INDIAN PYGMY GOOSE or COTTON TEAL 105 



Luzon, namely, Manila, at Laguna de Bay, and in the Tarlae Province (Zeledor; Worcester and 

 Bourns, 1898; McGregor, 1909; and others). Its occurrence on Sequijor is regarded by McGregor 

 as very questionable, but there are three eggs from Sequijor in the British Museum (E. W. Oates, 

 1902). 



Though it has never been taken on Formosa the present species is found commonly in summer in 

 China north to the Yangtse. David and Oustalet (1877) state that small numbers breed throughout 

 central China, but Styan (1889) and La Touche (1907) both found it abundant on the Lower 

 Yangtse in early summer, and the former writer classes it as a common breeder there. „,. 

 Seebohm (1884) also saw it at Kiukiang in June and July. On the other hand, La 

 Touche (1892) found it rare at Foochow and Swatow in October and November which seems to in- 

 dicate that only a few remain in China during the cold season. It is somewhat irregular about Hong 

 Kong, but seen at all times of the year (Vaughan and Jones, 1913). Styan (1893) and Hartert (1910) 

 have both recorded it from Hainan, the latter as occurring in June! That there is no break in the 

 range between Burma and China is indicated by the fact that the species has been taken in May 

 near Mongtse, southern Yunnan (Ingram, 1912). 



Almost nothing is known of the status of this species in Australia. According to Keartland (North, 

 1898) it occurs in the North Territory of South Australia, being commoner than N. pulchellus in the 

 eastern parts. This is the only mention of its presence in North Territory that I have . ... 

 been able to find. Its real home seems to be eastern Queensland and northeastern New 

 South Wales. Macgillivray took a specimen with a matured egg at South Grafton in October (North, 

 1913) and Ramsay (1888) gives Rockingham Bay as its northern limit. It breeds regularly near 

 Charters Towers and Maryvale Station, North Kennedy (North, 1898), and has been taken at Port 

 MacKay (Finsch, 1872a). According to Ramsay (1877) it is abundant about Rockhampton and 

 Fitzroy Rivers and on Burnet's swamps, while he (Ramsay, 1888) has also recorded the species for 

 Port Denison and Wide Bay. Gould (1865) records it at Moreton Bay. In New South Wales, it 

 is found apparently only in the extreme northeastern parts, on the Richmond and Clarence Rivers 

 (Ramsay, 1888). 



GENERAL HABITS 



Although this bird is local in its habits over most of its range, it moves about in 

 India according to the rains like most other water-fowl of those regions. In China, 

 however, and perhaps in western India it becomes migratory in the true sense of the 

 word. 



The great centers of abundance are the delta regions of the Ganges and Brahma- 

 putra in India, and also in Burma, and in these places it is very plentiful at all sea- 

 sons. Whether the individuals that move up into the Yangtse Basin winter in 

 Cochin China we do not know. In fact I have no information on the numbers of 

 these birds in the latter country. 



Distributed over an enormous area, and an extremely abundant species, the 

 habits differ much in different places. Hume and Marshall (1879) said that in India 

 it preferred moderate-sized pieces of water much overgrown with Singhara 

 (Trapa bispinosa) and other water-plants, and more or less surrounded by trees. 

 Village ponds also, where the Singhara is grown, are frequented as often as more 

 secluded places. 



E. W. Oates (1883) gives all swamps, marshes, and inundated paddy-fields, ponds 



