444 COMMON POCHARD. 



A tolerable number nest in Denmark, Germany, Poland and suit- 

 able localities throughout the rest of Europe, sojourning on the 

 lakes of the High Alps on their way to the Mediterranean, to 

 which, and to North Africa as far as the Egyptian lakes, large flocks 

 resort in winter ; while a few visit the Canaries. Eastward, the 

 Pochard extends in summer across temperate Asia to the Baikal 

 district, but not further north ; and southward in winter it reaches 

 Japan, China, and India down to lat. 15° N. In America the 

 representative is a closely-allied species, F. aniericana^ with no black 

 at the base of the bill, greyer back, and whiter belly. The famous 

 Canvas-back also belongs to this genus, and is sometimes sent over 

 from America in ice. 



The nest is placed among rushes, sedge or other coarse herbage, 

 near the margins of meres and pools ; the greenish-drab eggs being 

 7-10 or even 13 in number: measurements 2"4 by 1*7 in. The 

 Pochard is excellent for the table so long as it eats the plants which 

 grow below the surface of our inland waters, but when on the sea it 

 becomes coarse, owing to a diet of crustaceans and molluscs. It 

 feeds principally towards dark, at which time large numbers are 

 captured in nets set for the purpose, but from decoys its diving- 

 powers often enable it to escape. The usual note of the male is a 

 low whistle, but the alarm-cry of both sexes is a rough ciirre, whence 

 comes one of the bird's local names. In captivity it has been 

 known to breed, but not freely. Wild birds have several times been 

 obtained which appear to be hybrids between this species and the 

 Ferruginous Duck. One of these is the so-called ' Paget's Pochard ' 

 described by W. R. Fisher (Zool. p. 1137 and p. 1778), shot on 

 Rollesby Broad, Norfolk, and now in the possession of Mr. J. H. 

 Gurney, who has a second example, shot in the same county in 

 February 1859. A third is in the Booth collection; and a fourth, 

 caught alive at Saham-Toney Mere on January 9th 1897, is still 

 (August 1898) living at Keswick Hall, Norwich. This hybrid has 

 been named F. homey eri and F.ferinoides. 



The adult male has the head and neck chestnut-red ; breast and 

 upper back black ; mantle finely freckled with lavender-white and 

 black ; wing-patch grey but inconspicuous ; under parts greyish- 

 white ; tail-coverts black : bill black with a broad band of blue across 

 the middle ; iris ruby-red; legs and toes bluish-grey. Length 19 in. ; 

 wing 8 '2 5 in. The female has the iris brown ; head, neck and breast 

 dull brown; chin white ; the rest of the plumage being browner 

 than in the male. The young at first resembles her; the black 

 breast is not assumed by the drake during his first year. 



