‘iSite 0 bi fostese 7 eetst ene ely rmyetber is r= eat a reste fitseaiite Peta RY Mig Ams as Se 8 ae ac ahh, oa a = ad obs +7 i ee Cie Sel En ee = i pr eat y iar. THE fone AN LC Ws AND Me eb A LL, Ps. 5 pope ace i THEIR ALLIES . BY E.C. STUART BAKER. “REPRINTED FROM THE BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY Oe SOCIETY'S JOURNAL; WITH CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS. 1908. Water ay a Pel) AS gs rN) AN Delo Ks THEIR ALLIES. BY BC STUART: BAICE Roe F.Z.S., M.B.0.U: WITH 30 COLOURED PLATES by H. Gronvold, G. E. Lodge, and J. G. Keulemans. PUBLISHED BY THE BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. LONDON: R. H. PORTER, 7 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. CALCUTTA AND SIMLA: THACKER, SPINK, AND CO. BOMBAY: THACKER AND CO., LIMITED. 1908. PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET, LONDON. (This Edition is limited to 1200 Copies, after which the Lithographs will be erased.) TITLEPAGE CONTENTS List or PLATES INTRODUCTION Inpian Ducks INDEX . LIST OF CONTENTS. PLATE 1. IL. IIL. IV. V. List on (DATES. PaGn Cyenus mustovs. The Whooper. 12 Cyenus otor. The Mute Swan . 16 SARCIDIORNIS MELANONOTA. The Nukhta or Comb-Duck . 23 ASARCORNIS ScUTULATA. The White-winged Wood-Duck 32 RHODONESSA CARYOPHYLLACEA. The Pink-headed Duck 4] NErraPUS COROMANDELIANUS. The Cotton-Teal . 47 ANSER ALBIFRONS. The White-fronted Goose 70 ANsER INpDIcUS. The Bar-headed Goose : 84 Denprocycna FULVA. The Greater Whistling-Teal 93 Dewnprocycna JAvanicaA. The Lesser or Common Whistling- Teal 99 Taporna cornuTA. The Sheldrake . . 109 Casarca RUTILA. The Ruddy Sheldrake or Brahminy Duck . 114 Anas Boscas. The Common Wild Duck or Mallard . 124 ANAS P@CILORHYNCHA. The Spot-bill or Grey-Duck . . 138 Eunerra FatcatTa. The Bronze-capped Teal . . 143 CHAULELASMUS STREPERUS. The Gadwall. . 148 MaRreca PENELOPE. The Wigeon . 155 Nerrion crecoa. The Common Teal peloyy NETTION ALBIGULARE. The Andaman Teal seo Darita acura. The Pintail » AOL QUERQUEDULA crRoIA. The Garganey or Blue-wing Teal . 188 . SPATULA CLYPEATA, ‘The Shoveller . . 196 MARMARONEIDTA ANGUSTIROStRIS. The Marbled Duck . 202 Vili PLATE XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI. XXVII. XXVIII. XXIX. XXX. LIST OF PLATES. PAGE Netra RUFINA. The Red-crested Pochard ..... . . 208 Nyroca Ferina. The Pochard or Dun-bird . ..... . 217 Nyroca BABRI. The Eastern White-eye . . . . .. . . 223 Nyroca arricaAna. The White-eyed Pochard or White-eye. . 227 FuLniguba FuLIGULA. The Crested Pochard or Tufted Pochard . 239 ERISMATURA LEUCOCEPHALA. The White-headed or Stiff-tail Dick <-> eS ee Ts Marcus ausurius: . TChe-Smew. 22-3) 3.8 2 ee ee MERGANSER SERRATOR. The Red-breasted Merganser . . . 281 PACT ROE FiO N. te 1896 the Honorary Secretary of the Bombay Natural History Society induced me to write a series of articles on our Indian Chenomorph, and consequently the articles which commenced in Volume xi. of the ‘ Journal’ of that Society made their appearance. Since the publication of Hume and Marshall’s ‘ Game- Birds,’ no attempt has been made to collect the various notes which have from time to time been printed in the ‘ Asian,’ ‘The Indian Field,’ and other sporting papers, as well as in the B. N. H. S. Journal itself, and it has been a matter of great difficulty—often an impossibility—for either sportsman or ornithologist to know what has already been recorded and what has not. Hence many interesting facts and finds were never recorded at all, and these articles were originally written as much with a view to elicit more information as to place on record in a compact form what had already been recorded. b INTRODUCTION. That the raison détre was a good one was shown by the immediate receipt by the Editors of the ‘Journal’ of numerous notes, giving both information that was new and correcting part that was old. The present book aims at being a corrected, up-to-date edition of these papers, and incorporates, as far as possible, the additional information received since they were brought out. There is still very ample room for further matter of interest, and still much about which we require confirmation or correction, notably in regard to the Geese to be found in India; and it is hoped that the readers of this volume will all try and add their quota to our knowledge. The classification I have adopted is that of Salvadori, as given in volume xxvii. of the ‘ Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum’; and the keys to suborders, families, subfamilies, and genera, &c. are generally taken from that book, merely changed, so far as is necessary for Indian Ducks, by eliminating such matter as does not refer to them, with a few other minor alterations. The references made are principally to books which refer to the birds as Indian Birds, as a complete reference to synonyms and publications would not only have taken too much time, but would have proved of little interest to the general reader. INTRODUCTION. xi The principal references made are to the following works :-— Cat. B. MM. °. . . . =, ‘Catalosue of Birds in the British Museum.’ Jerdon, Bb. Eo"... 9. -derdon’s *Birds of India,’ Hume,.Cat. . . . . . Hume’s ‘Catalogue of Indian Birds.’ Str. Feath, . . . . . ‘Stray Feathers.’ Jour. B.N.H.8. . . . ‘Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society.’ BNauna- Bol. so. <2 20> KRaumacof British India, Birds.’ Alphéraky, Geese . . . Alphéraky’s ‘ Geese of Hurope and Asia.’ IBS ok bom 5 2 2, | eirds of Bombay” BoekGere 2k se a Bindsok Ceylon’ Hume & Mar. Game-B. . Hume and Marshall’s ‘ Game-Birds of India and Ceylon.’ Oates, Game-B.. . . . Oates’s ‘Game-Birds of British India and its Dependencies.’ Valuable notes have also been obtained from the pages of ‘The Asian’ and the ‘ Indian Field.’ r" PS tg . Order CHENOMORPH &. THE characteristics of this order, as defined by Huxley, are: palate desmo- gnathous ; young covered with down and able to run or swim ina few hours after hatching. The order is divided into three suborders, but with the first of these— the ‘“ Palamedez, or Screamers ”’—we have nothing to do, as they are confined to the Neotropical Region and do not visit our part of the world. The two remaining suborders are the Phcenicopteri, or Flamingoes, and the Anseres, or true Swans, Geese, and Ducks. There can be no chance of these two being confounded by anyone, as the two forms are so widely different. Key to Suborders. A. Tarsus three times the length of femur ; bill strongly bent downwards in the centre Saar en PHENICOPTERI. B. Tarsus about the same length as the femur; bill not bent Rie eee ee oe ee es ee ess 6.6 ANSERES, The suborder Phcenicopteri contains but one family—the ‘* Phoenico- pteride,’—and that family (so far as we are concerned) but two genera, both of which contain but a single species. Key to Genera. a. Upper mandible overlapping lower; throat naked . . . Pheenicopterus. b. Upper mandible not overlapping ; throat feathered . . . Phaniconaias. 