RED-HEADKD POCHARD. 26'l 



angular form. It seems naturally to prefer freshwater 

 lakes, rivers, and marshes ; but occasionally is found on 

 the sea shore, near the mouths of rivers. Mr. Selby ob- 

 serves, that it breeds among aquatic herbage ; laying 

 twelve or fourteen eggs, of a greenish white colour. It 

 becomes very tame when in confinement ; and we have 

 colonel Montagu's authority for saying that no bird ap- 

 pears sooner reconciled to the menagerie. One that was 

 in his possession, and that had been winged, took to feed- 

 ing on corn immediately ; and, after three years' confine- 

 ment, was in high health, and very tame : it should, 

 nevertheless, have free access to water ; being unable to 

 exert itself much on land, from the backward position 

 of its legs, and the great size of its feet. 



In former times, when these birds were much more 

 abundant than they are now, vast quantities were taken 

 by nets. This mode of capture, as stated by Montagu, 

 we shall here insert, as it may probably be useful for 

 other foreign species, and may contribute to fill our pre- 

 serves with others more valuable. — " Poles were erected 

 at the avenues to the decoy ; and after a great number 

 of these birds had collected for some time on the pool 

 (to which wild fowl resort only by day, and go the 

 neighbouring fens to feed by night), a net, at a given 

 time, was erected by pulleys to these poles, beneath 

 which a deep pit had previously been dug : and as these 

 birds, like the woodcocks, go to feed just as it is dark, 

 and are said always to rise against the wind, a whole 

 flock may be taken together in this manner ; for, when 

 once they strike against the net, they never attempt to 

 return, but flutter down its sides till they are received 

 into the pit, whence they cannot rise ; and thus, we 

 have been told, twenty dozen have been taken at one 

 catch." We omitted to mention, in its proper place, 

 that we have met with this species, in great abundance, 

 on the lakes of Leontini, in the island of Sicily, during 

 an autumnal ornithological tour to these celebrated but 

 pestilential marshes in 1812. Wilson remarks of the 

 American race, that, with the connoisseurs in good eating, 

 s3 



