Red-crested Pochard 
5 
Egg. — When fresh, the eggs are a clear green stone-colour with a gloss, but lose their 
bright tints and gloss after being blown, then becoming a dull greyish olive or greenish 
grey. The texture is smooth, fine, and clear, but somewhat fragile for a duck's egg. In 
form they are a broad oval with both ends the same size. 
Eggs are decidedly lighter and more thin-shelled than those of the Common Pochard. 
Average size of 74 eggs 58.1 x 41.8 mm., max. 61 x 42 and 56.5 x 43.5, min. 53.5 x 39.6 (or in 
inches, 2.28 x 1.64) (F. C. R. J.). 
Usual number of eggs 7 to 10, but 14 and, in one case, 17 eggs have been found in 
a nest (W. Eagle Clark). 
Young in Down. — Upper parts, dull olive-grey ; under parts, buff or yellowish-grey ; 
a buff spot on either shoulder ; a yellowish-grey stripe passes over each eye, and in front of 
and behind the eye runs a dark stripe which divides behind the eye ; irides, dark brown ; 
bill, reddish-brown with the nail white ; feet, ash-grey with a green tinge ; webs and toes 
narrowly edged with yellowish white. 
Young Male. — Somewhat similar to the female, only darker and with an indication 
of a crest. The centre of the feathers of the under parts are brown instead of grey, and 
the back and front of the breast is a much darker brown. The young male and female are 
easily recognised by the usual immature feathers on the lower breast, vent, and tail-coverts, 
and frayed tail. The principal moult commences in November with a few black feathers on 
the lower parts and scapulars, and proceeds rapidly in February and March. 
By April the young male has gained the whole of the adult plumage, although it is 
not nearly so rich or bright as that of a two-year-old male. By the beginning of May 
the only sign of immaturity is a dark brown line as broad as a pencil on the upper surface 
of the bill, but this mark disappears as soon as the young male moults into full eclipse 
dress at the end of May, when the bird may be said to be adult at ten months. Young 
males bred by Mr. St. Quintin in June 19 10 were just losing the last sign of immaturity 
on I St May 191 1, when I visited Scampston. The irides are brown or reddish brown, 
becoming red in March ; the feet and legs, at first olivaceous orange, also become orange 
red in spring. 
Adult Male. — Head, red-brown on throat and cheeks ; forehead to end of crest, reddish- 
buff, having a glossy golden tint in spring; neck, blackish-brown; upper back and mantle, 
brown, paling towards the shoulders ; the base of feathers of mantle next to the scapulars, 
white ; rump and upper tail coverts, black, slightly glossed with green ; tail, grey-brown ; 
breast, blackish-brown, paler towards abdomen which is brown ; flank, axillaries, and under 
wing-coverts, white ; flank feathers covering wings, reddish brown ; wing-coverts, greyish- 
brown ; secondaries, white or cream ; inner secondaries, grey-brown ; outer primary, brown ; 
inner primaries with much white. Bill, vermilion-red ; nail, whitish or tinged yellow ; legs 
and feet, orange with darker webs ; irides, deep or light red, becoming brilliant red in 
spring. Length, 20 to 22 inches; wing, 10 to 10.75 inches; tarsus, 1.5 to 1.7 inch; bill, 
2.3 to 2.4 inches. Weight i lb. 12 oz. to 2 lb. 14 oz. 
If we do not accept the summer plumage of the Long-tailed Duck as an eclipse 
dress for reasons to be explained later, the Red-crested Pochard and the Gadwall are the 
earliest species to change from spring into the eclipse dress. A male in my possession 
began to dress the first brownish-grey feathers on the flank as early as loth May, and 
