BIRDS COLLECTED IN BENGAL. 453 



specimen I procured. On July 9th, 1901. a native fowler brought 

 me in a Pochard in female garb, which on being dissected turned 

 out to be a male. Was this a late stayer or an early arrival ? 

 The bird was in good condition, and the testes were enlarged, 

 so it is just possible it may have bred somewhere near at hand. 



N. ferruginea, Gmel. (White-eyed Duck). — Exceedingly com- 

 mon, though in the season 1901 I did not notice them so common 

 as in previous years. They begin to arrive in September, and 

 leave in April. 



N.fuligula, Linn. (Tufted Duck). — A very irregular migrant. 

 During L899-900 I only got two specimens, but in the season 

 1900-01 ten were brought in by native fowlers, and I saw 

 several when out shooting. Once when I was Duck-shooting I 

 saw a small flock of these birds, and, on firing at them whilst they 

 were sitting, I was surprised to see them all disappear under 

 water, instead of flying away, as I expected. 



Podicipes cristatus, Linn. (Great Crested Grebe). — Not at all 

 common, and I only procured one specimen myself, and saw two 

 or three others. 



P. albipennis, Sharpe (Little Grebe or Dabchick). — Very 

 common on almost every piece of water. It commences breeding 

 in July. In the year 1900 I had a good opportunity of watching 

 a pair nesting on a small pond. Both birds during this time 

 kept up a curious "rattling " cry, though they are quite silent at 

 other times of the year. The nest was made of rotting water- 

 plants, and the eggs were always kept covered up. Both birds 

 seemed to trust more to the heat of the sun for the hatching of 

 the eggs than to the usual mode of incubation, and I never saw 

 either bird sitting during the day. They appeared to be very 

 restless, and kept on taking short flights across the pond, 

 making a good deal of noise. The male bird was most attentive 

 to the female during the period of incubation, always keeping 

 close to her, and feeding her with small fish and aquatic insects. 

 The young, when first hatched, are pretty little creatures, covered 

 with greyish down striped with black. I once surprised a 

 party of these birds, consisting of one old one and five 

 young. The young at once tried to conceal themselves by 

 hiding among the weeds, while the old one tried to draw my 

 attention from them by fluttering, as if wounded, in front of 



