620 



In general habits it most nearly resembles the Scaup Duck- 

 In the summer it frequents fresh-water and then feeds chiefly 

 on vegetable matter, aquatic insects, frogs, &c., and in the winter 

 it is found chiefly on the sea-coast, and then feeds on small 

 shellfish, &c., obtaining its food chiefly by diving. Its nest, 

 which is placed on the ground, close to, or not far from water, is 

 composed of grass-bents and a few leaves, matted together 

 with sooty brownish black down with greyish white centres, 

 and its eggs, usually 8 in number are deposited early in June, 

 and are uniform pale olive-green or greenish buff, smooth in 

 texture of shell and measure about 2'31 by T65. 



860. WHITE-EYED DUCK. 

 -flBTHYIA NYROCA. 



. jEthyia nyroca (Giild.), Nov. Comm. Petrop. xiv. p. 403 (1769) ; 

 (Naum.), xii. p. 41, Taf. 309; (Saunders), p. 445; (Lilford), vii. 

 p. 109, pi. 45 ; Mtlnjia ferruginea (Gmel.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 528 

 (1788) ; Dresser, vi. p. 581, pi. 438 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, 

 iv. p. 460 ; M. africana, (Gmel.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 522 (1788) ;. 

 (Salvadori), Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxvii. p. 345 ; M. leucophthalma 

 (Bechst.), Orn. Taschenb. i. p. 450 (1802) ; (Gould), B. of E. v. 

 pi. 368 ; (id.) B. of Gt. Brit. v. pi. 21. 



Fuligule nyroca, French; Zarro, Portug. ; Pardote, RocJiet, 

 Span. ; Moretta-tabaccata, Ital. ; Moorente, German ; Beloglasyi- 

 Nyrok, Russ. ; Ziriguil, Moor. ; Karchiya, Burar-mada, Hindu. 



ad. (Volga). Head, neck, and breast chestnut-red ; a small spot at 

 the base of the under mandible white ; a blackish brown band round the 

 lower neck ; upper parts blackish brown ; speculum white tipped with 

 black ; under parts white ; flanks reddish brown ; lower abdomen fulvous ;. 

 beak and legs plumbeous ; iris white. Culmen 1'6, wing 6'8, tail 2'3, 

 tarsus 0'9 inch. The female is duller in colour, the feathers on the back 

 and breast with pale tips ; abdomen marked with brown. 



Hal. Central and Southern Europe ; of somewhat rare 

 occurrence in Great Britain ; Canaries ; North Africa, south 

 to Abyssinia ; Western Asia, north to the Ob valley, east to 

 Kashmir, south to Central India. 



Frequents chiefly fresh water, but is also occasionally to be 

 met with on the sea-coast in winter. Its food in summer 

 consists chiefly of vegetable substances, but in winter of insects- 

 and their larvse, Crustacea, and mollusca. Its call-note resembles- 

 that of JE. ferina but is not so loud. Its nest is placed on the 



