POCHARD as) 
bers make their appearance during October around our 
coasts and on inland waters; about March they migrate 
northward to breed. The Pochard is more often to be seen 
on large sheets of fresh water than on the tideway. Even 
in frosty weather this Duck is not anxious to change its 
quarters, and will remain on a lake as long as- there is a 
small portion not frozen where it can procure its food by 
diving. ‘Travelling under water for some distance, this 
bird, as it rises to the surface, may encounter the ice, 
and being unable to obtain air, become suffocated. Dead 
Pochards have repeatedly been found beneath the ice, espe- 
cially in shallow water; but prolonged and severe frost will 
eventually drive this species to the coast, and large numbers 
will also collect on estuaries after a heavy gale. 
The male Pochard, with his red head and light grey 
back, can usually be identified with no great difficulty on 
the water. No other common Diving Duck, frequenting 
inland lakes, resembles him in plumage. The Scaup has, 
like the Pochard, a grey back, but its head is black, and 
it is almost exclusively maritime in its habits. The male 
Wigeon, not unlike the male Pochard in colour, could 
hardly be mistaken for it, as the former is not a Diving 
Duck, and rests much higher on the water. In build, the 
Pochard is thickset and clumsy; it progresses slowly and 
awkwardly on land, another difference between it and the 
active little Wigeon. When unmolested, the Pochard is 
not very shy. I have often watched several scores of these 
birds swimming and diving some fifty yards from the edge 
of a lake. They swim so low on the water that they appear 
smaller than they really are, and some of their movements 
are rather strange. Thus, a flock will seldom pack closely, 
the birds preferring to scatter widely over the water, where 
they may be seen diving in rapid succession. They con- 
stantly cross and recross one another, swimming over a 
considerable area between each dive. When one of the 
party is shot, the others, after taking a short flight, will 
sometimes return to the same place. 
Food.—Food is procured by diving, chiefly in shallow 
water. Pond-weed is largely eaten, but birds frequenting 
salt water descend to the bottom for shell-fish and crabs. 
Flight—The Pochard is often reluctant to fly, even to 
escape danger, and like other Diving Ducks, it is not buoyant 
on the wing. It seldom takes long flights, except when 
migrating, and dislikes crossing overland. When alarmed, 
