152 NYROCA FERINA 



In regard to the migration in Asia our information is very meager. The only spring dates I can give 

 are these: leave Lenkoran by the middle or end of February (Radde, 1884); passed Derbent Light, 

 West Caspian, March 19 to April 1 (E. von Middendorff, 1891); Zarafshan Basin, great migration 

 about the middle of March (Carruthers, 1910); passed through Buchara in March, and through Fer- 

 ghana in April (Loudon, 1910); first arrive at Omsk on May 9 (Poliakov, 1915); passed Koko-nor in 

 March and north bend of the Hoangho in April (Prjevalski, 1878). I can find nothing concerning the 

 autumn migration in Asia beyond Radde's (1884) statement that they reach Lenkoran in late No- 

 vember, and the testimony of Hume and Marshall (1879), Baker (1921) and other naturalists in 

 India that they arrive in that country during the end of October and in November. 



Preponderance of Males 



With many ducks there is a preponderance of males in the northern part of the wintering area, which 

 is usually accounted for by the fact that the older males remain farther north. This theory will not 

 account for the great excess of male Pochards in many parts of its wintering range, and, it seems, on 

 its breeding grounds also. The scarcity of females and young in comparison with adult males both in 

 the breeding season and in winter is attested to by many English writers (Payne-Gallwey, 1882; Cor- 

 deaux, 1896; Ussher and Warren, 1900; Millais, 1913). Helms (1905) speaks of a flock of four hundred 

 Pochards seen in Denmark in December, three-quarters of which were males, while Weigold (1913) 

 says hundreds of males winter in northern Asia Minor, and Radde (1884) states that in the market at 

 Tiflis and at Lenkoran almost all the Pochards seen are males. It would be interesting to know 

 whether this disparity in numbers of the sexes holds for India also. This preponderance of males 

 is seen in several species of northern diving ducks. 



GENERAL HABITS 



The European Pochard may be taken as an example of a typical diving duck. It has 

 been placed by many writers very close to our Red-head but it is just as correct to 

 place it close to the Canvas-back. The Pochard group (Pochard, Red-head and 

 Canvas-back) are closely related in appearance, habits, display positions, and color- 

 ing of downy young. The Ring-necked Duck, so often included among the Scaups, 

 should really be placed among the true Pochards or follow immediately after them. 

 As Allan Brooks has shown, the Common Pochard is about intermediate between the 

 American Red-head and the Canvas-back. Particularly striking is the contour of 

 the forehead and culmen as you see the three species swimming together in a col- 

 lection of water-fowl. The present species has a distinctly " Canvas-back look " in the 

 long sloping forehead and longer, straighter bill, in sharp contrast to the squarer 

 "facial angle" of our Red-head. 



In contrast to the Common Scaup, the Pochard is a true fresh-water duck, fond of 

 large lakes or brackish lagoons, and prefers waters of moderate depth, from three to 

 eight feet. When found on salt water, it is usually because of being driven thither for 

 refuge during part of the day. The same is true of our American Red-heads and 

 Canvas-backs, which make daily flights to the ocean wherever their day feeding 

 grounds are heavily shot or otherwise disturbed. 



In the nesting season Pochards occupy sheets of water surrounded by reeds or 

 other dense vegetation and like many other species are fond of islands. 



