56 WATER FOWL OF INDIA AND ASIA. 
eyes are white, this colour appearing before the bird 
is in full plumage. 
The female is much duller and darker in colour, has 
not the white belly so clearly defined from the breast, 
and has grey eyes, but is otherwise similar. 
The young bird is of a general dirty yellowish brown, 
with wings and tail asintheold. It is rather reddish 
about the head generally, but shows no black shade 
on the crown, and by this and its smaller size can be 
distinguished from the young of the Eastern White-eye. 
The old birds on the water are easily distinguishable at 
a distance, not only by the size, but by the present spe- 
cies showing no white above the water-line except on 
the stern. 
The male is about seventeen inches long, with a wing 
about seven, shank rather over one, and bill about one- 
and-three quarters. The females are smaller. 
This little Pochard inhabits the Mediterranean area, 
Central and Eastern Europe, and South-Western Asia, 
having thus a more southerly range than most Pochards. 
It is resident, and breeds in Kashmir, and in winter 
visits the plains of India, being common throughout 
Northern India, as far East as Bengal; in Northern 
Burma, Assam, and Manipur, whence I have examined a 
pair, procured by Lieutenant H. H. Turner, and now in 
the Indian Museum. In Central India,the Central Prov- 
inces, and the Bombay Presidency, it is less abundant, 
but no rarity ; but it occurs only occasionally about 
Ratnagiri and has not yet been recorded from Southern 
India or Ceylon. 
This White-eye likes weedy waters, and does not asso- 
ciate in large flocks, rising, when disturbed, in twos or 
threes. It isasplendid diver, and owing to the locali- 
ties it frequents, peculiarly difficult to capture if only 
winged. I donot think, however, it dives so well as the 
Tufted and Common Pochards. Before leaving India 
I had my water-fowl caught up from the Indian Museum 
