96 BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



and sides white. Vent and under tail-coverts black. 

 Legs, toes, and webs dusky-black. 



The female has all those parts which are black 

 in the male a dusky-brown, and the white parts 

 dirty grey, marked with irregular lines on the sides 

 and flanks. She lacks the crest, or only enjoys 

 it in a very modified form. 



Situation and Locality. In a tuft or bush of 

 long, coarse vegetation, such as rushes, sedges, 

 heather, or bent grass, on the edges of tarns and 

 lakes and other suitable places throughout the 

 British Isles. I have met with odd pairs nesting 

 round tarns on the North Yorkshire moors. It 

 nests most numerously in Nottinghamshire. Our 

 illustration was procured on a celebrated Norfolk 

 mere, the nest being in an ideal position, the bird 

 having not more than twelve or fourteen inches 

 to travel from the edge of her nest into deep 

 w r ater. 



Materials. Rushes, sedges, reeds, and grass, 

 with an inner lining of down tufts plucked from 

 the bird's own body. These tufts are greyish-black, 

 smaller and a trifle darker than those of the Pochard, 

 with more obscure white centres. 



Eggs. Eight to fourteen, usually nine or ten. 

 I have seen one nest with fifteen eggs and another 

 with nineteen. The latter was, in all probability, 

 the work of two females. Pale buff tinged with 

 green. Very similar to those of the Pochard. 

 Size about 2.3 by 1.6 in. 



Time. May and June. 



Remarks. A winter visitor, though numbers stay 

 to breed. Notes : call, currugh, curmgh, uttered on 

 alighting. Local or other name : Tufted Pochard. 

 Sits closely. 



