192 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



buff colour, and, according to Mr. H.Saunders, usually 

 from six to eleven in number. I am not aware of 

 any record of the nesting, or even of the laying, of 

 this species in the semidomestic condition in which 

 it is frequently kept. 



190. TUFTED POCHARD. 



Fuligula cristata. 



Never met with by me in any considerable numbers 



in our county, yet by no means an uncommon casual 



winter visitor to the Nen Valley. Few seasons pass 



without the occurrence of a few of these ducks in the 



neighbourhood of Lilford ; the majority of my records 



refer to immature birds, but we have several times 



obtained specimens in adult plumage ; on one 



occasion I found five of these birds diving in a 



shallow reach of the river near Lilford, but this is 



the only instance recorded in my note-books of my 



having met with more than two of this species 



together in Northamptonshire ; but during the severe 



weather of February 1895, a bunch of ten appeared 



on the Nen near Tichmarsh, and paid heavy toll to 



our gunners. In this part of the country I never 



found these birds in the company of other wild-fowl. 



I consider the flesh of the Tufted Duck when living 



on fresh water as far superior in flavour to that of 



the Common Pochard, though the latter is by no 



means to be despised. In habits, this pretty little 



fowl much resembles its congeners, seeking its food 



almost entirely at the bottom of the water, but from 



my own experience, I am inclined to think it feeds 



whenever favourable opportunities occur, by day as 



