LESSER WHISTLING TEAL 155 



that ducks in general may at times transport their young, as Woodcock are known to 

 do. But this, of course, is not the usual habit, even with species that nest in very 

 high places. 



It is, indeed, remarkable that so few observations have been made on the growing 

 family, and so few specimens of young birds taken. The female must have the abil- 

 ity effectually to conceal the ducklings during the first period of their lives. The 

 food of the young is said to consist chiefly of insects. 



Status. The species is holding its own in India according to recent writers. 

 Baker (1908) estimated its numbers as at least one hundred to one of each of the 

 common migratory ducks on the Moolna Bheel in India. 



Enemies. Nothing known. 



Damage. It feeds to a certain extent in rice-fields, both when the plants are 

 young and during harvest time. 



Food Value. Some of the earlier travelers in the East spoke of the bird as a wel- 

 come addition to their larder, but the residents of India are almost unanimous in 

 denouncing it. Baker (1908) adds that young birds at the beginning of cold weather 

 are more likely to furnish an edible dish. The flesh has been described as having a 

 "peculiar, faint, half -muddy, half -fishy" taste that makes it unpalatable (Hume 

 and Marshall, 1879). 



Hunt. Indian sportsmen consider this bird as unworthy of their attention, and 

 regard it as a nuisance when one is out to shoot other ducks. In Ceylon, however, 

 they are said to afford good hunting (Legge, 1880) and in Borneo the natives kill 

 many for export to Java (Grabowsky, 1885). 



By wading quietly through the water, waist-deep, with reeds concealing head and 

 shoulders, they can be approached and several killed at a shot, writes Kelham (1882) 

 about the southern part of the Malay Peninsula. There are other accounts of many 

 being killed at one discharge. 



Behavior in Captivity. This species was apparently received for the first time 

 by the London Zoological Gardens in 1857. The specimen presented then was still 

 living in 1883, as were also three others received in 1858, making a longevity record 

 of twenty-six and twenty-five years respectively; truly remarkable for any of the 

 smaller water-fowl. 



In confinement the birds become exceedingly tame, as do other Tree Ducks; it is 

 frequently possible to keep them in complete freedom without their making any 



