THE GARGANEY OR BLUE 
WINGED WRAL. 
0—===s 
Querquedula circia, Linné. 
Z 
Vernacular Names.—[Chaitwa, Patari, VV. W. Provinces ; Ghang-roib, Giria, 
Bengal; Sitch-dum, Cdébu/ ; Karak-aurdak, (Turki.) Yarkaxd ; ] 
0 
UITE as widely distributed throughout the Empire* 
as the Common Teal, the Garganey is more- 
over by no means rare about Moulmein in Central 
Tenasserim. On the other hand, though common in 
winter in the Himalayas from Kullu to Nepal, it has 
not, apparently, yet been recorded from Kashmir, 
: though it must surely occur there. As a whole, it 
visits us in smaller numbers than crecca, and in many parts of 
* Tt may be useful to quote a few of the notes furnished to me in regard to this 
species. Writing from Lucknow, Mr. Reid says :— 
‘‘T am inclined to think that the Blue- -winged Teal is, of all the duck tribe, our 
earliest cold weather visitor, arriving in countless numbers in September, though it 
is not before October that they seem to settle down on the jhils. The majority, 
however, do not remain long, and early in November appear to go south. From 
then until they return again in March, the Blue-winged Teal is not by any means 
as common as Quer gquedula crecca, though it is still far from being scarce. ‘They are 
shy and wild on their arrival, keeping well to the centre of jhils, but as the season 
advances they become more civilized, ard may then be found pottering about on the 
mud or in shallow water, in company with the Common Teal.” 
Mr J. Davidson tells us that ‘‘the Blue-winged Teal is not nearly so plentiful 
in Khandesh as the common one, but it stays with us much later. I left a flock 
of 11 or 12 Garganeys upon a tank at Nandurbur on the 8th of May 1880.” 
Mr. Vidal writes :— 
“This species is not so common as Querguedula crecca, and as_ far as my limited 
experience goes, prefers reedy tanks to rivers. I have found it in Ratnagiri here 
and there, and in Sattara I came acrossa good sized flock on the large tank con- 
structed by the Irrigation Department at Maini.” 
Captain Butler remarks :— 
‘* Bishop shot three Blue-winged Teal on the Ist of September in some irrigated 
fields at the Hubb River. They had probably remained near the river throughout the 
year ; for the flights of duck were not noticed across the harbour till the middle of 
September. The Mohanas on the Dunds have all their fowling nets ready, but 
do not expect the birds in any numbers till after the coming full- -moon, Novem- 
ber 13th.” 
And according to Mr, Doig on the Eastern Narra, they only “‘ arrive in December, 
and leave in April.” 
Mr. Albert Theobald says :— 
“J have shot themin the Salem, North Arcot, Tinnevelli, and Coimbatore 
