96 NETTAPUS AURITUS 



The species appears to be common in Tanganyika Province (German East Africa), having been 

 found in the extreme southeast part on Mburu Lake (Grote, 1912) and farther north on the coast, in 

 „ . . . the Usuramo district (Reichenow, 1893). F. G. Jackson (1899) met with it on Lake 

 Jipi, and Schillings (1905) on Lake Xdjiri. In the west-central part it was found to be 

 not uncommon in Ugalla, Wualaba, on Itanibe Lake and at Luwule (Bohm, 1882, 1885). It seems 

 to be particularly abundant on Lake Victoria Nyanza, where Horsbrugh (1912) says it is to be found 

 in flocks of thirty or forty. Van Someren (1916) also speaks of flocks on the lake, and on the west 

 shore in Buddu, on Buvuma Island and at Kibango, essentially the same region in which Johnston 

 (1902) found it abundant. Neumann (1898) states that it is equally common on the north coast, and 

 the Ssesse Islands in May, and Hartert (1900) has recorded it from Ripon Falls in this region. I 

 think very likely it occurs throughout Uganda and the Bahr-el-Ghazal region, for in this latter 

 locality it was found not rare near Meshra-el-Rek, latitude 8° north (A. L. Butler, 1905), the 

 northernmost record for eastern Africa. Von Heuglin (1869) thought he saw it on the Ghazal. As far 

 as I know it does not occur in eastern British East Africa, excepting on the coast, where it extends 

 north to Kipini and Witu (G. A. Fischer, 1885) and Lamu (Shelley, 1881). 



_, « The species is a fairly common one in Madagascar, inhabiting chiefly the ponds 



near the coast. It has been recorded from the most various localities by Pollen and 

 Dam (1868), Roch and Newton (1863), Hartlaub (1877), Milne-Edwards and Grandidier (1876-81), 

 Sibree (1892), etc., etc., and, as in Africa, is a resident bird. 



GENERAL HABITS 



This species does not seem so abundant as its congener the Cotton Teal (Nettapus 

 coroynandeliamis) of India, for few observers speak of its occurrence in large flocks. 

 The birds are usually found on lakes and streams as well as on lagoons, but rarely 

 on large open sheets of water. They are also seen at the mouths of the larger rivers, 

 and frequent both deep and shallow waters. Their disposition seems to depend on 

 the locality, and where not persecuted they are apparently very tame, though on the 

 whole they seem to be wilder than the Indian species. When flushed they are said to 

 fly along waterways and never to fly across country (Kirk, 1864). 



The Pygmy Geese spend the day until late evening on the water, seeking the land 

 to rest, though they sometimes perch on trees in the heat of the day (Hartlaub, 

 1882). Roch and Newton (1863) also observed them perch on a tree in Madagascar. 

 I do not know how much of their time these birds really spend on the trees. The ab- 

 sence of information on this point is very much in contrast to the evidence in the 

 case of the Cotton Teal, which, according to Hume and Marshall (1879), spends 

 almost the whole of its time perching, when not in the water. 



Flight, Gait, Diving. The Pygmy Goose flies fast and low, but two observers in 

 Madagascar (Pollen, 1863; Hartlaub, 1877) have spoken of the flight as clumsy, and 

 not so rapid as that of other fowl. This last is certainly an exceptional observation, 

 and not in harmony with what has been noted of the Indian species. In swimming 

 the bird is said to sit rather low in the water (Roch and Newton, 1863), and all 

 observers have noted its agility in diving. According to Kirk (1864) it often re- 



