212 BIRDS OP NORFOLK. 



it regularly frequents our broads and rivers, where 

 the young birds are amongst the earliest fowl obtained 

 by the gunners in most seasons. Fine old males, with 

 long crests and rich glossy plumage, are more generally 

 killed during sharp weather. Mr. Lubbock remarks 

 that at such times the tufted duck ' follows the course 

 of the rivers in its evening flight, until it has occasionally 

 come quite into the heart of Norwich, and been sur- 

 prised by daylight.' An instance of this kind occurred 

 in January, 1856, when a bird of this species was killed 

 on the basin of Heigham Waterworks." 



On the larger broads, in severe weather, old birds are 

 not infrequent, but they are far outnumbered by those in 

 immature plumage. Mr. Booth states that this species 

 and golden-eyes are often found associated, and both alike 

 are known as "black and white pokers" by the local 

 gunners. They are very expert divers, and the late Mr. 

 Thomas Edwards told Mr. Stevenson that, having occa- 

 sion to remove some pinioned birds from a ]3Gnd at Thick- 

 thorn, he had the greatest difficulty in capturing them by 

 means of nets, with which he succeeded in surrounding 

 them. One tufted duck he could see in the clear water 

 dive and swim round and round to find an opening to 

 avoid the net, " and attempt to go down into the mud 

 at the bottom of the lake, and grub its way under the 

 net like a rat." This was done some eight or ten times 

 by the same bird, and the time it remained under water 

 was quite extraordinary. It will readily be imagined 

 that this species is equally as difficult to capture in the 

 decoy as the pochard ; and although, perhaps, less rarely 

 than the latter, still it seldom figures in the decoyman's 

 returns. Mr. Lubbock mentions that on one occasion, 

 in the winter of 1848-9, his friend Mr. Kerrison took 

 eleven of these ducks and a pochard at once in his decoy. 

 These he pinioned and turned down, but they escaped 

 into the broad. 



The tufted duck takes its departure about the same 

 time as the wigeon, and is frequently seen on the broads 

 as late as the middle of March, on the 12th of which 

 month, in 1889, Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., and myself saw 

 about ten, mostly magnificent males, with other fowl, 

 on Holkham Lake; on the 18th March, 1881, Mr. 



