288 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



chiefly males, and were not on the feed at 1 1 a.m. At our 

 approach they drew away, and shortly afterwards rose almost 

 simultaneously, and heading against the wind crossed the lough 

 in our direction, swept overhead, and wheeling round alighted 

 again, their eighteen pairs of feet apparently touching the water 

 at the same instant. But they were no sooner settled than they 

 swam together and formed a wedge. At the other end of the 

 lough we found another party of Tufted Ducks with a few 

 Pochards. It was pretty to see a pair of Pochards sculling 

 along closely attended by four handsome Tufted Drakes, two 

 Tufts swimming on either side of the Pochards, and their dark 

 backs diverging strikingly from the nearly white mantle of 

 the male Pochard. On the 26th of March 1889 I found the 

 Tufted Ducks dotted as usual over the surface of the lough, 

 and the drakes seemed very proud of their companions, stiffen- 

 ing their necks and keeping a sharp look-out. The only solitary 

 bird was a female, which had retired from her companions to 

 pose sedately in an upright position upon a grassy portion of 

 the bank. Presently three full-dressed drakes approached this 

 duck and she roused herself to plume her wings in coy dis- 

 regard of the presence of her suitors ; one of the drakes swam 

 in to the side, the white sides conspicuously displayed as he 

 rode high in the water. An alarm bestirred the fowl at the 

 other end of the lough, and a Tufted Drake hurried past with 

 many a quick beat of his pied pinions. Another and another 

 drake passed, a male and female following in their wake. But 

 their alarm is short-lived. A little later I found a party of 

 the reunited Tufts sheltering at the deep end of the pond, two 

 pairs crowding together ; then came a single pair ; then two 

 males and a duck — in all four pairs and an odd drake near one 

 another ; the remainder were scattered about. A point new to 

 me was that one particular drake frequently tossed his head, 

 snapping his blue bill loudly at the same time — an action which 

 is presumably part of his courtship, and arises from desire to 

 ingratiate himself with his chosen partner. Messrs. Thorpe 

 and Robinson were studying a little party of five Tufted Ducks 

 in my company at Monkhill, January 28th, 1891 ; while watch- 

 ing the birds flighting round, we saw them check their course, and 



