116 THE WHISTLING TEAL. 
Superintendent, assures me that he has repeatedly seen their 
nests, and that these are here invariably on the ground and 
close to the water’s edge. Of course on this island there is ab- 
solute protection from man and beast.” 
I have dwelt already, I fear some will think, at too ereat 
length on the nesting habits of this species ; but I must still 
add a most curious fact recorded by Mr. H. Kemp. Writing 
from the Futtehpur District on the 13th July, he says: “ Last 
evening I saw a pair of Whistling Teal settle high up on a large 
peepul tree. One went into a hollow and the other sat outside 
near its mouth. This other one I shot ; it proved to be the 
male. After a moment’s pause the female flew out and made away 
toa sheet of water about 300 yards distant. While I was walk- 
ing towards her, a man, close over whom the bird flew, in telling 
me where it had settled, added that it had an egg in its claw. 
I disbelieved this and took no notice of it, but when I shot the 
bird, my servant in bringing it out of the water found an egg 
on a narrow ridge where the bird was standing when shot. 
There was no nest, nor had the ground any signs of having 
been sat upon. 
“T then sent a man up the peepul tree and he found one more 
ege of the same kind in the hollow out of which the bird flew. 
There was no prepared nest in the hollow, but only decayed 
and crumbled chips.” 
Strange as this may seem, it is confirmed by the fact that 
the Duck similarly transports the young, to the water, in her 
claws. I have Zeard of their being seen flying down to the 
water with ducklings on their backs, but I have twice seez 
them carrying these in their claws. On one of these occasions, 
between 8 andg AM. I saw a Duck carry down her whole 
brood of seven, one at a time, from a hole in a huge mango to the 
water, she passing each time within three yards of my face as I 
sat at the water's edge. The first time the Drake came down 
with her, and then he remained with the ducklings, whilst she 
went backwards and forwards fetching the rest. Natives say that 
when the weather is stormy the old birds carry the young Jdack 
to the nest, and that may be so, but on this particular occasion, 
I returned at sunset and saw both old birds and the brood 
swimming about ; and, though I waited till it was quite dark, 
saw nothing of ‘their returning to the tree. Next morning I 
was there before daylight, but as soon as it was light, I made 
out the party. Ihad the place watched, and am satisfied that 
that brood never returned to the nest. But then the weather, 
though there was plenty of rain, was not stormy or windy, and 
I must leave it to future observers to determine whether they 
ever catry their young on their backs, or in their bills, and 
whether, once they have launched their young, they ever carry 
them again back to the nest’s dry dock. 
The eggs of this species are usually very broad ovals, often 
