. Birds. Birds. CASAEOA. 42& upper tail-coverts,, tail, and quills black ; the secondaries metallic green and bronze on their outer webs ; inner tertiaries orange- brown on outer webs, grey on inner ; wing-coverts whitish bufE; wing-lining white; middle of lower abdomen to vent chestnut; lower tail-LOverts orange-brown like Fig. 108.—Head of C. mtila. Females are, as a rule, duller in tint and the head whitish or white; the black collar is always wanting. The plumage in both sexes varies considerably in depth of tint. Bill, legs, and feet black or blackish ; irides dark brown. Len
. Birds. Birds. CASAEOA. 42& upper tail-coverts,, tail, and quills black ; the secondaries metallic green and bronze on their outer webs ; inner tertiaries orange- brown on outer webs, grey on inner ; wing-coverts whitish bufE; wing-lining white; middle of lower abdomen to vent chestnut; lower tail-LOverts orange-brown like Fig. 108.—Head of C. mtila. Females are, as a rule, duller in tint and the head whitish or white; the black collar is always wanting. The plumage in both sexes varies considerably in depth of tint. Bill, legs, and feet black or blackish ; irides dark brown. Length of male 26; tail 5; wing 15; tarsus 2-5; bill from gape 2"3. Females are smaller, wing 13. Distribution. The Buddy Sheldrake is a migratory bird, breeding in Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Western and Central Asia. Great numbers breed in Ladak and other parts of Tibet, also in Tarkand. The bird is a winter visitor to India, arriving about October, and leaving Southern India in March and Northern India in April, a few pairs remaining later in each case; it is found in suitable places throughout the Peninsula, except on the Malabar coast. It is of rare occurrence in Ceylon. It is found in Baluchistan and Afghanistan, Assam, Manipur, and the Irrawaddy valley, but not in Tenasserim nor the Malay countries, though it is met with in China and Japan. Habits, dfc. In India this species is very common on all rivers of any size, generally sitting in pairs on the sand by the riverside during the day. It feeds partly on grass or crops like geese, partly^ on mollusca and Crustacea; it swims well, but is not often seen on the water. The story that is told of its eating carrion is very improbable, but it may visit carcases in order to feed on insects. Occasionally the pairs collect into ilocks, but this is exceptional. Birds may often be seen about tanks or marshes, but rivers are their regular haunt, by day or night, and it is diffi- cult, so long as one is on an Indian river,
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