CLAXGULA GLAUCIOX. 251 



" I may mention tliat I shot a Golden-eye about ten miles from here 

 (Sibsagar) in the cold ^veather of 1885-6. I sent the skin doAvn to 

 Calcutta, and I think they now haye it in the Indian Museum/' 



The riyers mentioned by Mr. Morton Eden in the earlier part of his 

 notes are in the Sadiya sub-diyision of Lakhimpur, and are practically 

 hill-rivers of rapid-running clear water. They are of considerable size, 

 eyen -where they just debouch from the mountains, and are the haunts of 

 Golden-eyes, Mergansers, Ibis-bill, and probably many other rare water- 

 birds. 



I have, since Mr. Morton Eden sent me his notes, seen the Golden-eye 

 on several of the hill-streams in the same district. Upon the Subansiri, a 

 magnificent stream of deep still pools and madly- running rapids, I saw this 

 little duck nearly every time I visited it in the cold-weather months, and 

 what I saw fully agreed with his remarks. Only on one occasion did I get 

 really near to it, and this was once when I was stalking a bull buffalo. 

 The ImflPalo had crossed a back-water and was standing on a far bank, and 

 I approached the edge of the water on my side with the greatest caution, 

 and halted behind a bush growing almost in it, in order to reconnoitre. 

 The buffalo went off before I could get a shot, but I was rewarded for my 

 care in seeing six Golden-eye playing about in the water within ten yards 

 of me. They were chasing one another about in every direction, and 

 scattering the shallow water in clouds about them. It was not deep 

 enough to admit of long dives, and the birds principally got about by 

 skittering along, half swimming, half flying along the surface of it. Every 

 now and then two birds would stop and begin bowing and bobbing to one 

 another ; this would continue for a minute or two, and then away they 

 would go and join in the rough-and-tumble games of the other birds. In 

 the course of their chases of one another they would sometimes come 

 within a yard or two of where I was hiding, but it was not until I had 

 watched them for a good half-hour that one of them saw me, and was on 

 the wing at once with a loud squawk, at once repeated by the other l)irds 

 as they followed suit. This was the only loud noise they made, though 

 they made a very faint sound, half chattering, half quacking, as they 

 played together. 



I also shot a female Golden-eye at the Hinjri bheel in North Lakhimj)ur, 

 on the 18th December, 1901. This bird was in company with a flock of 

 Gadwall, and I saw no others either on this or on any of the adjoining 

 bheels. It flew well with the Gadwall, Init looked conspicuously smaller, 

 and when I fired I thought it was merely a White-eyed Pochard. 



