THE CAST (WEEK IN’ MARCH 19 
if undecided on their nesting ground (for the 
eggs were due by now). Our old acquain- 
tances the Moorhens were in full force. It 
would be difficult to distinguish them 
from Coot, were it not that the latter are 
larger, and have ‘bald’ heads—that is, a 
white patch on the head in front (see p. 127). 
Of wild ducks there were many Mallards— 
very wild, as they always are. We were 
glad to see them, as sportsmen had been busy 
on these waters; though, of course, some of 
the birds may have been fresh arrivals. We 
immediately caught sight of about a hundred 
other ducks with markedly pure white breasts 
and sides. They were Tufted Ducks. The 
tuft from which they get their name is not 
pecv tir, tie” photograph- (Plate VII): It 
consists of a few long dark feathers on the 
back of the head like the Peewit’s (see Part 
I, p. 96). Unfortunately, not a single pair 
of these ducks nested here. We found one 
of them floating dead on the water. The 
bird seemed uninjured in any way except 
upon the neck. It had been sejzed, we 