2 INDIAN DUCKS. Suborder PH MH NICOPTERI. Family PHOSNICOPTERID. (1) PHENICOPTERUS ROSEUS. THE FLAMINGO. Phenicopterus roseus, Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 12; Jerdon, B. I. in, p. 775; Hume, Cat. no. 944; id. Str. Heath. i, p. 257; Butler, ibid. iv, p. 25; Fairbank, ibid. p. 264; Butler, ibid. v, p. 234; Davids. §- Wend. ibid. vii, p. 92; Murray, ibid. p. 112; Vidal, wid. ix, p. 91; Butler, ibid. p. 486; Legge, B. of Cey. p. 1092; Reid, Str. Keath. x, p. 78; Davidson, ibid. p. 325: Hume, ibid. p. 513; Lester, Jour. B. N. ALS. viii, p. 5533; id, ibid. xi, p. 331; Fleming, wid. xu, p. 216; Blanford, Fauna B, I. iv, p. 408. Phenicopterus antiquorum, Hume, Str. Keath. vii, p. 491; Barnes, B. of Bom. p. 392. Phenicopterus andersoni, Hume, Sir. Meath. i, p. 414. Description. Adult male—Whole plumage, with the exceptions noted, a beautiful rosy-white, the rose-colour much more developed on the tail and rather more on the head and neck; primary-coverts nearly or quite white, other wing-coverts and innermost secondaries light rose-red; primaries and outer secondaries black ; under wing-coverts and axillaries scarlet; under median and primary-coverts black. Orbital skin flesh-pink to bright red ; irides lemon-yellow, pale yellow, or pale golden yellow (Jerdon) ; bill bright flesh-coloured, edge of mandible and terminal portion of bill black ; legs and feet pinkish-red, claws black. Length varies from 44 to 55 inches, wing 15-15 to 17:5, tail 6 to 7-5, tarsus about 13, bare part of the tibia 9, culmen 5:5 to 6:4, depth (of bill) at centre 1-5, (Legge, B. of Ceylon.) Female.—\Similar to the male, the rose-colour on head, neck, and back often less pronounced, but not always so. Length from 38 to 48 inches, wing 14:3 to 15°8, tail 5°5 to 6°8, tarsus about 10°5 to 11°5, bare tibia about 7, culmen 4°75 to 5°6. Young.—Head, neck, and lower plumage white, more or less tinged with rosy-buff; back and wing-coverts ashy-buff, with dark shaft-stripes ; the greater coverts more brown, but with pale tips soon wearing off; under wing-coverts and axillaries pale pink. Bill more dull than in adult ; legs dark plumbeous. Nestling— White down, more or less tinged with grey, especially on the upper parts; down in texture like that on a young swan (Dresser). In the nestling the bill is perfectly straight, but soon assumes the normal shape. DSI PHHNICOPTERUS ROSEUS. a Habitat.—Southern Europe (practically confined to the coast-line), Asia on the east and south-east, and the whole of Africa. In India it is found more or less throughout the Continent, but I can find no record of its ever extending to Burma, and in Hume’s collection there are none from the east of Bengal or Assam, though from the latter place there is in the British Museum Collection one skin marked “ «. Juv. sk, Assam,” obtained by McClelland. It is very common on the major part of the west coast, and extends quite down to Ceylon, where Legge states that it is seen in large numbers, both on the west and east coast. Thence it extends northwards, and is common in certain parts of Madras, but in Eastern Bengal is a decidedly rare bird. I have once seen it during the cold weather in the Sunderbands, and there are a few other recorded instances. In the widely-known and shot-over Chilka Lake, in Orissa, it is fairly frequently met with, though I hear less frequently, and in smaller numbers than formerly, probably owing to the lake being more accessible to sportsmen nowadays than it used to be. Hlsewhere in Bengal it is only a casual flock that is seen in the cold weather. Legge seems to have thought that the Flamingo bred in Ceylon ;_ but his ideas on this subject have never been confirmed, though it is more than possible that he was correct, as Mr. W. N. Fleming reports from Tuticorin that the Flamingo is fairly common throughout the district, and that a large flock, numbering some 300 birds, was still in the neighbour- hood of that place in July 1898. His Highness the Rao of Cutch is the only observer who has actually found a regular nesting-place of the Flamingo within Indian limits. Ina letter to Mr. Lester he recorded that he had obtained some twenty eggs and two young from some place in the Runn of Cutch *. Its principal breeding-places lie in Africa, and in Asia, in Arabia, and Persia, where they collect during the breeding-season in countless numbers. It also breeds in Spain, and is said to do so in the Rhone Delta. Hume and, after him, Barnes (Jour. B. N. H. 8. vi, no. 3, p. 285) have com- mented on the curious and untidy habit these birds possess of dropping egos about in a casual sort of manner, and in this way a good many have been found in India. Other ornithologists have noted this habit, and it seems to be one common to the whole genus, as Barnes notes having obtained eggs thus which he considered belonged to the Lesser Flamingo. * In January, 1894, HI. the Rao of Cuteh published, in the Journal B. N. IT. 8. xv, p. 706, a photograph and note on the nests and eggs of the Flamingo found in the Runn of Cutch. B2 > 4 INDIAN DUCKS. Again, my friend Dr. H. Hartert, when visiting Bonaire, came across a colony of Flamingoes breeding ; and, though he could not approach near enough to obtain specimens and satisfy himself as to the species, he managed to visit the nesting-places, and he mentions that he obtained two fresh eges which were lying in the water. Here the birds do not seem to have commenced breeding in earnest, and these eggs appear to have been casually dropped by them into the water, either before the nest had been made to receive them, or, more likely, before the bird felt inclined to commence incubation. All kinds of Flamingoes, of which the nidification is known, breed in large communities, and seem to select much the same kind of country—sheets of water, wide in extent, but very shallow—as the sites in which to make their nests. These are inverted cones of mud, some foot or eighteen inches high, with the ends flattened off and a shallow cavity made in their summits. The nests are made close together, in many cases several in a group almost touching one another; but of course their proximity to each other depends greatly on the depth