WATER BIRDS. 221 
sheltered margin is a favourite haunt, and there in the 
daytime they float lazily about in large parties, betaking 
themselves at dusk to their feeding grounds. They 
generally arrive at the end of September or beginning 
of October, if the season is open, and take their depar- 
ture about the middle of March; but I have seen strag- 
glers a month later, 
The Widgeon (A. Penelope) arrives about the same 
time as the teal, and frequents the same localities, but it 
is scarcely so numerous. I have often met with it on 
our streams, while the teal confines itself more strictly 
to the lakes, and have frequently heard their whistling 
cry while passing overhead in an evening, when I could 
not distinguish them. I am not aware of any instance 
of either of the last-named species breeding with us. 
I must now pass over a number of species which are 
either but rare visitors to this country, or are strictly 
maritime in their habits—and in consequence are not to 
be expected to be found in my list—and come to that 
prettily marked duck the Red-headed Pochard (A. 
fervna), a few specimens of which are seen every winter. 
I cannot call it a common bird, though, as it is partial to 
quiet shaded streams in preference to more open waters, 
it perhaps escapes observation ; a large number, how- 
ever, frequented Thoresby Lake in the winter of 1860, 
and many were killed on the stream at New England, 
and Houghton, and other places. 
Thoresby Lake is visited with great regularity every 
winter by large flocks of the Tufted Duck (A. fuligula). 
This is a small but lively species, constantly diving, but 
exceedingly shy and wary in its habits, and difficult of 
approach. In some years it is very numerous, as, for in- 
stance, in 1854, when I counted above one hundred 
