THE POCHARD 
these Ducks habitually dive for their food. The Pochard 
spends most of its time on the water, swimming and 
diving, rarely visiting the land, where its gait is awkward 
and waddling. It dives with the same celerity as a 
Grebe. It is capable of rapid flight, but its progress 
when just rising is rather slow and laboured. It feeds 
both by day and night. Its principal food is of a vegetable 
nature—water weeds and marine plants—but insects, 
worms, molluscs, and crustaceans are also sought. It 
frequents fresh water as well as the sea, and during winter 
is more or less gregarious. In our islands the Pochard 
breeds in May, and the nest, always placed near to fresh 
water, is made amongst the dense, coarse vegetation round 
the banks, and in many cases is a floating structure. It 
is made of dry grass and other vegetable refuse, lined with 
down. ‘The eight to fourteen eggs are greenish grey. 
‘The note of this Duck is a harsh kurr. 
The diagnostic characters of the Pochard are the 
chestnut head and neck, and white vermiculated with 
black lower back (male); the white axillaries, white 
vermiculations on the upper parts, and absence of a 
white speculum (female). Length 17 to 19 inches. 
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