In Sind, where it is much rarer than the Grey Lag, it is
almost confined to the course of the Indus, and Doig says, he
never met with it on the Eastern Narra. I have no record of
its occurrence in Cutch, Kathiawar, Gujarat, the Konkan, or
the Deccan. Even in the southern part of the Central Provinces,
it seems rare, and south of this it is, as a rule, extremely
rare. But Major Mc.Inroy tells me, that it occurs in large
numbers in the Chitaldroog District of Mysore, and he has
heard that it is also found along the banks of the Kaveri,
south-east of Mysore, while Mr. Theobald has shot it in
Coimbatore.* Though it has not, I believe, ever been procured
in Ceylon, Jerdon in his first Catalogue, (Madr. J. of Science,
&c, 1840, 218,) remarks:—"This Goose is not so common in
Southern India as it appears to be in Bengal and the more
northern provinces ; but I have seen it in pairs in August,
within a few miles of Cape Comorin, and once or twice in flocks
of fifteen or twenty in large tanks, on the central table land."
The passage italicised is inexplicable, as before August, every
Barred-Goose has left India for more temperate climes ; but
Jerdon's subsequent statement, in the Birds of India, " that he had
seen a pair at the southern extremity of the continent," and
that these were perhaps wounded birds, may help to explain
the matter.
During the cold weather these birds occur, not only in the
plains, but far up into the Himalayas in the valleys of the large
rivers, often to elevations of 4,000 and 7,000 feet, in the lakes of
Cashmere, &c, &cc.
I am not aware that this species has been observed in any
part of British Burma (Tickell says it is quite unknown in
Arakan); but Dr. Anderson tells us, that " occasionally large
flocks of this bird were observed at various parts of the Irrawaddy
above Mandelay, and on the sandbanks in the Tapeng,
and on the old rice flats behind the village."
This species occurs and breeds in all the lakes of Tibet
in the eastern portions of Western Turkestan, and in Yarkand.
Major Biddulph writes to me : " I saw one on the small Pamir
Lake on our way back in May, and also all along the Aktash
Stream in the same month."
It was obtained at Lake Baikal by Dybowski, (and probably
occurs throughout Central and Southern Siberia), and in the
Kokonor in Chinese Tibet by Prjevalski.
* Mr Albert Theobald says :—" I have not seen this Goose south of Coimbatore.
I have shot them in the Collegal Taluq only ; they come at the end of November or
early in December, and leave about February or March—a few stragglers being
found in April in the Agaroram tank about 3 miles from Collegal. They are far
from common, only a few, ten to twenty, being found in a flock.
" During the day they keep floating idly in the centre of some tank or river, and
as soon as it gets dusk, they all leave it and go to the paddy fields to pick up the
fallen grain after harvesting, and even pick the grain off the standing crop. They
return to the tanks or river at 0 or 7 in the morning."
The latter remarks:—"As far as we can judge from our
observations, the northern limit of the distribution of this bird
is formed by the Kokonor basin and the river Tetunga ; and
the same localities are probably also the eastern boundary, as
this species docs not occur in China proper."
Of course Lake Baikal is a thousand miles north of the
Kokonor, but what Prjevalski's researches seem to show, is, that
from the Kokonor it neither goes eastwards into China nor
north-eastwards into Mongolia.
Broadly speaking, we may define the distribution of this
species as India and Independent Burma in the winter, and
Central Asia, due north of these up to about the 5 3 0 North
Latitude in summer.
I CANNOT remember ever seeing the Barred-headed Goose in
the Doab before the 15th of October* and in the North-West
Provinces the majority do not arrive until quite the close of
that month. In the North-West Punjab they appear a little
earlier I believe, and further south they are later.
In the Doab, the great majority leave by the end of March,
but I have shot them in Etawah as late as the 10th of April, and
near Jhelum on the 20th of that month. Further south they
leave a good deal earlier.
Their movements are, I apprehend, a great deal governed by
the harvest; as soon as all the crops arc cut and carried, and
the stubbles have been pretty well gleaned, they disappear.
Taking Upper India as a whoic, this species enormously
outnumbers all the other species of Geese put together. I
think that at least five of the Barred-heads visit India to every
one of the Grey Lags, and as for all the rest of the Geese they
are apparently so rare that when one comes to consider numbers,
they are not worth speaking about.
* According to Tickell they reach Bengal too about this time. I rather doubt their
getting to Diamond Harbour, where he says he saw so many, as early as this, but
his remarks are interesting and I reproduce them. He says :—"Theyare fust noticed
in Bengal about the middle of October, flying like the Crane in single diagonal (or
echelon) lines, or in two lines, forming an acute angle. At such times their mingled
voices sound like ill-blown clarionets, each emitting a single note. As they wend
along in the air the leading bird is seen every four or five minutes to drop to the
rear, its place being immediately filled by the next one, who is in turn relieved by
the next, and so on. This movement is to be seen amongst Cranes, Pelicans,
Spoonbills, Swans, and other birds which perform long migratory voyages; from
which it would seem that the leading bird meeis with greater resistance from the air
than do the succeeding files, and thus requires to be relieved after a certain time from
his post.
" When about to settle, the line breaks up, and the birds mingling together sweep
round in circles, approaching nearer and nearer to the earth, till, with a great flapping
of wings, they settle. When on the ground they preserve something like order,
keeping one or more sentries on the look-out while the rest are grazing. The flight
of this bird is like that of some of the larger Ducks, with a stiffly outstretched neck ;
but its larger flapping wings, moved with slower strokes, serve readily to distinguish
it at any distance. During the day they repose near tile water's edge, on sand-flats ;
and in such open situations it is vain to attempt approaching them, unless in a nalt\e
diu^hec, which must be so managed as to appear to be passing heedlessly."