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ANAS PENELOPE 
Asia 
abundant in Morocco (Reid, 1885; Drake, 1867; J. I. S. Whitaker, 1905) and in Algeria (Rothschild 
and Hartert, 1912; Taczanowski, 1870; Loche, 1867; Buvry, 1857) and extends south even to the 
northern Sahara, where Tristram (1860) found it fairly common. According to Kdnig (1888), J. 1. S. 
VNTiitaker (1905) and Zedlitz (1909) it is common also in Tunis. In fact, it is said to be the common- 
est duck there, occurring in great flocks as far south as the Sahara (Millet-Horsin, 1912). In north- 
Northeast- eastern Africa it is common in the Nile delta , but becomes rare above Cairo (Shel- 
em Africa ley, 1872; Raw, 1921). Adams (1864) has recorded it for Cairo, and Nicoll (1912) found 
it on the Natron Lakes. Von Heuglin (1873) states that he found it in Nubia and on the Red Sea at 
Suakin, while A. L. Butler (1905) reports having met with it several times at Khartum, Riippell 
(1845) long since recorded it for Abyssinia, and quite recently it was found to be common in south- 
eastern Abyssinia on Lakes Harrar-Meyer and Gedda (Ogilvie-Grant, 1900). The British Museum 
possesses a specimen from Aden ! 
Turning to Asia I find the species recorded as everywhere common in Palestine (Tristram, 1884), 
exceedingly plentiful in Cyprus (Bucknill, 1911), and in Asia Minor from Smyrna 
(Strickland, 1836) and Ismid on the Sea of Marmora (G. C. Taylor, 1872) where it was 
abundant in late May! From the interior of Asia Minor I find a record of Weigold’s (1913) having 
met with a small flock at Bumbudj on the Euphrates in northern Mesopotamia. The British Museum 
possesses specimens from Babylon and Bagdad, as well as one recorded by R. B. Sharpe (1891a) from 
Fao, at the head of the Persian Gulf. Members of the British Expeditionary Force also met with a 
few in Mesopotamia (Meinertzhagen, 1914; London Field, Dec. 14, 1918). In the Caucasus the 
species winters pretty commonly at Lenkoran on the Caspian, commonly in the Parapamis, Seistan, 
Kuhistan and Kirman districts, in the Zagross and Mesopotamian regions and on the littoral of the 
Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea (Zarudny, 1911). C. Swinhoe (1882) states that it is rather rare in 
winter in southern Afghanistan, but in the north it has been recorded from Quetta (Meinertzhagen, 
1920) and Badghis by R. B. Sharpe (1889), and according to Severtzoff (Dresser, 1876) it winters 
even in southwestern Turkestan, that is, in the Buchara and Samarkand regions. Carruthers (1910) 
also states that it winters in the Zarafschan Basin. Eastward its status is not clear, but it very 
likely winters to some extent in the Himalayas of western Pamir and western Kashmir, being found 
in the mountains from the latter Province east to Bhutan (Hume and Marshall, 1879). South of 
the Himalayas in India it is variously reported as common and rare, and Baker (1908) suggests it 
is probably more common in the dry seasons. I may add that from the information available it 
seems to be commoner in the western districts and rarer in the east, being, according to Hume and 
Marshall (1879), of occasional occurrence in the Punjab and Sind, and common in Kathiawar, but 
less so in Cutch. In Guzerat, Khandesh, Berar and the western part of the Central Provinces in 
the Konkan and western part of Hyderabad it is not uncommon, as also in the Deccan and in parts 
of Mysore, but it evidently does not occur south of this. Hartlaub (1854) recorded it from Ceylon, 
but Legge (1880) makes no mention of either the record or the actual occurrence of the bird, and 
its presence in the island seems questionable. Hume and Marshall (1879) also state that they have 
been unable to establish its occurrence in the eastern parts of the Central Provinces or in Chota- 
India Nagpur, but do not doubt its occasional occurrence there. In northern India it ap- 
pears, “capriciously distributed” from the Punjab through Rajputana, the North- 
west Provinces, Behar and parts of Bengal (Hume and Marshall, 1879). It extends farther east 
than Hume and Marshall (1879) supposed likely, and is common in Cachar and Sylhet, not rare in 
Goalpara and Kamrup, and occurs throughout Assam as well as in northern Tenasserim (Baker, 
1908). Hopwood (1912) recently found a flock of forty at Kyaukpyu, Arakan; while Rippon (1901) 
states that it is not at all uncommon in the South Shan States, and H. R. Davies (1909) once saw a flock 
of one hundred on the Chuching River in Yunnan. Eastward it is common in southern 
China (R. Swinhoe, 1860; David and Oustalet, 1877) but very likely does not winter 
much north of Yangtse-kiang basin. It has been recorded from northern Hainan (Hartert, 1910), 
China 
