THE GEESE, SWANS, AND DUCKS. 239 



The Garganey is a rare spring visitor, a few also reach- 

 ing these islands in autumn. A somewhat larger bird than 

 the allied teal, the garganey is distinguished 

 ney ' by the white line that runs behind the eye and 

 down the side of the neck, as well as by the conspicuous 

 black crescent-shaped marks before the rump. The curious 

 grating note of the male has gained for this bird in East 

 Anglia, where it is least rare, the name of " Cricket-teal." 

 It has found its way at irregular intervals to nearly every 

 part of Scotland and the isles, except the Outer Hebrides. 

 Nest, among the sedges. Eggs, 8 to 12, nearly 3 inches; 

 like those of the teal, but lacking the greenish tinge. 



(b) The Diving Ducks. 



[Although a number of the foregoing are observed to 

 feed with their head submerged and the legs and tail 

 waving in the air, yet they cannot be said to get their 

 food by diving, as do for the most part the following nine- 

 teen, which have, moreover, a distinct preference for the 

 neighbourhood of salt water.] 



The Pochard, or Dunbird, is one of the winter visitors 

 of which, on the slightest encouragement, numbers remain 



to breed, chiefly in the eastern counties. I 

 t Pochard. , / . , . , ,. 



knew a case of a single pair breeding on a 



small private water not far from Poole. The hind -toe 

 of this, as of all the group, is prominently lobed. The 

 bird is at once recognised by the black collar and apron, 

 and by the band of greyish blue across the centre of the 

 otherwise black bill. The pochard feeds, largely at night, 

 on water-plants, also on crustaceans. From its curious cry 

 when flushed, the pochard is also known as "Curre." 

 The nest, not a very elaborate structure, is found on the 

 ground among sedges. I came upon a nest of this bird 

 on one occasion with two out of the three greenish eggs 

 badly broken, the third intact. Eggs of ground-nesting 



