l66 SCAUP. POCHARD. 



FULIGULA MARILA— Scaup. 



The Wild Duck there, 

 Gluts on the fat'nine^ ooze, or steals the spawn 

 Of teeming shoals, her more delicious feast. 



SouERYiLLJi— Field Sports. 



The Scaup Duck is a regular visitor to the estuaries, and low, 

 flat, muddy shores of the sea-coast, and is very abundant in the 

 north. It comes late in October, and rarely visits inland waters. 

 It is a fat, showy Duck, very wary, and difficult to approach, and 

 except as a specimen of Natural History is of very little use when 

 it is obtained. Its flesh is not good, being coarse, dark-coloured, 

 and fishy. The only recorded occurrence of the Scaup, in Hereford- 

 shire, is in Mr. Lingwood's notes, where it is said, " seen in the 

 flesh at Baker's, the bird-stuffer, Hereford, in 185 1." 



FULIGULA FERINA— Pochard. 



This Duck is also called Dun-bird, Red-headed Poker, or 

 Red-eyed Poker, from the reddish-chestnut colour of its head and 

 neck. It is a regular winter visitor from the beginning of October, 

 and leaves in spring for higher northern regions. It does not 

 confine itself to the shores and bays of the coast, but visits also the 

 fresh-water rivers and lakes of the interior, and is often caught in 

 considerable numbers in the decoys. It is much more at home on 

 the water — where it swims and dives most easily — than it is on 

 land, where its gait is difficult and clumsy. Its food, according to 

 Meyer, is obtained chiefly by diving ; and consists of the roots, 

 seeds, blossoms, stalks, and young shoots of water-plants, such as 

 Zostera marina^ glasswrack, or Ruppia ?narttima, sea-grass ; with 

 small frogs, aquatic insects, and spawn of sea-fish, with Crustacea 

 and mollusca. When feeding on vegetables its flesh is excellent, 

 and ranks equally high for the table with the Shoveller, and the 

 celebrated Canvas-back Duck. 



