AFRICAN RED-BILLED DUCK 
355 
district, Congo Free State, but it was nowhere eommon. It has seldom been recorded from northern 
Rhodesia (Stoehr and Sclater, 1906) but it was found in southern Rhodesia on the Congo 
Ramaqueban River in March and November (F. Oates, 1881), and it is said to be 
fairly common about Salisbury in Mashonaland (G. A. K. Marshall, 1900). Farther 
west it was found on the upper Zambesi (Holub and von Pelzeln, 1882) and in Bechuanaland at 
Nocana in July (Fleck, 1894), and on the Botletle River (Bryden, 1893). 
Eastward from Rhodesia this duck has been repeatedly recorded from the Nyassa region, from 
Karonga (Shelley, 1898), Luvonde (Shelley, 1896-1912), Lake Shirwa (Shelley, 1894), from Zomba 
(B. Alexander, 1900) and from the upper Shire River (Hartert, 1898). In Mozambique j^y^gg^ 
it has been found in Gazaland (Swynnerton, 1908) and in the Beira and Inhambane 
districts (W. L. Sclater, 1912a). 
In the Transvaal it was found by Holub and von Pelzeln (1882) on the Limpopo River. T. Ayres 
(1880) met with it about Potchefstroom in June and March, and GUfillan (fide Stark and Sclater, 
1906) met with it at Boksburg and Krugersdorp. W. L. Sclater (1912a) has recorded it 'pj.^gyg^^ 
from the southeastern Transvaal. In the Orange River Colony it was found at 
Vredefort Road by B. Hamilton, and according to Miurray it is a very common bird in Basutoland 
(Stark and Sclater, 1906). S. R. Clarke (1904) met with it only occasionally near Bloemfontein. 
E. A. Butler, Feilden and Reid (1882) found this species in the Newcastle district of Natal. Gordge 
met with it near Durban and Fitzsimmons near Maritzburg (Stark and Sclater, 1906), while W. L. 
Sclater (1912a) has recorded it from Zululand. It is a fairly common bird and breeds 
in East Griqualand (C. G. Davies, 1908; Horsbrugh, 1912). 
It is one of the commonest ducks in Cape Colony and is generally distributed. The records are as 
follows: Pondoland (Shortridge, 1904), Kin g William’s Towm (Trevelyan, fide Stark and Sclater, 
1906), Grahamstown (British Museum), Port Elizabeth, common (Brown, Stark Cape 
and Sclater, 1906), Aliwal North (C. H. T. Whitehead, 1903), Fraserburg Division Colony 
(Burchell, 1822-24), Cape Division (South African Museum), TJpington (Bradshaw, _/ide Stark and 
Sclater, 1906). In Bechuanaland it was foimd by Burchell (1822-24) near Kurnman, and by Bryden 
(1893) in the Mafeking Division. 
Andersson (1872) describes it as the commonest duck and breeding in Damaraland, and Fleck 
(1894) found it there at Rehoboth, Aris, Nosob and in the northern parts. It is equally co mm on on 
the coasts of Mossamedes and on the Rio Coroca, but is not foimd north of Benguela Damara- 
(Barboza de Bocage, 1877-81). land 
In Madagascar it is a fairly common bird, especially on the east coast; the area of least abundance 
is probably the northwest coast (Roch and Newton, 1863; Hartlaub, 1877; Milne- Mada- 
Edwards and Grandidier, 1876-81; Sibree, 1892; U.S. National Museum; etc.). gascar 
GENERAL HABITS 
This species, which has usually been placed with the genus Paecilonitta (Bahama 
Ducks), is certainly out of place there, for it is nothing like the Bahama Ducks or 
Pintails in appearance or habits, and its young have been shown to be quite distinct. 
Blaauw (1919) rightly remarks that its affinities are rather with the Teals. It prob- 
ably has something in common with the Cape Teal. 
There is nothing noteworthy about the type of country it inhabits. It is not a 
coastal bird but is fond of swamps and rushy pools, and is partial to small bodies of 
water surroimded by rushes (Scirpus) and the inlets of larger lakes. I have run 
across but one instance of its being seen on salt water. 
