BRITISH BIRDS. 1 1 9 



white occurs on the centre of each wing; the bill is blue; 

 the eye pale yellow ; and the legs and feet bluish green. 

 Longti), 1 foot 5 inches. The female is dull brown. 



They are winter visitors in Northern Britain, and feed 

 on aquatic plants and insects, fish, etc. 



The nest is placed among grass or rushes, and contains 

 eight or nine bufF-coloured eggs, with a greenish tinge. 



It breeds in confinement, and is readily domesticated. 



In the summer the male assumes a brown plum.age, but 

 the middle part of the breast is white, and the vent dull 

 yellow. 



Scaup. — Bill blue ; head, neck, upper part of breast and 

 of back dark blue, with metallic lustre ; back and lesser 

 wing coverts grey, with a brown tinge in the former and a 

 bluish one in the latter, all thickly marked with narrow, 

 black, undulating lines : the upper and lower tail coverts 

 have a greenish tinge ; the tail is grey, and the rest of the 

 plumage white. Female darker. Length, 1 foot 9 inches. 

 The}' are compact and thickset, and are much esteemed for 

 the table. Food much the same as other ducks. 



As they are winter visitors to Britain, not much is 

 known of their breeding habits, but the eggs are said to be 

 covered with down, and to number from six to eight, of a 

 dull brownish yellow colour. 



Pochard. — Bill parti-coloured, black at base and tip, and 

 lead blue in centre ; head and upper part of neck rufous 

 brown, with small black pencillings ; lower half of neck 

 and breast blackish blue ; rump and over and under tail 

 coverts black ; lower breast white ; back grey, shaded with 

 brown, marked with numerous grey undulating lines ; 

 bt'lly and sides the same, but the undulations lighter. 

 Length, 1 foot 7^ inches. The female has the bill black, 

 and is altogether browner in appearance. 



The pochard is a winter visitor to Britain, and occurs 



