238 THE MARBLED TEAL, 
in the Canaries, it breeds. So it does likewise in Southern 
Spain, but in none of these latter localities do many appear to 
remain for the winter. Besides these places it has been occa- 
sionally observed in Sardinia, Sicily, the Ionian Islands, and 
(?) the Albanian Coast. 
Its known range is therefore very restricted, anda zone lying 
between the 20th and 4oth degrees North Latitude, and stretch- 
ing from 20° West, to 95° East Longitude, would entirely cover 
it, while in fully half this zone it has not as yet been observed. 
Favier thinks that this Duck winters in the interior of Africa, 
and it may do so; but my impression rather is that the migra- 
tion is east and west, the birds for the most part summering 
and breeding in the latter and wintering with usin the east. 
I DO NOT know exactly when this species arrives. Doig 
says that they arrive in November and leave in April, but this 
is on the Eastern Narra, towards the extreme eastern limit of 
its normal range. In the Shikarpur Collectorate sportsmen 
and fowlers said that a few might be seen earlier, but that 
the great bulk appeared during the latter half of October. 
But at Kurrachee Captain Butler shot a young bird that had 
clearly only recently left the nest on the 27th of September ! 
In Sindh, where I had abundant opportunities of observing it, 
I found the Marbled Teal invariably associated in large parties. 
Its favorite haunts were broads, thickly grown with rush, in 
which it fed and sported, comparatively seldom shewing itself 
in the open water. Asarule it does not at once rise when 
guns are fired as the other ducks do; but, if by chance, it is at 
the moment outside of the rushes or similar cover in the 
open water, it scuttles into concealment, as a Coot would do, and 
if in cover already, remains there perfectly quiet, until the boats 
push within 60 or 7oO yards of it; then it rises, generally one 
at atime, and even though fired at, not unfrequently again 
drops into the rushes within a couple of hundred yards. When 
there has been a good deal of shooting on a lake, and almost 
all the other ducks, and with them of course some of these 
are circling round and round, high in the air, you still keep, as 
you push through the reeds and rushes, continually flushing 
the Marbled Teal, and the broad must be small, or the hunting 
very close and long continued to induce all the Marbied Teal 
to take wing. Of course where there is little cover (though 
there you never meet with this duck in large numbers) they 
rise and fly about with the other ducks; but their tendency in 
these respects is rather coot-like than duck-like. Individuals 
may take wing at the first near shot, but the great majority of 
them stick to cover as long as this is possible; and on two 
occasions I saw very pretty shooting, boats in line pushing up 
a wide extent of rush-grown water, and the Marbled Teal 
rising every minute in front of us at distances of sixty or 
