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several of their nests, some with eggs, others hatched off or taken. No Duck in Europe (let the 

 high plateaux of North America be included) has such an extensive breeding-range as the 

 Common Wild Duck." Dresser met with it at different seasons of the year in Southern Germany, 

 Styria, Croatia, the Danubian Provinces, and Turkey, in which latter country Messrs. Elwes and 

 Buckley also record it as everywhere abundant. Professor von Nordmann speaks of it as 

 " common throughout Southern Russia, only during very severe winters migrating for a short 

 time to the south from the northern provinces of the Black Sea ; in Southern Russia it is called 

 Catchka, the ordinary Russian name being merely Ootka (Duck). It occurs on the Caucasus, 

 according to Menetries commonly at Bakou, especially during the winter season, and is found 

 throughout Asia Minor and Palestine, where Canon Tristram met with it common everywhere. 

 Captain Shelley found it everywhere plentiful and generally distributed throughout Egypt and 

 Nubia; Mr. C. F. Tyrwhitt Drake records it as numerous in Tangiers and Eastern Morocco, 

 Canon Tristram, Mr. Osbert Salvin, and Major Loche as equally common in Algeria, where it is 

 also said to breed. Dr. C. Bolle found it on the Canaries, where it is rare ; Berthelot obtained 

 it on the ponds of Maspalomas, on Canada; and Mr. F. DuCane Godman met with it on the 

 Azores, on the eastern, central, and western groups, and on Madeira ; this gentleman writes that 

 " a few Wild Ducks are to be found about all the lakes throughout the islands ; however, they 

 are very shy. In Flores I saw several on the mountain-lakes and about the marsh, where they 

 breed. In winter they say that several other kinds of Ducks occur ; but I only saw this species, 

 Anas crecca, and (Edemia nigra." 



To the eastward the Mallard is met with in many parts of Asia. Mr. Keith Abbott 

 obtained it in Trebizond, where, he states, it is almost universal ; and Messrs. Dickson and Ross 

 record it from Erzeroum, where it is common, and breeds, arriving early in April. Dr. Jerdon 

 writes that it is " not very rare in the north of India, especially in the north-west ; but I have 

 never seen it south of the Nerbudda, and have only shot it myself near Mhow, and lately in 

 Kumaon. It has not yet occurred in Bengal. It appears to remain all the year in Cashmere, 

 and to breed in that country, as Theobald found the eggs there in May." We are also informed 

 by Mr. W. E. Brooks that he found it breeding in Cashmere. Mr. Blyth, in his commentary on 

 Dr. Jerdon's work, writes that it is said to occur so near Calcutta as Ranigunge, but he never 

 knew of its being brought to the Calcutta bazar. Captain Beavan met with it commonly about 

 Umballah in the cold weather; but it is said not to occur in Lower Bengal. It is common in 

 South-eastern Siberia, and is found as far north as Kamschatka. Dr. von Middendorff met with 

 it throughout the Stanowoi mountains, even up to the top ; they arrived at Amginsk on the 

 22nd of April. He likewise met with this species in the Sajan mountains and on the south 

 coast of the Sea of Ochotsk, at which latter place it was not rare. Radde met with it during 

 the summer throughout that portion of Eastern Siberia visited by him, both in the open steppes 

 of Mongolia and on the wooded banks of the small streams in the Baikal mountains. On the 

 18th of August, 1858, he found in the Bureja mountains males in full moult and unable to fly, 

 which, he remarks, is, compared with Germany, very late in the season. The same year they 

 appeared on the 21st of March, and on the 27th they increased largely in numbers. In 1856, 

 large flocks appeared on the Tarei-nor on the 23rd of March, in company with Anas acuta, and 

 on the 12th of May the Mallards had paired, whereas the Pintails were still in flocks. In the 