of the water in which they are placed. Where this is variable the nests will be found in close clusters in the shallower parts, sometimes even on mud- or sand-banks above water-level. Where the water is all shallow—such as is found in the Rhone Delta, Spain, and elsewhere—the nests are scattered casually over a considerable extent of land. In Bonaire the land on which the birds had made their nests was not of mud or sand covered by water, but of coral. Hartert’s own words describe the place vividly for us; he says :—“ The water was deep in places and the bottom very rough, con- sisting of very sharp corals and often of a deceitful crust of sult or saltpetre, under which the water was black and very deep. It required much care to avoid these places, and it took us over an hour to reach the nests, The nests themselves were flat plateaus standing out of the water from 2, to 6 inches, the water round them being apparently very shallow ; but it was often the fatal crust that caused this appearance, not the proper bottom. Many of the nests were close together, and some of them connected by dry ground. They were quite hard, so that one could stand on them, Sal almost the only way of getting along was to jump from one nest to another. The nest consisted of clay, hardened by the sun and penetrated and encrusted with salt and pieces of coral, with a distinet concavity in the centre.” The eggs, nearly invariably two in number, ave long ovals, generally a good deal pointed at the ends. The colour of the true shell itself is a pale skim-milk blue; but they are so encrusted with «a dense chalky covering PH@NICOPTERUS ROSEUS. 2) that they appear, except where stained, to be pure white. They vary in size very considerably, but average about 3°6 x 2°3 inches. Although so common in many parts of India, they are nowhere easy to get shots at, as they are extremely wary and cute birds. All over their habitat shyness seems to be their most prominent characteristic, and a close approach means the result of a stalk as carefully made as if the stalker was after the wildest kind of deer or antelope. A mistake made in attempting to conceal one’s self, and the whole flock rise gracefully into‘the air and remove themselves into safety. Typically their flight is distinctly anserine, not perhaps exactly V-shape, but more in the form of a curved ribbon, the ends fluttering backwards and forwards as the birds, more especially those at the two extremes, alter their position. Asa matter of fact, different writers have declared the bird’s flight to vary very much. Some have said that in no respect does the flight of these birds resemble that of Ducks or Geese, but that, rising in one indiscriminate mass, they continue their flight as they rise; others, on the other hand, say that the formation they assume is nearly as regularly V-shaped as that adopted by Geese. Both are doubtless right, and it seems probable that when flying for a short distance only they adopt no special mode of flight, whereas on migration, or when moving to any distance, their formation is much as already described. Flying or wading they are a lovely sight, and, often as they have been described, no one has yet been able to do justice to their beauty. In December 1881, when passing through the Suez Canal, I observed more of these birds congregated together than I had ever considered possible, the banks in some places looking as if they were covered with a rosy snow, so dense were the birds packed. As the steamer gradually approached nearer and nearer, the snow melted on its outskirts into a crimson flame as the birds lifted their wings on taking flight, and in so doing exposed their scarlet coverts and axillaries. They made but little noise, the few ealls that were heard being very similar to those of a wild goose, but not perhaps quite so discordant. Writing of these birds, Mr. Eagle Clarke (¢ Ibis,’ 1895, p. 200) says :— “'To witness the simultaneous unfolding of a thousand lovely crimson and black pinions under brilliant sunlight is a sight the recollection of which will not readily be effaced from our memories. The flock did not run forward to rise on the wing, but we noticed that they deliberately turned and faced a gentle breeze that was blowing and rose with perfect ease. We several times noticed the whole herd on the wing, but in no instance was any particular formation maintained. INDIAN DUCKS. ‘They do not, however, at least in this country, always rise in the same manner, but both before rising and after alighting run forward some steps in a most ungainly manner. They generally leave Northern India in May or June, though they have been seen in July, and the first few birds return in the end of September. From Southern as well as from Eastern India they migrate a good deal earlier as a rule, but they have been recorded in Ceylon in May, and, as mentioned above, from Tuticorin in July. As might be expected from the very curious formation of the Flamingo’s bill, their mode of feeding is rather remarkable. Bending down their long necks between their legs, and looking very much like bird acrobats preparing to stand on their heads, they invert their bills entirely, and use them as shovels in which to catch or collect their food. This they obtain by moving their heads backwards and forwards, or from side to side, and gently stirring up the mud. What they actually feed on is not at all well known and is one of the easy points still left for sportsmen to clear up, as it only means the examination of the internal economy of a few birds shot whilst they are in the act of feeding. We know that a considerable part of their diet is vegetarian, but they are also in all probability far more given to animal food than has generally been believed to be the case. Mr. Hagle Clarke, in his interesting article already referred to, came to the conclusion that the Flamingoes inhabiting the Rhone Delta existed almost entirely, if not quite, on a tiny Phyllopod, the brine-shrimp (Artemia salina), which he states is found there in marvellous abundance. The value of the Flamingo when divested of its feathers and placed on the table has been variously estimated. Some have said that skinned and well cooked it is equal to almost any duck in flavour, whilst, though few abuse it as fishy or nasty in any way, many have said and written that the flesh is black, flavourless, and stringy. Probably, as with so many true Ducks, it depends greatly on the bird’s diet and the length of time it has had to recover from its migratory flight. Doubtless birds just arrived, wanting food, and not very particular as to what they eat, are tough, and may acquire almost any taste. On the other hand, those that have had a good time to rest and gain flesh at the expense of muscle are tender, and those that have lived on a good diet are also well-flavoured. ~] PHENICONAIAS MINOR. (2) PHONICONAIAS MINOR. THE LESSER FLAMINGO. Pheniconaias minor, Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 18. Phenicopterus roseus, part., Jerdon, B. J. iii, p. 775. Phenicopterus minor, Hume, Str. Feath. i, p. 31: Adam, ibid. p. 400, li, p. 339; Hume, ibid. iv, p. 25; Butler, ibid. v, p. 234; Hume, ibid. viii, p. 114; 2d. Cat. no. 944 bis ; Butler, Str. Feath. ix, p. 486; Legge, B. of Cey. p. 1093; Hume, Str. Feath. x, p. 513; Barnes, B. of Bom. p- 393; Betham, Jour. B. N. H. S. xii, p. 222; Blanford, Fauna B. 1. iv, p. 410. Description. Adult male.