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leaves its breeding-places and spreads its numbers over the 

 southern countries, its movements depending upon the state 

 of the weather : as its wants are chiefly supplied on the water, 

 it is necessarily driven to milder regions for the winter, in order 

 to escape the frost and frozen waters. In March the north- 

 ern migrations begin and continue throughout that month. 



The most suitable localities for the bird in question are 

 inland lakes, rivers with soft muddy bottoms, ponds, ditches, 

 and brooks, whose borders are supplied with willows, alders, 

 and other low trees. We find this species frequently every 

 winter in our immediate neighbourhood, in Surrey, on the 

 borders of the river Thames, either swimming close in shore, 

 or hidden under some overhanging branches of the before- 

 mentioned trees, and also in the muddy creeks that are 

 choked with decayed flags and rushes. 



The evening or early in the morning is the time we 

 have generally found the best to get a shot at the Red- 

 headed Pochard ; in the morning it requires the assistance of 

 a water-spaniel to make the bird leave its hiding-place ; 

 but in the evening the best way is to watch for its approach 

 on the Mater, and then to walk carefully up to the bird and 

 rouse it from the shelter it has just gained, as these birds 

 invariably swim to cover as soon as they alight on the water. 

 During the day, it is not easy to approach a Red-headed 

 Pochard within gun-shot, although many opportunities occur 

 of its flying over low enough to be shot, when it has been 

 disturbed by some barge or boat on the river. 



The powers of flight of the Red-headed Pochard are 

 tolerably good, but it does not pass quickly through the 

 air in consequence of its bulk. Its flight is performed 

 with quick and short strokes of the wings, — an exercise which 

 requires great exertion : its evolutions on the water make 

 up for this deficiency, the bird being an expert swimmer 



