608 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XU. 



It is a fine, rapid and graceful swimmer, the water — not land or air — 

 being its real element. Finn notes : " This Pochard swims particularly 

 low in the water, and very much down by the stern." The notes of 

 this ornithologist on duck habits and manners are in great part made 

 not only from wild birds, viewed of necessity from some distance, but 

 also from close observation of birds in captivity, and are, in conse- 

 quence, worthy of careful attention. 



They are, of course, like all other Pochards, wonderful divers, and 

 the greater part of their food is obtained by diving ; but they will 

 also dive and swim after one another in play, and Hume remarks that 

 when thus playing they seem to sit far more lightly on the water than at 

 other times. 



Their powers of flight are not equal to those of swimming and diving ; 

 once on the wing, they go away at a good pace, but they are slow off 

 the water and awkward as well. 



Hume noticed that when there is a wind, they always, if possible, 

 rise against it. This is not, however, I think, typical any more of these 

 ducks than it is of most, if not nearly all water-birds, as well as many 

 land ones. In the old days, when adjutants were so common in Cal- 

 cutta, one could, during the rains, watch one or more any day getting up 

 off the maidan there, first expanding its huge wings and then going off 

 in ungainly strides until the wind worked against and under its broad 

 sails when a lusty kick or two shot it off the ground. 



On land, too. Pochards are very clumsy and slow, though they can 

 walk well enough when pushed to it. 



Principally night-feeders, they also feed throughout the day, ex- 

 cept in the hottest hours, where they are not interfered with. Hume 

 once or twice caught them feeding on wild rice on land, but their feeding 

 thus is, I should think, quite exceptional, and nearly all their diet is one 

 obtained from fairly deep water amongst roots and similar things. 



Normally they would appear to be neither very shy nor yet very 

 tame, but it takes very little shooting to make them most decidedly the 

 former ; and then, owing to their keeping so much to the centre of the 

 water they frequent, thoy are by no means easy to get within shot of. 



I do not remember ever to have heard the Pochard utter any sound 

 other than that characterized by Hume and other writers as ''^kurr-kurrJ' 

 It is like that of the White-eye, but harsher and louder. 