—General colour a bright pale pink; feathers at the base of the bill crimson; the longest scapularies and median wing-coverts crimson, the latter edged paler: other wing-coverts and the edges of the under wing-coverts rosy, the greater under wing-coverts and quills black ; axillaries crimson ; rectrices darker and with the outer webs tinged with crimson; under tail-coverts subtipped with a tinge of crimson. Some old males, perhaps during the breeding-season only, have the feathers of the back with crimson shaft-stripes. Iris red minium ; bill dark lake-red, with the tip black ; feet red (Antinori). Length 34 to 38 inches, wing 13 to 14, tail about 5, culmen 4 to 4:25, tarsus 7°5 to 8-25. Female.—Similar to the male, but smaller and paler, without the crimson scapularies, and with no crimson on the back or breast. Length about 32 to 34 inches, wing 12-2 to 13, tail about 5 or less, culmen about 4. tarsus about 7°25. The young appears to be very like that of Pheenicopterus roseus, but with a more rosy and less brown or buff tinge about it. Altogether a brighter, paler bird. Halitat.—This bird is not spread over nearly so large an area as is the Common Flamingo. It appears to extend through South Africa on both coasts, but the extent of its range northwards on the West Coast is still doubtful. In the British Museum Catalogue, Salvadori marks its habitat Senegal with a “?”. In the East it is found on many parts of the coast. as far north as Abyssinia and also in Madagascar. From N.E. Africa it ‘extends to N.W. India, where, however, it is not found far south or far into the interior, nor is it found anywhere towards the east. It has been recorded from various parts of India from the end of September up to the beginning of July, and cannot breed very far from 8 INDIAN DUCKS. our shores. In all probability most of the birds which visit us breed on the west coast of the Red Sea, and if such is the case there would be nothing very remarkable in the shortness of the time elapsing between the departure of the last birds and the arrival of the earliest ones in the following September and October. It is, however, also just possible that the Lesser Flamingo may breed with us, as Major Betham in 1899 obtained in Baroda eggs which IL think were certainly those of a Flamingo, and probably those of the smaller species. Captain Cox, who took the eggs, wrote :—“ Found at Badalpur, on the north bank of the Mahi at its mouth. No nest. Eggs deposited on a mound or small island in brackish water. Another clutch of six existed, but they were taken by Muggurs.” . These eggs were, if I remember rightly, sent to me to look at, and differed from other Flamingoes’ eggs in having practically none of the chalky covering such as is usually found on them. It seems likely that none of the various species of Flamingoes migrate to any great distance, and some, as we know, are practically permanent residents of the countries they inhabit. In vol. vi. of ‘Stray Feathers’ Hume has the following note on this beautiful bird:—* We know but little yet of this species. I ascertained that it occurred in Scind in the early part of the hot weather. Captain Feilden shot it in July in Secunderabad. It has been seen on the great Majuffgarh Jheel, twenty miles north of Delhi, during the cold season ; and Mr. Adams has given us - full accounts of its occurrence in great numbers, but irregularly, at the Sambhar Lake. We have no record of its occurrence in any other part of Jodhpore, or in Kutch, or in Kathiawar.” In habits, the Lesser Flamingo seems to differ in no way from its larger cousin, and is just as wary a bird as the latter. It is on the Sambhar Lake alone, perhaps, that it has, as a species by itself, been observed in any number in India. There it was found to be an extremely wide-awake bird. Even in the middle of the day it rested well away from ali cover and was most difficult of approach. It feeds in the manner usual to the genus—that is to say in groups, the formation of which is generally a long line. ‘This line slowly advances through the shallow water, the long necks of the birds covering a radius of some two feet or so, as heads downwards they shovel and rake about in all directions in search of food. | The only note besides Betham’s I can find regarding the nidification of this Flamingo is that made in the Journal of the B. N. H. 8. by the PHENICONAIAS MINOR. My) late E. Barnes, who says that he obtained an egg from a fisherman, who found it on a sand-bank in the Indus. This egg, from its very small size, he believed to have belonged to the present species, and he adds that he examined the huge series of Flamingo eggs in the Frere Hall Museum, Karachi, but failed to detect any so small. There is no reason why the egg should not belong to P. minor, and Barnes was so careful in the statements he made, that this egg is more likely to belong to that bird than to P. roseus. % 10 INDIAN DUCKS. Suborder ANSERES. Family ANATID. Key to Subfamilies. A. Hind toes not lobed. a. Neck as long as, or longer than, the body . . . . 1. CyGnina. b. Neck not as long as body. a’, Hind toe rather long, tail-feathers rather ay Upper parts glossy . . . . Fume 2, PLECTROPTERIN «:. 6’. Hind toe moderate, tail-feathers ater sheet U pper parts not glossy. Nocere ....- . . 3 ANSERINE. B. Hind toe very narrowly lobed. c. Bill short and goose-like. . . . . . . . . . 