THE POCHARDS. 7 



considered to be distinct species. The Pochard has been 

 known to cross with the White-eyed Pochard, the Summer 

 Duck, the Tufted Duck, the Mallard, and the Golden-eye. 



Characters. Distinguished by its grey back with fine ver- 

 miculations, and its chestnut head; the bill is black at the 

 base and tip, the intermediate part being leaden-blue; wing- 

 speculum, grey. 



Range in Great Britain. The Pochard breeds in certain inland 

 waters in England, and, where it is protected, its numbers as a 

 nesting-species seem to be on the increase. In Scotland it 

 also nests, but, as regards Ireland, Mr. R. J. Ussher writes : 

 " The Pochard has been reported as breeding in Galway, Ros- 

 common, Westmeath, Meath, and Tipperary, and some pro- 

 b^bility attaches to several of these instances; but we still 

 await complete proof of the Pochard breeding in Ireland." In 

 winter the species is found in Great Britain from October to 

 April. 



Eange outside the British Islands. The Pochard ranges from 

 Central and Southern Europe to Lake Baikal in Eastern 

 Siberia, breeding in Russia as high as Lake Ladoga and as far 

 south as the Caspian sea, as well as in Poland, Germany, and 

 Denmark, but not to the northward. It occurs in the Mediter- 

 ranean in winter, at which season it also visits India and China. 

 In North America its place is taken by the American Pochard, 

 which differs in having a purple gloss on the chestnut of the 

 head, and the bill pale blue, with only the end black. 



Habits. Although also frequenting the coasts, the Pochard 

 is principally a fresh-water Duck, and in some of its winter 

 quarters, as in India, occurs in flocks of thousands. Mr. A. 

 O. Hume, whose excellent notes on wild-fowl are not so well- 

 known in this country as they ought to be, has given a very inter- 

 esting account of his experiences with the Pochard in India, 

 from which I make the following brief extracts. He says that 

 in some places, such as the Sambhar Lake, many acres of 

 water may be seen completely paved with Pochards. " They 

 are eminently swimming and diving Ducks, but walk badly. 

 Their flight is slow and heavy until they get well on the 

 wing, after which it is fairly rapid ; but they rise with some 

 difficulty in perfectly calm weather. They swim very rapidly 



