106 NETTA RUFINA 



lower Yangtse must be a mistake although this duck may not be really rare in China. It remains to 

 North mention the occurrence of a specimen in America, which was found in the Fulton 



America Market, New York, on February 2, 1872, and was presumably taken on Long 



Island Sound (Ridgway, 1881). 



Migration 



Very little can be said about the seasonal movements of this bird, especially as regards the western 

 portions of its range. The birds that come to Germany and northern France arrive about the end of 

 March or in early April and generally leave before the middle of October, though in mild years some 

 have been seen in Germany as late as early December and some of the records for central Europe are 

 for wintering birds (Baldamus, 1870; Naumann, 1896-1905; Poncins, 1910). Those that merely pass 

 through Italy are usually seen in late February or early March and again in November. On the 

 Caspian they generally leave for the north in March. In India they are regarded as late arrivals, 

 the earliest and latest dates given by Hume and Marshall (1879) being October 21 for arrival and 

 April 8 for departure. The bulk arrive during November and leave about the middle of March 

 (Hume and Marshall, 1879). 



Summer and winter distributions over much of its range are so poorly defined that a clear picture 

 cannot be drawn with our present knowledge. 



GENERAL HABITS 



Although a typical diving duck, this species probably deserves generic rank, for it is 

 quite distinct in general appearance, habits and distribution from other fuliguline 

 ducks, the Pochards and Scaups. It is more at home on land than some of its rela- 

 tives and is often seen feeding in shallow water in the manner of shoal-water ducks. 

 Its characteristic haunts are large sheets of moderately deep still or slow-moving 

 water with abundance of pond-weeds and other aquatic plants. It is only exception- 

 ally seen on the seacoast, but in certain regions shows a partiality for brackish or 

 saline lakes. In the breeding season it naturally seeks entirely different surroundings, 

 preferably small secluded pools with dense reed-beds or shrubbery. 



This is a showy duck and the male can hardly be confused on the water with any 

 other species. At great distances where the crimson bill, rufous crest, and white 

 wing-bars are no longer visible it may be mistaken for a Common Pochard. The 

 female is an inconspicuous duck, but the light-colored reddish tip of the bill and the 

 white wing-speculum together with the contrasting colors of cheeks and crown will 

 serve as field-marks. During flight the wide white wing-patch is very conspicuous. 



Waeiness. This Pochard is recognized by almost all observers as timid and 

 easily made very wary when once shot at. In India, where Hume used to hunt them 

 with a swivel-gun, he found they could be easily approached to within the proper 

 range, until they had once been shot at, but they usually stayed just out of reach of 

 the ordinary gun (Hume and Marshall, 1879). In the breeding season they are not 

 only shy, but keep well concealed in dense reed-beds (Sladen, 1918). Only Radde 

 (1884), who observed them during the winter on the open sea near Lenkoran, asserts 

 that there they are not at all shy but allow a small boat to approach within gunshot. 



