RED-CRESTED POCHARD. 569 



found ten ncsts^ -\vliich were taken between the 12tli of May and the 1st of 

 July, biit the eggs taken on the hitter date were highly ineubated. The 

 late clutehes are caused by the first eggs that are laid being taken, so that 

 the birds have to hiy again. The nests were always built amongst the 

 rushes and flags on a small island in the pond. The foundation was made 

 of decayed stems of rushes or dead leaves^ on which a warm bed of down 

 was placed as the full complement of the eggs was completed. When the 

 female leaves the nest she carefully covers her eggs. Tristram says that 

 in Algeria the male appeared to desert the female as soon as she began 

 to sit. The eggs of the Red-crested Pochard are usually eight or nine in 

 number, and resemble those of the Pochard, but are paler and greener. 

 They vary in length from 2'35 to 2*2 inch, and in breadth from 1*7 to 1-58 

 inch. They almost resemble in colour pale eggs of the Golden-eye ; but 

 there can be no doubt that the doAvn is dark and quite unlike that of the 

 hole-building species. 



Hume says that the Red-crested Pochard arrives on the plains of Upper 

 India at the end of October, but it is the middle of November before the 

 great bulk of the birds appear. It leaves the southern portion of its 

 winter range in India about the third Aveek in JNIarch, and further north 

 about the first week in April. In winter Red- crested Pochards gather 

 into moderate-sized flocks, but on very large sheets of water they often 

 congregate in thousands. Males and females live together, but sometimes 

 flocks are met Avith composed entirely of males. They aflbrd excellent 

 sport, but their flesh is often rank and unpalatable. 



The Red-crested Pochard is about as large as a Pintail. The adult 

 male in nuptial dress has the entire head and the fore upper neck 

 huffish chestnut, somewhat paler on the elongated feathers of the 

 crown and nape ; the hind upper neck^ the lower neck, upper mantle, 

 breast, belly, under tail-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts are dull 

 black, faintly glossed with purple on the belly, and more distinctly 

 so Avith green on the other parts; the flanks, axillaries, under Aving- 

 coverts, shoulders, primaries, and secondaries (except the outer Aveb of 

 the three first primaries and the tips of all of them, which arc dark grey) 

 are pinkish Avhite ; and traces of white A'Crmiculations appear on many 

 of the feathers of the mantle. The back, scapulars, Aving-eoverts, and 

 innermost secondaries are slaty grey, suffused Avith pink on the scapulars, 

 which arc somewhat filamented. Bill brilliant crimson, broAvn on the 

 nail ; legs and feet reddish orange, blackish on the Avebs ; irides red. The 

 general colour of the upper parts of the adult female is greyish brown, 

 suffused with yellowish brown on the head, darkest on the rump and palest 

 on the margins of the scapulars, except the longest ; the Avhite shoulder- 

 patches of the male are absent, and the Avhite on the primaries and seconda- 

 ries is suffused Avith grey instead of pink. The Avholc of the imderparts are 



VOL. III. 2 P 



