on the White-eyed Duck.



87



would appear from the writings of other observers that their

experience has been quite the reverse. Out of water it has an

ungainly, one might almost say ludicrous, appearance owing to

its- small round body and large flat feet, and if hurried tries to

run, this ending in its tripping and stumbling. It bears captivity

well, and in quite a small space I kept a number in company

with Tufted Ducks (Nyroca fuligula ) and they got very tame

indeed, and would almost feed out of my hand. These Pochards

were caught in November 1900, and up to the end of July the

males showed no signs of changing their plumage. The note of

the White-eye is a harsh kurr uttered chief!y when rising off the

water. My captive specimens at times uttered a curious low

sound quite impossible to describe, but soft and not unpleasing

to the ear. The food of the White-eye in a state of nature is

omnivorous, feeding on grain, molluscs and small fish.


The range of this duck is given as the Mediterranean area,

Central and Eastern Europe and S. Western Asia, a rare straggler

to Great Britain. It breeds abundantly on the lakes of Cashmere

and numbers of its eggs are brought into the markets there and

sold for food.


The adult male has the head, neck and breast a rich rufous.

There is a white spot on the chin and a blackish brown collar

round the lower neck. The general tone of the upper plumage

is brownish, the back and the scapulars are minutely speckled

with a deeper brown ; tail, brown ; the speculum is white, upper

abdomen white, lower brownish; under tail coverts white.


The female is much duller, and the brown on the breast is

mixed with white. The bill is a bluish black ; legs and feet

plumbeous ; the webs black. Length of male about 16 inches.

The female is slightly smaller. It is only the fully adult males

that exhibit the characteristic white iris, those of the immature

birds and females being brown. The curious phenomenon of

Pochard’s eyes changing colour is, I believe, not uncommon.

This occurred in a specimen of a male Pochard (W. ferini ) I shot,

which was only slightly wounded, and whilst giving it the coup de

grace I distinctly saw the blood red iris change to pale yellow.


The nestlings of the White-eye are most beautiful little

creatures. The top of the head is brown mixed with yellowish



