58 BIRDS OF ICELAND 



tunities, knows so much about his country's birds ; the 

 average Englishman knows a good deal less. 



The drake, as two of its vernacular names seem to 

 imply, has a red head and neck, with a light buff 

 crown ; breast white ; mantle grey pencilled with 

 black ; ' shoulder ' white ; speculum glossy green with 

 black border. Length 18 inches, wing lOi inches. 

 The female is flecked with liojht brown all over, more 

 buff below ; has the green speculum and also the white 

 shoulder. 



The nest is placed amongst sedges or thick grass 

 or under a willow bush near water, and in it are laid 

 six to ten eggs of a light glossy cream colour, in length 

 2 J inches. I once found a Wigeon's nest with two 

 or three Pintail's eggs in it, and the two birds seemed 

 to be in perfect harmony ; but I suspect that ' ructions ' 

 would ensue when the ducklings appeared. The 

 Wigeon feeds on bog grasses and vegetable matter, 

 and is always good for the table. 



[Fuligula ferina (Linn.). Pochard. 



Native name : ? ' Eau5hofSa-ond ' (parti m). 



Mohr {Forsog, 1781) reports having seen a Pochard 

 in the EyjafjorSr; and on June 20, 1860 (a fruitful 

 year in novelties), a Herr Gehin is related by Preyer 

 to have shot another on the lake at ]9ingvellir, in the 

 south, which he (Preyer) subsequently saw (Beise, 

 p. 430). No one has seen this species in Iceland 

 since. 



