The Scaup Ducks. 353 



ally emit the regular grating Pochard call, 

 kurr^ kurr^ but not so loudly, I think, as 

 some of the other species. 



" On land I have never once seen 

 them, but I should expect them to be 

 clumsy walkers hke most of the other 

 Pochards." 



The drakes of this species, when swim- 

 ming, often appear to have the greater 

 part of the wmg white, whereas there is 

 in reality no white on the closed wing 

 except the small speculum. This effect 

 is due to the wing being nestled in, and 

 partially hidden by, the long and loose 

 white feathers of the sides of the body. 

 Sometimes the bird shakes its wings 

 and readjusts them outside these white 

 feathers, and then the wings appear, as 

 they really are, black. This procedure 

 can be easily watched with birds of this 

 species in captivity. These Ducks do 

 not appear to have the power to raise 

 their crest. 



Of the breeding of the Tufted Scaup 

 Duck, Seebohm writes : — '' The nest is 

 sometimes placed under a bush by the 

 side of a pond, sometimes amongst the 

 rushes, and often in the centre of the tufts, 

 tussocks or hassocks of sedge, which grow 

 to a height of two or three feet above 



VOL. II. 2X 



