1898.] ¥. Finn— Baer's Pochard in India. 185 



for the Museum collection, while twelve living birds were purchased 

 for the Alipore Zoological Gardens, whence some have been despatched 

 to the London Zoological Society; and in addition to these I saw 

 others which I did not buy. In fact, taking into consideration the 

 rather poor supply of water-fowl in the Calcutta Provision Bazaar 

 this winter, Nyroca haeri might have been fairly called a common duck 

 there. 



I saw the first specimen in the Bazaar on November 8th, 3897, and 

 the last on March 23rd of the present year, so that the species has been 

 present for some time ; longer, apparently, than before, the latest date 

 on which I have previously recorded it being February 27th. Among 

 the specimens I observed there were very few males, and none of these 

 were in full-plumage, all being immature. Of the nineteen specimens 

 above recorded as obtained for the Museum and Zoological Grardens, 

 only six were drakes, and I do not remember seeing any others among 

 those which I did not buy. Among the females also, few or none 

 were in full-plumage, (though I only saw a very few in the complete 

 brown plumage of immaturity) so that these also were apparently 

 nearly all young birds. 



In one of the females procured for the Alipore Zoological Gardens, 

 however, I observed that the iris was almost as white ns a male's, so 

 that this at any rate was probably an old bird, if the colour of tlie 

 eye in the female of this species becomes lighter with age. Certainly 

 brown is the usual colour of the iris in those females of this species 

 I have seen so far, though I have noted exceptions. 



It is curious that even yet no sportsman appears to have met with 

 this species ;* probably the fact that most of the birds do not strik- 

 ingly show the characteristics of the species accounts for this ; though 

 I find that the market dealers can distinguish them from the common 

 white-eye {Nyroca africana). The full-plumaged male is, of course, 

 quite unmistakable, but appears to be rare here. One female I saw, 

 but did not buy, had a large white patch at the base of the throat 

 in front, in addition to the usual spot at the base of the beak beneath. 



With regard to the habits of the species, I may add to what I 

 have previously recorded that the note of the female is a harsh "karr," 

 and that she sometimes jerks back her neck much like the male. 



8. An Unrecorded Governor of Fort William in Bengal. — By C. R. 

 Wilson, M.A. 



* With the exceptlou of the Messrs. Dods, who, from the account given me, 

 appear to have doue so j but by an unfortunate mischance the specimens were not 

 preserved. 



