The Pochards. 319 



This species and the next have not been 

 discriminated by Indian naturalists and 

 sportsmen till quite recently. We owe 

 it to Mr. F. Finn that we now know that 

 both species occur within the Indian 

 Empire. 



Messrs. Hume and Marshall did not 

 suspect that the Eastern species occurred 

 in India, and they do not refer to it even 

 incidentally. It is therefore quite im- 

 possible to state even approximately what 

 the distribution of the two species in 

 India is. Inasmuch, however, as Mr. 

 Finn informs us that both species of the 

 White-eyed Pochard are equally numerous 

 in the Calcutta bazaar for a short time 

 after their first appearance, I shall as a 

 matter of convenience assume that the 

 longitude of Calcutta divides the range 

 of the two birds and leave it to sportsmen 

 hereafter to put us right regarding the 

 exact distribution of these Pochards. They 

 are very distinct species, and from the 

 charact(^rs I have given, it will be seen 

 that the females are quite as easy to 

 separate as the males. There ought to 

 be no difficulty about these birds in the 

 future. 



On the assumption, therefore, that the 

 present species, the Western White-eyed 