4& CHENONETTINA. d. Bill rather flat and broad . . . oe tae: Nor) pases yan A UR eR C. Hind toe broadly lobed. e. Bill more or less depressed. c’. Tail-feathers normal . . . . iy = . ao 6 Pomeupins, d', Tail-feathers narrow and very stiff wan aie 7. ERISMATURINE. . f. Bill more or less compressed, never depressed. . . S. Miraina Subfamily CYGNIN AL. This subfamily contains but one genus (Cygnus) wnich is represented in India, the other two genera Chenopsis and Coscoroba being confined to Australia and South America only. The Swans are so easily identified by the veriest beginner, that it is not necessary to add anything to the above key, though there are a good many other distinctions they possess, besides the one named, interesting only from a scientific point of view. Key to Species. A. No knob at the base of the culmen ; lores yellow. Black apical portion of the bill generally does not extend above the nostrils, and on the sides only reaches halfway to the gape. Culmen exceeds 4 inches . . . . . 1 C. musicus, CYGNIN AI. 1k b. Black apical portion of the bill extends much above the nostrils and backwards to the gape. Culmen under EUR RG Feo me cat ae en eee eu ol! we vs | OY Gamtenees B. Culmen with a prominent knob at the base; lores black . . C. olor. Although C. bewicki has now been eliminated from the list of Indian birds, the key is allowed to stand as it is in the hope that it may be of use hereafter. ip INDIAN DUCKS. (3) CYGNUS MUSICUS. THE WHOOPER. Cygnus musicus, Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 26; Hume & Mar. Game-B. iii, p. 4; Blanford, Jour. B. N. H.S. xi, p. 306; Aitken, ibid. xiii, p. 362; Crerar, ibid. xv, p. 716; Blanford, Fauna B. I. iv, p. 414; Oates, Game-B. ii, p. 30. Cygnus ferus, Hume, Str. Feath. vii, pp. 106, 107, 464; vin, p. 114; ad. Cat. no. 944 quat. Description. Adult male and female.—Pure white, rarely showing a slight rufous-grey wash on the feathers of the head ; this is probably due to immaturity. Young.— Wholly a light brownish-grey. Nestling.— White down. Adult male.—Length 60 inches; expanse 95; wing 25°75; tail 7:5; bill along culmen (including bare space on forehead) 4°5, from tip to eye 5-16; tarsus 4:16. Weight 19 lbs. (Hume.) Total length about 5 feet; wing 25:5 inches, tail 8°5, culmen 4-2, tarsus 4°2. (Salvadori.) Female.—Leneth 52 inches; expanse 85; wing 23°5; tail 7°5; bill as above 4:5, to eye 4°84; tarsus 4. Weight 16°5 lbs. (Huine.) A young bird killed in March (in India ?) measured 44 inches in length and weighed 8°25 lbs. (/ume.) The young have the bill a dull flesh-colour, with the tip and margins black, which extends with advancing age until it leaves only an orange band across the nostrils, and the bases of both mandibles very pale yellowish-green or greenish- white. In the adult bird the bill has the terminal half black, the base and margins of the maxilla yellow; legs, toes, and webs black ; irides deep hazel. For very many years the only occurrence of this Swan in India was that recorded by Hodgson. Of this specimen a drawing was made by Hodgson, and the head and feet are in the British Museum, labelled C. bewicki. The latter have been carefully examined by Blanford and other authorities, and are now definitely accepted as being those of Cygnus musicus, and C. bewicki has therefore been expunged from our Indian fauna. Since my article was written for the Journal of the B. N. H. 8. there have been two more instances of the Whooper being obtained in India. The first was obtained by General W. Osborn on the 6th January, 1900, on the River Beas in the Hushiapur district of the Punjab, and its occurrence was reported in the ‘ Asian’ as follows :— Pigte ws 1, H.Gronvold. 2. J.G Keulemans del. d.Green, Chromo. Pore WHOOPER. Cygnus musicus. 2.THE MUTE SWAN. Cygnus olor. CYGNUS MUSICUS. 13 “While duck-shooting with a friend on the river Beas on the 6th January last, at a point just opposite Tulwara in the Hushiapur district, we saw four wild swans on the opposite side of the river. As there was no means of crossing, and the swans were too far and too wary to be reached even by my four-bore duck-gun, we sent back to camp for our "303 rifles, and with these weapons we managed to secure one of the four. When we recovered the bird we found it to be undoubtedly a ‘ Whooper ’ (Cygnus musicus), and its weight and measurements were as follows :— Weight 12 lbs.(?). Length from tip of bill to end of tail 4 feet 84 inches, spread of wing 7 feet 5 inches.” General Osborn in epistold added :—‘ The bird was only winged and swam about in the river for a considerable time before I could get a man to secure it; and as long as its companions remained in sight it continued to utter its long, loud, musical trumpet-call.” The second record is that of Mr. J. Crerar, who shot a young bird of this species on a sheet of water known as Changra Dhand, in the Rampur Taluka, Larkana District, Sind, on the 31st January, 1904. This bird seems to have been solitary. Its skin has been presented by the shooter to the Bombay Museum. Mr. J. W. Nicol Cumming obtained a fine specimen of the Whooper on the Farrah Rud on the 13th January, 1905, which had been killed on the Hamun-i-Sabari, on which it was reported numerous. The young are also said to be obtained in Seistan, so that, breeding so near India as this, we may hope to have many more records of its visiting our borders. It extends practically over the whole of Northern Europe and Asia, extending to Japan and Greenland. In the winter it works south and visits much of Southern Europe, and in Asia has been recorded from Japan, South Yezo, Shanghai, Corea, Teheran, &e. On the Caspian it is very common in the winter and a few even remain to breed about its northern shores. About Corea it cannot be said to be rare in winter, for Mr. C. W. Campbell remarks: “ In mild seasons I have noticed that a number of these swans pass the winter in a bend of the Han River, about three miles south of Soul.” In Iceland this was the only species of swan observed by Messrs. H. J. and C. E. Pearson, and in the ‘Ibis’ (1895, p. 243) they have the following note :—‘* Egos were taken on June 20th and 28th, but the weather among the hills had been so bad this spring that several pairs were only commencing to prepare their nests about the latter date. We afterwards saw a clutch of seven eggs, which had been recently taken. Although these birds sometimes breed on islands 14 INDIAN DUCKS. in the inhabited districts, it is little use to look for their eggs before you pass the ‘last farm,’ as they are generally taken either to eat or sell.” They also breed, but not, I believe, in great numbers, in South Green- land and in the north of Europe, and in Asia as far south as it is allowed by humanity—which is, of course, equivalent to slaughter. All Swans seem to have the same breeding-habits. They make huge nests of rushes, grass, and any other vegetable material which is soft enough and easily