426 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



BIRD-LIFE ON AN INDIAN MARSH. 

 By Gordon Dalgliesh. 



The marshes of Bengal are large tracts of land almost entirely 

 covered with water after the rains, but which dry up to a certain 

 extent in the hot weather, leaving behind deep pools, which are 

 covered with beautiful water-lilies and bordered with rushes. 

 Rice is grown around the edge and in the shallow water, and 

 affords both food and shelter to all kinds of wildfowl. 



A favourite haunt and shooting-ground of mine was such a 

 marsh that was situated close to the Tirhoot State Railway. 

 Standing on a road that ran alongside the marsh, at sunset, one 

 heard the whistle and rush of many wings, caused by the huge 

 flocks of Duck which came to feed on the rice. The natives 

 used to snare these Duck and other birds by stretching long 

 nets hung between two poles, and on dark nights the birds, 

 flying low over the water, got entangled in the meshes, and were 

 so found in the morning, when they were taken away and sold 

 alive in the bazaars. 



The commonest of all birds on these marshes were the 

 Coots (Fulica atra), which simply swarmed in thousands, a few 

 pairs remaining to breed in the hot weather. A great enemy to 

 these birds was Pallas's Fishing Eagle (Haliaetus leucocoryphus) , 

 and many a Coot have I seen carried off by this robber to feed 

 two voracious young in a nest situated in a neighbouring simul- 

 tree. 



One of the handsomest of all the migratory Ducks was the 

 Red-crested Pochard (Netta rujina). A curious fact I noticed 

 about this bird, was, that one always invariably came across large 

 flocks consisting only of males, and small flocks of only females, 

 though of course at times they became mixed. 



Keeping very much to the shelter of the rushes, and never 

 wandering far from them, were small flocks of White-eyed 

 Pochards (Nyroca ferruginea), which was, with the Gadwall 

 (Chaulelasmus streperus), the commonest Duck on this marsh. 



