LESSER WHISTLING TEAL 149 



Immature: When just able to fly they do not differ very much from the adult, but are every- 

 where duller colored. The margins to the feathers of the interscapular region are inconspicuous 

 and dingy fulvous, and the entire lower surface is a rather pale, dull, fulvous brown (Hume and 

 Marshall, 1879). Young at a still earlier stage have the pileum almost black, and the mantle and 

 scapulars uniform dark slaty brown. Lower parts uniform pinkish buff. 



Young in Down (specimen Port Blair, Andamans, Fleming Collection) : General color dark brownish 

 above and ash-color below, with the pileum black. From the culmen over the eye is a light band, 

 while below this, running through the eye, and coalescing with the pileum patch is a broad blackish 

 streak. Under this the cheeks are white and a white band runs around the back of the head, isolating 

 the pileum patch as in other Tree Ducks. A black streak runs from the angle of the jaw around the 

 back of the head posterior to the lighter streak, forming a very marked bridle pattern. There are 

 white areas on scapulars, wings, sides of back and sides of rump, these patches being more prominent 

 than in the true ducks. 



DISTRIBUTION 



The Javanese or Lesser Whistling Duck (for Teal is of course a misnomer) is a resident species and 



migrates only in so far as seasonal conditions require. It is confined almost entirely to India, the 



Burmese countries, the Malay Peninsula, and a few of the East Indian islands. In India, it is a very 



common bird and breeds everywhere in suitable localities. It is, however, rare in the Punjab and in 



Rajputana, and is not known to occur in Kashmir or the Himalayas, at least not west . ,. 



of Nepal (Hume and Marshall, 1879; Baker, 1908; Finn, 1909; Hodgson, 1844). On 



the whole it appears to be most abundant on the Lower Ganges. It has never been recorded from the 



countries west of the Indus, though it is found in Sind (Hume and Marshall, 1879; etc.). In Ceylon 



it is the commonest of all ducks, and it regularly nests on the island (Legge, 1880; Parker, 1883; 



Wait, 1917). 



Eastward it seems to be common everywhere in Burma, the Shan States and at least in parts of 



Siam, but I find no records for Tonkin, Yunnan, or Laos, though it occurs in Cochin-China. Hume 



and Marshall (1879) state that it is common in Burma, and this statement is reaffirmed _ 



.Burma 

 by E. W. Oates (1883) as well as by Blanford (1898). Salvadori (1887) has recorded it 



for Bhamo and Tienzo. It is a very common bird in Arakan (Hopwood, 1912; Baker, 1908) and in 

 Pegu (E. W. Oates, 1883). According to Rippon (1901) it is abundant in the South Shan States, and 

 the same is true of Tenasserim (Hume and Marshall, 1879). From Siam it has been recorded as com- 

 mon on the Menam and Chas Phaya Rivers, and south of Bangkok (Gyldenstolpe, „. 

 1913 and 1920), and as very abundant on the larger swamps of the north and central 

 parts (Gyldenstolpe, 1916). Gairdner (1914) has recorded it as very plentiful and probably resident 

 in the Ratburi and Petchaburi Districts, west of Bangkok. The species is found also Andaman 

 on the Andamans (Osmaston, Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc, vol. 17, p. 491, 1907), Isles 

 and is common on the Nicobars (Hume, Stray Feathers, vol. 2, p. 315, 1874; Kloss, 1903). The 

 British Museum has a specimen from Cochin-China, and both E. W. Oates (1883) and Cochin- 

 Blanford (1898) state that it is found there. In the northern parts of the Malay Penin- China 

 sula it is common about Tarang and in Langkawa, and has been taken also at Nong-Kok, Ghirbi, 

 though in the southern sections it is less frequently met with, and in the Federated Malayan 

 Malay States it is positively rare, except on the Perak and Pahang Rivers, where it is Region 

 common (Robinson and Kloss, 1911 ; Kelham, 1882). It has been found also on Salanga Island (Muel- 

 ler, Journ. f. Ornith., vol. 33, p. 162, 1885), and Bonhote (1901) has recorded it for the Malay 

 Peninsula as occurring at Tale Nowy, Patelung, and in Tremangam. It has also been taken at Patani 

 (Ogilvie-Grant, 1905) and at Tavoy (British Museum). According to Hume (Stray Feathers, vol. 8, 

 p. 71, 1879), and Vorderman (1890), it is also found at Malacca. 



