152 DENDROCYGNA JAVANICA 



been frequently mentioned by observers. In fact, on Moolna Bheel, that great 

 Indian shooting ground, Baker (1908) claims to have seen hundreds of thousands on 

 the wing at once. Flocks numbering a thousand have been reported from Siam 

 (Gairdner, 1914), while "large" flocks have been recorded from Burma (E. W. 

 Oates, 1883), southeastern Borneo (W. Blasius, 1884), and Ceylon (Legge, 1880). 



Gait. Though not commonly seen on land, and preferring the water or trees, 

 these birds walk well and gracefully, though slowly (Finn, 1915). In captivity they 

 whistle freely as they walk or swim, and have a curious propensity for walking great 

 distances, when tame, in search of food. On these foraging expeditions several birds 

 will nearly always walk in a line, as geese so commonly do (Baker, 1908). 



Swimming and Diving. The Common Whistling Ducks spend more time in the 

 water, and are less commonly seen grazing than are the other Tree Ducks. They are 

 described as quick, strong swimmers and very good divers. They sit rather low in 

 the water, the neck seeming long compared to the narrow body and short tail, and 

 the wings are folded so closely that the tips are not seen (Finn, 1915). When 

 wounded they scurry under water at a great pace for about ten to twenty yards, 

 reappearing and diving again, but they have not the power of holding on to weeds 

 under water (Baker, 1 908) . Referring probably to its habits when in confinement Finn 

 (1915) maintains that it dives for food freely, though its actions in so doing are like 

 those of a Coot, for it springs high up lifting its whole body from the water. The fact 

 that the birds dive cleverly when wounded is borne out by other observers (Hume 

 and Marshall, 1879; Grabowsky, 1885; Jesse, 1903; etc.), but whether they actually 

 procure much of their food from the bottom is not made clear by the information 

 available. 



Perching. The name Tree Duck is certainly appropriately applied to this 

 species, perhaps more so than to any other of the genus. It seems to roost invariably 

 on trees, and in India the banyans are a favorite resort on account of their large hori- 

 zontal branches which afford a good hold, without taxing the bird's grasping powers 

 (Baker, 1908). In other parts of its range, in Ceylon, for example, they are fond of 

 roosting on dead branches near the water (Wait, 1917), though Legge (1880) asserts 

 that they rarely perch except in the breeding season. He often saw them on partly 

 submerged logs or low rocks. However, Baker (1908) says that he only once saw a 

 very large flock perching in a tree, and it seems that the great aggregations must 

 break up into small parties when they go to roost. 



Association with other Species. The only note in regard to this point is a 

 remark of Hume and Marshall's (1879) that the Whistling Teal is commonly found 

 on the same tanks with the Cotton Teal (Nettapus). 



