WATER BIRDS. 221 



sheltered margin is a favourite haunt, and there in the 

 daytime they float lazily about in large parties, betaking 

 themselves at dusk to their feeding grounds. They 

 generally arrive at the end of September or beginning 

 of October, if the season is open, and take their depar- 

 ture about the middle of March ; but I have seen strag- 

 glers a month later. 



The Widgeon (A. Penelope) arrives about the same 

 time as the teal, and frequents the same localities, but it 

 is scarcely so numerous, I have often met with it on 

 our streams, while the teal confines itself more strictly 

 to the lakes, and have frequently heard their whistling 

 cry while passing overhead in an evening, when I could 

 not distinguish them. I am not aware of any instance 

 of either of the last-named species breeding with us. 



I must now pass over a number of species which are 

 either but rare visitors to this country, or are strictly 

 maritime in their habits and in consequence are not to 

 be expected to be found in my list and come to that 

 prettily marked duck the Red-headed Pochard (A. 

 ferina), a few specimens of which are seen every winter. 

 I cannot call it a common bird, though, as it is partial to 

 quiet shaded streams in preference to more open waters, 

 it perhaps escapes observation ; a large number, how- 

 ever, frequented Thoresby Lake in the winter of 1860^ 

 and many were killed on the stream at New England, 

 and Houghton, and other places. 



Thoresby Lake is visited with great regularity every 

 winter by large flocks of the Tufted Duck (A.fuligula). 

 This is a small but lively species, constantly diving, but 

 exceedingly shy and wary in its habits, and difficult of 

 approach. In some years it is very numerous, as, for in- 

 stance, in 1854, when I counted above one hundred 



