THE MALLARD. 161 
possible that here and there a stray pair may remain to breed 
in swamps about the southern bases of the Himalayas from 
Hazara to Nepal, but the only locality in which we certainly 
know of their nesting is Kashmir. There it breeds, not only 
about most of the lakes in greater or lesser numbers, but even in 
still reaches of mountain streams, at the edges of water courses, 
and in rice fields. 
The nest is almost invariably placed upon the ground, in 
thick low cover of grass, rushes, or rice; but the native egg- 
gatherers report that they have found nests on trees. The 
nest is always a large, coarse structure, composed of dry grass, 
rushes, and the like, more or less lined with down and feathers. 
It lays in May and the first-half of June. Twelve is the 
largest number of eggs seen in any nest by my collector (a 
native), who examined hundreds of them. There is quite a 
trade in the eggs of this species and Fuligula nyroca at Sri- 
nugger, and my man went out daily almost fora month in one 
of the egging boats. The boatmen told him that they ad 
found as many as sixteen eggs in one Mallard’s nest ! 
“Frequently in leaving the nest,’ says Macgillivray, “she 
covers it rudely with straws and feathers, probably for the 
purpose of concealing the eggs. The young are hatched in 
four weeks ; and, being covered with stiffish down, and quite 
alert, accompany their mother to the water, where they swim 
and dive as expertly as if they had been borninit. The 
mother shows the greatest attention to them, protects them 
from birds, feigns lameness to withdraw intruders from them, 
and, leading them about from place to place, secures for them 
a proper supply of food.” 
Mr. Brooks say zu epistola :—“ The Mallard’s nest I took was 
amongst rushes ina rather dry spot of one of the Kashmir 
lakes ; it was built of straw and dry rushes, and lined with the 
bird’s own down.” 
_ The late Major Cock wrote to me that this species “breeds 
in large numbers on the Anchar Dall and other lakes in Kash- 
mir during the months of May and June; boat loads of 
their eggs are brought to the Srinugger bazars for sale, together 
with the eggs of the Coot and White-eyed Duck. The Mallard 
breeds near the water in among reeds or high grass, lays six, 
eight, or more eggs, of a peculiar oil green colour. The nest is 
formed of dried grass or flag with a little down from the bird’s 
breast, and placed under an overhanging tuft of grass or rush. 
The female sits close and allows you to come very near before she 
leaves her eggs.” I may add that she will not unfrequently 
allow herself to be captured by hand on the nest, if the eggs 
are near hatching. 
The eggs of the Mallard vary a good deal in size and colour. 
In shape they differ little, and are moderately broad, regular 
ovals, not unfrequently slightly compressed towards one end. 
W 
