GAME-BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA 



on the speculum showing up strongly. From my notes, 

 however, I do not find that they are especially fast, and they 

 take a considerable time getting under way, " squattering " 

 along the surface of the water in true diving-duck fashion. 



Most dams in South Africa have a large retaining wall at 

 one end, and if the guns take stand under this cover and the 

 duck are driven over, some very sporting shots may be had. 

 StiU the Pochard is a poor fowl to eat, tasting strongly of 

 mud ; but as my office staff apparently thought them good, I 

 usually shot these birds when possible. 



I saw many hundreds on some of the lakes in British East 

 Africa, and one afternoon while watching some of them I had 

 a most extraordinary number of different species of birds 

 in view at the same time. I had binoculars, and was hidden ; 

 and within one hundred yards of me swam a huge Pelican, 

 and spread over the surface of the lake were parties of Yellow- 

 biUed Duck, Red-billed Pintail, Red-knobbed Coots and 

 Egyptian Geese, while some Spur-winged Geese and a pair 

 of Saddle-billed Storks and a party of Stilts moved about 

 on the banks near at hand. 



Sergt. Davies writes to me of the South African Pochard as 

 follows : — 



" I formerly thought that these birds frequented only the 

 deeper pans, but I have lately found them in all sorts of places, 

 even in shallow little rain pools on the flats. They usually 

 go in flocks, but when breeding they are in pairs. 



"Wounded birds dive weU, and are a fearful trouble to 

 retrieve. 



" I found a nest on the 24th April containing nine eggs 

 of a creamy-white colour, the nest was in a clump of grass 

 about twenty yards from the water, and was neatly made of 

 grass and a little down. 



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