moved ; the preference is naturally given to such kind as is most handy. These are placed on the borders of marshes and swamps, often on islands situated in such places, sometimes actually in shallow water. More rarely they are placed by rivers, either up on the banks removed from the river itself, or in amongst the rank herbage bordering its course. When placed actually in water, the swans are said to raise their nests when it happens to rise and threatens to swamp them ; and as tame swans do this, it is in all probability true that the wild ones do also. They lay from four to eight eggs, but in captivity often lay a larger number still. I have known a tame duck-swan lay fourteen eggs in a sitting. According to Morris, the smaller number of eggs laid are generally those of young birds, whilst the greater number of eggs are laid by those fully adult. I should think, however, judging by analogy, that though birds of the first season may lay fewer eggs than is normal, it is, on the other hand, almost certain that very old birds lay but small clutches. Their breeding-season naturally varies very much according to the country they breedin. Inthe warmer—less cold would, perhaps, be a more correct expression—countries they commence breeding in May, but in Iceland, Greenland, &. they are normally at least a month later, and August even may still find some of the latest birds laying. Incubation lasts from 35 to 40 days, 37 being the most usual number of days for a swan to sit, though eggs of the same clutch. may vary considerably in this respect. Swans are very good parents and look after their young with the greatest care, the duck-bird often carrying her young ones about on her back whenever they want a rest. In the ‘Asian’ of the 5th March the following curious note was published ; and from the habitat of the swans mentioned, concerning which the note was written, it probably relates to C. musicus:— * A Scandinavian writer, cited by the * Zoologist,’ has recently described a curious method of capturing swans much employed for centuries past in the north-west of Iceland. * The swans, after moulting in autumn, leave CYGNUS MUSICUS. ‘1S the interior in order to reach the coast. The inhabitants of the coast and their dogs are prepared, and, when the birds approach, begin to make as much noise as they can by shouting, striking boards with stones, and making as much of a racket as possible. This noise has a powerful effect on the young swans, which, terrified and distracted, and not knowing which way to turn their heads, allow themselves to fall to the ground, when they are captured without any difficulty.’ Fear is likewise exploited in South America for. the capturing of another species of swan by the Guachos, ‘ who, when they perceive a flock, run towards it, keeping them- selves leeward to the wind, and concealing themselves. When they get close enough to the flock they spur up their horses and rush upon the birds with loud shouts. The swans, seized with fear, are unable to take flight, and allow themselves to be seized and slaughtered upon the spot.’ ” In spite of the beautiful novelty of this way of catching swans, Indian sportsmen had better keep to that dear old-fashioned weapon, the “ D.B.” breechloader, and leave the attempt to put salt on the ducks’ tails to Guachos, who can “run towards ” a flock on horseback by “ keeping lee- ward to the wind” and then “ spurring up their horses,” or to Icelanders, who are sufficiently distracting in their ways to confuse even the wily swan. The Whooper is said to have not nearly as stately or as graceful a carriage as the Common Swan, holding its neck in a much stiffer and more erect position than does that bird, which, of course, gives it a more jerky carriage when swimming. This trait may prove of use to the future sportsman or ornithologist, who sees swans at too great a distance to examine their bills, and thus to ascertain to what particular species they belong. 16 INDIAN DUCKS. (4) CYGNUS OLOR. THE MUTE SWAN. Cygnus olor, Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 35; Scully, Str. Feath. iv, p- 197; Blanford, ibid. vii, p. 99; Hume, bid. pp. 101, 106; Hume § Mar. Game-B. iii, p. 41; Macmullen, Jour. B. N. H. 8S. xiv, p. 156; Blanford, Fauna B. I. iv, p. 413; Oates, Game-B, ii, p. 26. Cygnus unwini, Blanford, Str. Feath. vii, p. 100; Hume, cbid. p. 104. Cygnus sp., Hume, Str. Feath. iv, p. 33; vii, p. 104. Description. Adult male——The whole plumage white, with the exception of the lores, which are black. Bul, the tubercle, base of maxilla, nostrils, margins, and nail black, remainder of maxilla reddish-horny ; mandible wholly black ; legs and feet dull black ; irides rich brown. Total length from 4:7 to 5:2 feet; wing 23 to 27 inches, tail about 10, culmen 4-2, tarsus about 4:5, but varying very much. Weight about 15 to 20 Ibs. ; in a wild state rarely running up to 24 or 25 lbs. ; in a tame state birds of 30 Ibs. may be met with, and heavier birds even than this have been recorded. | Female.—Smaller than the male, and with the tubercle at the base of the bill less developed. The neck is also more developed and the bird “ swims deeper in the water” (Hume). Inthe majority of the birds of this order the duck swims deeper than the drake, the reason of this being the different anatomical structure of the sexes. Length 4:2 to 48 feet ; wing 18 to 22 inches, tail under 10, culmen about 4, tarsus about 4:3. Young.—‘“ Plumage almost a sooty-grey ; neck and under surface of the body lighter in colour; beak lead-colour; nostrils and the basal marginal line black.” (Salvadori. ) Cygnets.