TUFTED POCHARD. ] 43 



nard morillon^ Temm. Tufted DucJc^ or Tufted 

 Pochard of British authors, Is an example of ano- 

 ther dark-coloured pochard, easily distinguished by 

 the rich glossy purple of the head and neck, and its 

 loose and gracefully pendent crest. It is altogether 

 a less bird than the last, and rather more gracefully 

 made, while it at the same time keeps up the de- 

 pressed and broad form, and is a most expert diver. 

 The tufted duck is also only a winter visitant to 

 this country, and seems pretty equally distributed 

 during winter, but not nearly in equal numbers 

 with the scaup. On the Solway we have observed 

 it in a much less proportion, and only in small 

 parties together. Its describers consider it more 

 lacustrine than the scaup, and we have frequently 

 shot specimens on the Annan, during winter, fifteen 

 or twenty miles from the sea; the weather was 

 always, however, severe when this bird appeared, 

 seldom more than a pair were seen together, and 

 they were far from being shy, trusting rather to 

 falling down the river when danger appeared, and 

 not attempting to fly unless surprised or approached 

 very near. We saw several pairs upon Lochleven 

 in the month of April last (1843), where we un- 

 derstood that they continued during a great part of 

 v/inter. Here they were extremely shy. 



In Southern and Central Europe it seems only 

 to be a winter visitant also, and in the North 

 is only recorded as breeding very sparingly, so that 

 its real breeding haunts are scarcely yet known. 

 By Colonel Sykes it was observed in the Deccaa, 



