

 of Herr M. Kuschel, of Brcslau, who has given me one bearing the date 

 28th April, 1805. The early date of this egg supports the idea that they 

 must breed earlier than in June in Northern Siberia also. 



The egg is a typical Teal's og^i;, the texture very smooth and fine, but 

 without any gloss; the shape oval, with one end decidedly smaller than 

 the other, though ol)tuse ; the colour is a very pale, creamy cafe-au-Jait. 1 n 

 size it is 2 inches long by l'?u bi'oad, which makes it a rather longer, yet 

 at the same time a rather narrower, egg than those hitherto described. 



Taczanowski thus describes u clutch of eggs sent him from Darasan, 

 where they breed in numbers, by Dybowski : — "• They are somewhat larger 

 than those of the Gargauey ; their colour is a pale gre}ash-green, very like 

 that of the eggs of the Mallard. They vaiy from al)Out 1"8 to I'D inches 

 in length, and from about 1*3 to 1"4 in breadth." 