—* Covered with soft brownish or dull ashy-grey down, which on the lower throat and breast becomes much paler, almost white; bill and legs lead- grey.” (Salvadori.) In India the specimens of the Mute Swan obtained are nearly all young ones, and these have the tubercle on the bill very slightly or not at all developed, but the feathers of the forehead at the base of the bill are prolonged to a point ‘slightly truncated ” (Hume). The range of this bird does not seem to be nearly as extensive as that of the previous bird and Cygnus bewicki, that is to say in a truly feral state. As a domestic bird it is, of course, almost cosmopolitan. In the summer, CYGNUS OLOR. 17% in its wild state, it is said to be found throughout the central and south- eastern parts of Hurope ; but it is more rare in the north, and is practically absent from the extreme north and the west. It has only twice been recorded from Heligoland—once in 1881, and once many years previous to that, both times in the winter. It extends throughout Prussia and ‘“ (. olor breeds in Russia. Writing of Eastern Prussia, Hartert says : small numbers in some of the greater lakes.” Breeding-places are recorded in West Turkestan and Siberia, and also in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and I believe in Greece and parts of the valley of the Danube. In Asia it is found in West Siberia and adjoining countries. In winter it extends its range to Northern Africa, but does not seem to work far to the west, through Egypt, Arabia, Asia Minor, and frequently into Afghanistan. North-west India is, however, the extreme south-east point to which it has penetrated, not being on record as yet as having been obtained in China and further east. In India it is only a rare winter visitor, except in very severe winters, when numerous specimens may sometimes be met with. As regards its occurrence within our limits, with the exception of comparatively recent records, I can merely quote what has already been written several times, YY 2 and pillage Hume and Marshall’s ‘ Game-Birds’ en bloc for the purpose, with many apologies to the authors. Hume gives it as a pretty regular, but rather rare, visitor to the Peshawar and Hazara districts, and as a strageler to Kohat, Rawalpindi, and the Trans-Indus portion of Scind. The first bird recorded in India was shot by W. Mahomed Umar Khan, and placed in the Peshawar Museum, from which place it even- tually came into Hume’s possession. This bird may be the one now in the British Museum, marked “2. Im. sk. Peshawar, June,” only that W. Mahomed Umar Khan got his bird in January, not June. Regarding this bird, Hume got the following letter, which he printed evtenso in ‘Game-Birds’ and which is again produced here, together with other letters from various sportsmen who have had the luck to obtain swans :-— “Tn the month of January, 1857, I shot this swan in the Peshawar district in the Shah Alum river, about a mile and a half on this side of the Kabul River. Neither before nor after have I seen other swans, but a few years after I killed it, [ heard from the shikaries of Hashtnagar (also in the Peshawar district) that they had recently seen five of these birds in Agra (?) village lake, in this same district, but had failed to shoot any.” 18 INDIAN DUCKS. The next birds Hume got were a pair of young birds received from Captain Unwin in 1871. These birds were for some time thought to be a new species, and were called Cygnus unwini, after Captain Unwin who shot them, and who wrote to Hume about them in the letter here given :— “To-day, while duck-shooting on the Jubbee stream on the border of the Hazara and Rawalpindi districts, during a short halt for breakfast on the banks of the nullah, I was attracted by seeing two large white birds flying over the stream, some 250 yards lower down. The Jubbee here has a wide stony bed, with a small stream in the centre forming occasional pools, in one of which the birds seemed inclined to alight. Changing their intention, however, they came flying up, and passed me at a distance of about 60 yards ; to my surprise and delight, I recognized in them most undoubted wild swans. Firing with loose shot at that distance was useless, so I watched in the hope that they would settle in some of the pools higher up in the stream and thereby afford a stalk, but they con- tinued their slow heavy flight until I lost sight of them in the distance. Concluding that they would not stop until they reached the Indus some 20 miles off, I was returning to my breakfast, a sadder and wiser man, when, in taking a last Jook in this direction, I saw them returning. I hastily got into the centre of the nullah, in their line of flight, and as they arose slightly, to avoid me, fired both barrels, No. 3 shot, at the leader. She (for it proved to be the female) staggered but went on, slowly sinking, until she settled in a large pool about 400 yards off, accompanied by her mate, who alighted close behind her. “The pool, being commanded by a high bank, offered an easy stalk, and getting round into a favourable position, I found the swans about 20 yards from me. A crowd of Gadwall (C. streperus), which was close by, took flight on seeing me, but the swan nobly stuck by his mate, and paid dearly for his fidelity, and shortly I had the satisfaction of landing them both. “The villagers, who collected the birds, gave the local name as ‘ Penr ’ (pronounced with a nasal 7), and told me that the birds came there occa- sionally once in every three or four years.” In 1878 other three swans were obtained in the Sewan district, Scind, somewhere near the Manchur Lake, by Mr. E. H. Watson, after he had previously seen some birds of the same species in the lake itself, doubtless the same flock, from which he afterwards obtained specimens. Besides these, a good number seem to have been seen, and in four cases CYGNUS OLOR. 19 a pair were shot; but in no cases were the skins preserved, though Hume seems to have been satisfied that they were C. olor. Mr. Hill, of the Rifles, also shot a swan, which was said to be C. olor, but again the skin was not preserved. Mr. Watson writes of his birds :—‘*I shot three swans this morning. As far as I can judge they are identical with the Indian species (that is, the tame swan). There were five on a small ‘dhan’ or tank, about half a mile or less in length, by a quarter of a mile or less in breadth. I went to shoot ducks, but seeing these large white birds, I went after them, and recognised them to be the same as those I had seen on the Manchar. They let a boat get pretty close and I shot one. The other four flew round the tank a few times, and then settled on it again. I went up in the boat and fired again, but without effect. They flew round and then settled again. The third time I shot another; the remaining three again flew round and settled, and the fourth time I fired I did not kill. Exactly the same thing happened the fifth time, the birds flew round and settled close tome, and I shot a third. The remaining two flew a little distance and settled ; but I thought it would be a pity to kill them. I considered that there would be more than I could skin myself (for I have no one to do it for me), so I began to shoot ducks, and then the remaining swans flew by me, one on the right, and one on the left, so that I could have easily: knocked them over with small shots. However, I spared them, and came home with three.” Everyone will notice how remarkably tame and confiding the above swans were. Were it not for the date on which they were shot, the 12th February, one