456 



water with the posterior half o their body projecting vertically 

 above the surface, are often separated as Fuligidince, and are dis- 

 tinguished by having a broad lobe, or expansion, beneath the hind 

 toe. They have a stout body, thick plumage, and rather short 

 wings, which appear as if attached farther backward than in other 

 ducks, causing the birds to have a somewhat peculiar flight. They 

 swim and dive well and fast, but walk badly on land in consequence 

 of the backward position of the legs. Jerdon and Legge appear 

 to have been misled by some authority into stating that they 

 have only one moult, but they do not differ from other Ducks in 

 this respect. They have no brilliantly coloured speculum on the 

 secondaries. Although easily recognized as a group their differences 

 do not, I think, entitle them to distinction as a subfamilj-. 



Amongst the Pochards, one species known as the Eed-crested 

 Pochard is distinguished from the rest by its peculiar plumage, 

 by the form of the bill, and by the number of rectrices. It is the 

 only member of the present genus. It has a long bill, not much 

 raised at the base, and tapering slightly throughout ; the culmen 

 is nearly straight; the nostrils are situated about one-third of the 

 distance from base to tip, and the border of the feathered face 

 above the gape is straight and approximately at right angles to 

 the commissure. The lamellae are broad, prominent, and distant. 

 Wings of moderate length, pointed. Tail short and cuneate, of 

 16 feathers. Hind toe broadly lobed ; feet large. Male with a 

 full occipital crest. 



1604. Netta rufina. The Eed-crested Pochard. 



Anas rufina, Pallas, Reise, ii, App. p. 713 (1773). 



Branta rufina, Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 564 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 306 j Jerdon, 

 B. 1. iii, p. 811 ; Me Master, J. A. S. B. xl, pt. 2, p. 215 ; Layard, 

 P. Z. S. 1873, p. 203 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 166 ; Butler, S. F. 

 iv, p. 30 ; v. p. 234 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p. 264. 



Fuligula rufina, Steph. in Shaw's Gen. Zool. xii, pt. 2, p. 188, pi. 54 



Birds Ceyl p. 1087, footnote ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 438 ; Reid, S. F. 

 x, p. 84 ; Taylor, ibid. pp. 528, 531 ; C. Swinh. Ibis, 1882, p. 125 ; 

 Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 412 ; St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 180 ; Hume, 

 S. F. xi, p. 346. 



Netta rufina, Kaup, Naturl. Syst. p. 102 (1829) ; Salvadori, Cat. 

 B. M. xxvii, p. 328. 



Ldl-chonch, Ldl-sir, II.; He ro-hdns <$ , Chobra-hdns , Beng. ; Dumar 

 c? , Sanwa $ , Nepal ; Ratoha, Sind. 



Coloration. Male. Head and upper neck dull reddish bay with 

 a greyish or pinkish tinge, the feathers of the crown paler, and 

 the crest rufous buff ; hind neck, lower neck all round, and upper 

 breast glossy brownish black ; middle of back brown ; scapulars 

 slightly paler and more rufous ; lower back darker brown ; rump 

 and upper tail-coverts blackish brown or black glossed with green ; 



