The Pochards. 301 



This Pochard has a very considerable 

 range in the temperate zone, but does 

 not generally pass north of the 50th degree 

 of latitude. Some birds of this species 

 appear to be resident in Spain, the countries 

 bordering on the Mediterranean, Black 

 and Caspian Seas, and in Turkestan. 

 Most Pochards of this species, however, 

 migrate northwards in the spring for 

 nesting purposes, and move southwards 

 on the approach of winter, a vast number 

 visiting India, which is probably their 

 winter headquarters. This Pochard is 

 not found far to the eastward, but in 

 the British Museum there is a specimen 

 from Lobnor and another from some part 

 of China, probably the western portion of 

 that country. 



I can find very few original notes about 

 the habits of the Red-crested Pochard, 

 and I have never observed the bird my- 

 self. I shall therefore give some extracts 

 from Messrs. Hume and Marshall's "Game 

 Birds." Mr. Hume says : — " When much 

 molested they are shy and very difficult 

 to work, but fresh fowl that have not 

 been before shot at that season, can 

 always be easily approached within swivel 

 range, though they usually keep outside 

 the limits of efficiency of ordinary fowling 



