Ebook: The Indian ducks and their allies

Bombay: Bombay Natural History Society, 1908. - 376 p.
In 1896 the Honorary Secretary of the Bombay Natural History Society induced me to write a series of articles on our Indian Chenomorphydae, 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. That the raison (Vetre 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 were 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 leader.