THE POCHARDS. 9 



II. THE WVIITE-EYED POCHARD. NYROCA NYROCA. 



A/ias ?iy?'oca, Giild. N. Comm. Petrop. xiv. pt. i. p. 403 (1769). 

 Fviigu/a tiyroca, Alacg. Br. B. v. p. 113 (1852); Sceb. Br. B. 



iii. p. 571 (1885); Sajjnders, ed. Yarr. Br. B. iv. p. 418 



(1885); id. Man. Br. B. p. 433 (1859); Lilford, Col. Fig. 



Br. B. part xiv. (1890). 

 Nyroca ferriigi?iea (Gm.), Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 581, pi. 438 



(1872); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 130(1883). 

 Nyroca africa7ia, Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. IMus. xxvii.p. 345 (1895.) 



Adult Male. — General colour above dusky-brown with an 

 oily-green gloss, with scarcely perceptible vermiculations of 

 lighter brown ; the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 

 black ; wing-coverts brown, faintly vermiculated with lighter 

 brown ; greater series blacker, with a slight green gloss ; 

 bastard-wing and primary-coverts blackish ; primaries exter- 

 nally blackish, as well as at the ends of the inner webs; 

 the rest of the inner web pure white, which extends on to the 

 outer web of the inner primaries ; the secondaries white, with 

 a broad black band at the ends, the innermost secondaries 

 black with an oily-green gloss ; tail bronzy-black ; crown of 

 head slightly crested and bright chestnut, as also the sides of 

 face, sides of neck, sides of mantle, throat, and upper breast ; 

 on the chin a white spot ; round the lower throat a blackish 

 collar, which joins on the hind-neck and extends to the middle 

 of the mantle, which is dusky-brown washed with rufous ; lower 

 breast and abdomen white ; sides of the body chestnut, inclin- 

 ing to brown near to the sides of the vent ; under tail-coverts 

 white, with a patch of black near the outer base ; axillaries and 

 under wing-coverts white ; quill-lining also whitish ; "bill black, 

 bluish-black, and dark leaden, often browner below ; legs and 

 toes slate-colour, leaden, or dusky-grey ; the tarsi often with a 

 greenish tinge ; the claws and w^ebs dusky-black ; iris white or 

 greyish-white" {A, O. Hume). Total length, 16-5 inches; cul- 

 nien, i-6; wing, 7-4 ; tail, 2-3; tarsus, 1-25. 



Adult Female, — Lighter brown than the male above, the 

 feathers with sandy-buff margins, producing a mottltd ap- 

 pearance ; the wings as in the male ; the crown of the head 

 dark chestnut-brown, the sides of the face and throat a little 

 clearer chestnut with a white chin-spot ; the fore-neck and 



