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POCHABD. 



DUN BIRD. POCHARD DUCK. RED-HEADED POCHARD. COMMON POCHARD. 

 RED-HEADED POKER. RED-EYED POKER. 



Fuligida ferina, ..... Stephens. 



Anas ferina, ...... Lestosus. 



Nyroca ferina, ..... Fleming. 



Canard milouin, ...... Tejiiltnce:. 



Fuligida. Fuligo — Soot; from the colour of some of the species. Ferina — Yenison; 



probably from its fine flavour. 



Great numbers of these excellent birds find their way into all our markets ; they 

 arrive in this country the end of September, or early in October, and leave us again in 

 the spring ; though a few remain behind to breed in Norfolk : Scoulton Mere, in that 

 county, has on many occasions been chosen by them for the purposes of incubation. 

 They are very generally distributed over the British Isles, but are less abundant as you 

 proceed northwards. 



On the continent they are generally distributed over the southern portions, and are 

 found in Denmark, Sweden, and Russia. It occurs also in Egypt, India about 

 Calcutta, and North America. 



For the table this Duck is one of the very best, being considered very little, if at 

 all, inferior to the celebrated Canvass-back Duck of America. 



The Pochard chiefly frequents the sea-coasts, estuaries of rivers, our larger rivers, and 

 the large low-lying inland lakes or meres, to be found in some of our counties, as 

 Norfolk. They are admirable divers, and many of them escape from the pipes of the 

 decoy by diving back into the open water, yet, their numbers being very great, a con- 

 siderable quantity is taken among the other ducks in the decoys. They swim with a 

 good deal of the body immersed in the water. It is a shy bird, and dives rapidly when 

 alarmed. It is difficult to take when wounded, as it dives with great power; and if 

 wounded on the land it invariably makes towards the water, in hope of being able to 

 escape in that way. They feed almost entirely during the night. Their note is a low 

 whistle, but when alarmed they utter a harsh croaking noise. 