would have imagined that they were birds exhausted by their flight on migration : as it is, there is no explanation beyond the fact that the birds were young in age, and even younger in experience. In the same year as that in which Mr. Watson obtained the swans—but, strange to say, in the month of June—three more birds were seen, of which two were shot, one by Major Waterfield, which was identified as Cygnus olor, and one by Mr. D. B. Sinclair. This last, most unfortunately, went bad before it could be examined by anyone competent to decide the species, and though, in all probability, the bird was C. olor, the point must remain in obscurity. Even later than this, swans were seen in that year, for, on the 7th July, Mr. Sinclair wrote to Mr. Hume to tell him that there was still one more swan on the Gulabad jhil, a body of water some two miles north-east of Peshawar. Since 1878, we have had no further records until 1900, when the appearance of numerous birds of this species is recorded C2 20 INDIAN DUCKS. by Mr. Macmullen, whose articles in the ‘ Bombay Journal’ (in loc. cit.) I reproduce in full :— “During the months of January, February, and March, 1900, it was extremely cold in Sind, and several swans were seen, of which some were shot and some were captured. “January 10th—Nine swans were seen on the Hubb River, about 15 miles from Karachi. Two were killed by Mr. Jones, of the Indo- European Telegraph Department, who says the birds were very tame. One was killed with a rifle, and one with a shot-gun ; the remaining seven birds did not appear to be much alarmed, for they flew some five hundred yards down the stream and settled again. “Saturday, 13th January, 1900.—Hight swans flew over the tennis courts at Kotri, about one hundred yards off and about thirty yards high, at about 5.30 p.m. Several people were on the courts at the time; I could clearly see what the birds were, and called out ‘ Swans.’ “One of these birds came to grief against the telegraph wires, which here span the Indus, and was captured by Mr. Cumming, platelayer, who says that the bird was unable to rise off the ground, but ran at great speed three or four times, one hundred yards at a go, before it was killed by his coolies. The bird is stuffed (after a fashion) by the taxidermist of the Karachi Museum. It is a young bird of a sooty-white colour, and fairly long buff-coloured crest at the back of its head. “ Fepruary 14th.—Two swans—adult birds—were captured in ordinary duck-nets, at Sita Road Station: one died soon after its capture ; the other bird I procured, and presented to the Karachi Gardens on the 6th February, 1901. This bird is still living (8th June, 1901). “Some time early in February 1900, eight swans were seen at Boston on the Beluchistan frontier—four of these birds were shot, three dead and one winged ; this latter bird is still alive, I believe. Mr. Matthews, platelayer, who shot them, says that it was bitterly cold at the time, and the birds were fairly tame. * About the middle of March a swan was shot on the Munchar Lake by Mr. Cross, of the I.C.S8., who says the bird was among a lot of duck, and fairly easy of approach. “At the end of March ten swans were seen for three consecutive days on the Laki Lake. On the third day Mr. Vivien, platelayer, fired nine shots at them before they flew away. He used an ordinary 12-bore gun and No. 1 shot. He says that the birds were about a hundred yards away on the water and that he could hear the shots rattle against them. CYGNUS OLOR. 2] “On 27th April one was shot by Mr. Wragge, platelayer, Meting. The river Indus runs about twelve miles from Meting. The bird was seated on a small sand-drift close to the bank. No. 2 shot at about 40 yards.” In addition to the above, there is a letter from Major-General Egerton, 1900, which records his having seen “a herd of eight swans of the mute variety at Kundian on the opposite side of the Indus”; and he adds: “Swans have been most unusually common this year in the Punjab, and several specimens have been secured in the Peshawar district and near Dera Ismail Khan.” This swan is said to breed gregariously, so it is to be presumed that it is not so pugnacious a bird in its feral as in its domestic state. Certain birds which belonged to Shakespeare’s birthplace used to breed every year on the River Avon; but these showed the keenest jealousy of one another, and no approach of any strange swan was allowed within 200 yards of the nest by the owners thereof. It must be added that their ire was roused equally as much by the advent of humanity as that of their own kind. Boats were always greeted by the most war-like demon- strations and canoes not unfrequently upsct, their occupants being more or less damaged by the furious birds, which made for them in the water, attempting to beat them under with their wings. These swans, like most others of the species, generally chose small islands well covered with bushes and rushes as sites for their nests—most often selecting a mass of rushes close to the river’s edge in which to place it. Now and then, but not often, one might be found well inland amongst the bushes. The site taken up by the birds was not always above flood-level, and whenever the river rose they were forced to add largely both to the height and bulk of the nest, in order that the water should not wash away the eggs. They appeared to have no difficulty in working the materials under their eggs, nor have I ever heard of their upsetting them when so employed. Occa- sionally, however, when much frightened, or when rushing to repel an enemy, they sweep an egg or two into the water. They sometimes make use of an immense amount of material in constructing their nests, and one such—in the Avon above mentioned—must have contained a couple of cartloads of weeds. What it was originally I do not know, but when I first saw it, after a small flood, the diameter of the base must have been ten or twelve feet, and it was close on six feet high. 22 INDIAN DUCKS. Subfamily PLECTROPTERIN A. Key to Genera. a. A large fleshy comb at the base of the culmen in the RIE. os yo cit oe, Ne a Se seas }. No comb at the base of the culmen. a’, Bill at least equal to double the length at base. a’. Outline of the loreal feathering at the base of the bill with the convexity anteriorly . . . . . 2, Asarcornis. hb", Outline of loreal feathering straight and inclined 1. Sarcidiornis. beekwardsri: tc a teers hers ae oy a erie 3. Ithodonessa. i’. Bill not so long as double the length at base; head Hoterasbel.. << al Seen ee Se «es 6 pce errors tte ait Vieaderested