THE COMMON POCHABD. 



313 



Upperside darker, nearly black, indication 



of crest 



Upperside not so dark, no indication of 



crest 6 



As a rule with white feathers round base of 



upper mandible 



No white feathers round base of upper 



mandible 



N.fuligula,$, p. 322 



N. marila, $, p. 326 

 N. nyroca, $, p. 31& 



NYROCA FERINA 



311. Nyroca ferina ferina (L.)— THE COMMON POCHARD. 



Anas feresta Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 126 (1758 — Europe, 



Restricted typical locality ; Sweden). 



Fuligula ferina (Linnaeus), Yarrell, iv, p. 413 : Saunders, p. 443. 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Head and neck 

 all round chestnut, chin with minute white spot ; upper-mantle, 

 lower-neck and upper-breast black, feathers of upper-breast when 

 fresh edged white or rusty ; rest of mantle and scapulars finely 

 vermiculated white or greyish- 

 white and black- brown ; lower 

 scapulars mouse -grey more or 

 less vermiculated white ; back 

 dusky -brown vermiculated and 

 freckled white ; rump and upper 

 tail-coverts black ; centre of 

 breast white, feathers more or 

 less vermiculated dusky ; sides 

 of body and flanks white finely 

 vermiculated black - brown ; 

 lower -belly and vent white 

 coarsely vermiculated black- 

 brown ; under tail - coverts 

 black ; axillaries and under 



wing-coverts white ; tail deep mouse-grey ; primaries mouse-grey ; 

 pale ash-brown on inner webs, shaded sepia or dusky-black towards 

 tip and inner ones often faintly freckled white, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th 

 with outer webs shaded sepia ; secondaries light grey tipped white 

 and more or less freckled same, inner ones with outer web bordered 

 by narrow black line, innermost as scapulars ; primary- coverts 

 dark sepia ; bastard-wing dusky-brown, tips freckled white ; rest 

 of wing-coverts mouse-grey plentifully vermiculated white. N.B. — 

 Secondaries and wing-coverts are more plentifully vermiculated in 

 some than in others. This plumage is acquired by a moult of body- 

 feathers and innermost secondaries Aug. to Nov. 



Adult male. Eclipse. — The body-feathers are first moulted 

 followed by tail and wings July and Aug. Rather like adult winter- 

 summer female but upper-mantle not cinnamon-brown, rest of 

 mantle more coarsely vermiculated ; nape, cheeks and sides of neck 



The Common Pochard (Nyroca f. ferina). 

 Adult male. 



