26'Ji INDIAN DUCKS 



ill amongst long grass, reeds, or bushes, and sometimes actually in 

 the water itself. Any piece of water would seem to serve the bird's 

 purpose, as long as there is sufficient cover- — it requires this fairly 

 thick and plentiful— -nor would it seem to mind whether the water 

 is fresh, salt, or brackish. 



The nest itself is a very slight structure, composed of the usual 

 materials employed by ducks, i.e., grass, rushes, weeds, etc. ; when 

 placed actually in the water, it is of necessity somewhat more bulky 

 and better put together than at other times, l)ut even then it is 

 more flimsy and rough than that of most ducks. 



When situated, as it often is, in some hollow or depression in 

 the ground, or among roots, etc., it sometimes consists merely uf 

 a couple of handfuls of materials lined densely, as usual, with 

 feathers and down. 



Morris says : — ■ 



" The nest of the Pochard is made among rushes or other coarse 

 herbage, and is lined with feathers. Many nests are placed near 

 each other in suitable localities, such as osier-beds or grassy 

 places." 



The eggs are from 8 or 10 to 1'2 or 13 in number and of a 

 buff-white colour. 



Dr. Leverkiihn sends me tlie following interesting note from 

 Sophia, which confirms what other observers have said as to tlie 

 high qualities of the Pochard as a mother : — 



" Nijroca ferina is a regular breeder in different lakes in 

 Germany, where I have sometimes taken its nest, and I also 

 ascertained the fact of its breeding on a swampy lake near Yarna. 

 The female shows great anxiety concerning the safety of her eggs, 

 and covers the clutch before leaving with some feathers from the 

 bottom of the nest. I found eight and ten eggs in a nest." 



Hume describes the eggs thus : — 



"The eggs are very regular broad ovals; the shell smooth, hut 

 dull and glossless. In colour they are a pale, dingy, greenish-drab, 

 more or less, in most cases, tinged with yellow. They average 

 about 2''! inches in length by 1'7 in breadth." 



The eggs in my collection are dull, rather dark, brownish-drab, 

 but have little or no trace of either green or yellow in them, though 



