THE BIRDS OF MESOPOTAMIA. 
655 
and he was quite certain about it, though he could give me no positive proof of 
nesting. Buxton thinks that on Akkarkuf lake on October 12th he saw flappers 
which “ almost certainly belonged to this species Some certainly stay very 
late; a flock of 20 were seen by Logan Home on May 21st, and some app>ear very 
early, by July, (Magrath) and a good many by mid-August ; so that it is within 
the bounds of. possibility that some may nest, though futher evidence is desirable. 
The Gadwall is another very common and widely distributed duck, but there 
is nothing particularly noteworthy to say about it. A few are recorded as early 
as August 1st and some stop late — May 6th, a pair at Feluja, May loth and 
21st small lots seen on Euphrates inundation. There is no evidence at all 
that it nests. 
In places Gadwall make up a large proportion of the bag, 40 and 47 being re- 
ported in two bags made in January on the Euphrates inundation. 
Thrc'c specimens examined : $ , Sheik Saad, 24-1-17 (P. Z. C. and R. E. C.) 
^ Basra 1-19 (Hobkirk). Amara (P. A. B.). 
The Pintail is common enough and appears to arrive and depart with the mass, 
there being no particularly early and late records ; first seen September 13th 
and last noted April 13th ; just at the time of departure huge flocks congregate 
together on the inundations. 
The Wigeon is exceedingly abundant and is often seen in winter in great 
flocks on the marshes round Ezra’s Tomb and Amara, etc.; they move off early in 
March, the last seen was on April 9th ; they arrive late with the main mass, but 
early ones were noted in August near Baghdad. 
The Shoveler is exceedingly common and perhaps the best distributed, as 
almost any kind of water suits it and thus it may be found in places other ducks 
would scorn, such as canals, small pools and puddles as well as being found in the 
marshes, lakes and inundations. It is plentiful b}’ the first or second week in 
September and a few linger on into May, there being records on May 15th, 17th, 
19th ; there is however no suggestion that it breeds. 
Being imiversally distributed and less wary than other ducks it figures largeh 
in the bag in some spots ; 20 or 30 are often got and in two bags of 100 birds, 
Shovelers formed 90 and 95 per cent., respectively. 
An albino was reported by Logan Home. 
Three specimens examined : 9> Samarra, 4-l-18(C. R. P.), Amara (P. A. B.); 
9 Sheik Saad, 24-12-17 (Robinson). 
207. Marbled Duck. Anas angustirostris. 
Anas angustirostris Menetr. (Cat. Rais. Caucase, p. 58, 1832 — • 
Lenkoran) . 
The Marbled Duck is a fairlj^ common resident ; it breeds in the vicinity of the 
Tigris and Euphrates in scrub along the banks to Baghdad and Feluja. It seems 
to prefer dry situations not far from the river or marshes ; Pitman found a nest, 
in a Sueda bush close to crops, at Hindia Barrage some hundreds of yards from 
a canal, containing 10 eggs, and fresh eggs were brought in on May 28th and June 
9th ; in this locality it was plentiful. Thornhill found several nests below Kut 
and obtained two hard set clutches of five and six eggs on May 15th and 18th. 
Tomlinson records it breeding at Ali Gharbi, and Logan Home located a colony 
near Amara. At Shush and Shushtar it also must nest as breeding birds have 
been obtained by Cheesman and Tomlinson ; and Watts found it breeding at 
the former place at the end of May. 
Three specimens examined : Shush, 2-5-17 (P. Z. C. and R. E. C.) : near 
Basra (Wood) ; Amara, 21-4-18 (P. A. B.). 
208. Falcated Teal. Anas falcata. 
Anas falcata, Georgi (Bemerk. Reise Russ., 1, p. 167, 1775 — Asiatic 
Russia). 
