J48 RED-HEADED POCHARD. 



met with them neither on the coasts of Labrador 

 nor in Texas. The habits of the pochard in Ame- 

 rica are described by him as chiefly maritime, seek- 

 ing its food by diving; at the same time, when 

 feeding in the shallow ponds of the interior, " they 

 are seen dabbling the mud along the shores, much 

 in the manner of the mallard ; and on occasionally 

 shooting them there, I have found their stomach 

 crammed with young tadpoles and small water- 

 lizards, as well as blades of the grasses growing 

 around the bank. Nay, on several occasions, I 

 have found pretty large acorns and beech-nuts in 

 their throats."* Dr. Richardson states that this 

 species breeds " in all parts of the fur countries, 

 from the fiftieth parallel to their most northern 

 limits." t 



When newly killed, the bill is black at the base 

 and tip, having a rich bluish grey or lead-coloured 

 space in the centre. The head and neck is rich 

 chestnut-brown, shading into deep brownish black 

 on the breast, occupying the whole of that part, 

 and running round the back in a narrow dark 

 colour; the colour of the neck at the back part 

 running farther down, the dark shade being scarcely 

 of so deep a tint ; the rump, tail, and vent are also 

 black, but the whole intermediate part of the body 

 is of a delicate pale grey, minutely waved over with 

 blackish grey ; the wings are of a deeper tint, the 

 quills dark clove-brown, and the lower tertiary fea- 



* Aud. Orn. Biog. iv. p. 199. 

 f Faun Bor. Amer. ii. p. 437. 



