49 



verse lines of black on a greyish-white ground ; greater \ving-coverts 

 and primaries greyish-black, the latter darkest at the tips ; seconda- 

 ries white, forming the speculum ; tips of the feathers black, edged 

 \vith \vhite ; rump, tail, upper and under tail-coverts brownish black ; 

 belly mottled, the tips of the feathers being white, the remaining 

 portion brownish ; bill and legs bluish slate ; the tip of the former 

 and the webs and clatvs of the latter black ; the eyes stravv-colour. 

 The young birds differ in having the head, neck and breast of a 

 lighter and brighter chestnut-red (becoming darker as the bird ad- 

 vances to maturity) ; the under tail-coverts greyish-^vhite. 



Entire length, 17| inches ; wing, from carpal joint, 7f ; bill, from 

 forehead, If ; middle toe and claw, 2i inches. 



I have proposed the above specific name for this bird, as it appears 

 more closely allied to our common Pochard than to any other species. 

 I have called it, at Mr. Fisher's suggestion, Paget's Pochard, after 

 the late E. J. Paget, Esq., of Great Yarmouth, a gentleman well- 

 knovvn as a zealous and accomplished naturalist, and one of the au- 

 thors of the ' Sketch of the Natūrai History of Great Yarmouth and 

 its Neighbourhood,' near which place the first authenticated British 

 specimen was obtained. 



Remarks. — This bird may be readily distinguished from the com- 

 mon Pochard (v^hich it most resembles) by its smaller size, darker 

 colouring, the conspicuous ivhite speculum on the wing, and the colour 

 of the eyes. The female is unknoven to me, but I presume it will 

 much resemble the female of the Pochard, and will doubtless possess 

 the \vhite speculum on the wings. 



The trachea of F. ferinoides differs from that of F. ferina in being 

 ratber longer and narrower, the tube being much narrover at the 

 upper part, graduaUy enlarging towards the middle, where it is 

 largest, and contracting gradually towards the end, which is its 

 smallest part : the labyrinth is smaller in front, but much wider and 

 differently formed on the left side ; the enlargement at the bottom 

 of the tympanum is also greater than that of the corresponding part 

 in F. ferina: although the sternum is much smaller, the emargina- 

 tions are quite equal in size to these parts va. ferina. 



'With reference to the supposition that these birds are hybrids, I 

 beg to remark, that I have paid some attention to the subject of hy- 

 brids, and have compiled a list of the difFereut species of Water Fo\vl 

 (as far as I have been able to collect) which have produced hybrids. 

 On referring to this list it \vill be seen that nineteen different kinds 

 are mentioned ; five of these are referable to the Common Goose, and 

 five of them to the Common Duck ; the remaining nine kinds are re- 

 ferable to species commonly kept, and which breed freely in a statė 

 of captivity. I am unable to lind one instance of any species of the 

 genus Fuligula (which includes no less than 15 species) having under 

 any circumstances crossed. These birds are most difficult to breed 

 in a statė of captivity ; I have kno\vn several pairs of the Common 

 Pochard {Fuligula ferina) kept for years in places \vell-suited for 

 breeding (where many wild species and one of this genus annually 



