J. Delacour—Notes on Waterfowl



231



Out of eggs sent from Iceland and other northern countries, some

sea-ducks have been reared during these last years, mostly by Messrs.

Stevens, Moody, McLean, and Wormald: Harlequins, Long-tails,

Barrow’s and Common Golden-eyes, Scoters, Eiders, Goosanders,

Mergansers and Smews, while in America, Mr. Sibley breeds Buffle-

heads, American Golden-eyes, Ruddy Ducks and Ring-neck Scaup,

some of which have found their way to England and to France.


Among the Pochards, we have now numbers of Madagascan White-

eyes {Nyroca innotata), quite well established, and Mr. Ezra has bred

repeatedly the curious White-backed Duck ( Thalassornis leuconota).

Baer’s Pochard remains a great rarity, but the American Lesser Scaup

(Nyroca affinis) breeds well with us. Messrs. Stevens and myself now

have pairs of the interesting Southern Pochard, from Africa and

South America, a bird closely related to the Red-crested Pochard and

the Rosy-bill; it has not yet been bred in Europe.


The extraordinary Steamer-Duck ( Tachyeres ), from the Straits of

Magellan, and the neighbouring coasts and islands, has been brought

over a few times. It is a dangerous bird to other ducks, clumsy, but

tame and fascinating. A pair I kept for several years on mash and

a little meat, mated and built a nest every year, but no eggs were

ever found.


Mr. Webb has brought us from Madagascar the lovely Pigmy

Goose ( Nettapus auritus), perhaps the prettiest of all ducks. My four

pairs are kept full-winged in an aviary, with fast-running water that

never freezes ; they proved to be quite hardy, just like their Asiatic

cousin, the Cotton Teal, which comes now and then, but is a bad

traveller. It remains to breed both species in captivity. Mr. Good-

fellow landed last year one specimen of the pretty Australian species

(N. pulchellus), but it unfortunately died after a few days in England.


There are still a few Trumpeter Swans at Woburn and at Goilust,

in Holland, but none have been reared for the last two years.


Black-necked Swans breed regularly here and elsewhere. The

opposite photograph shows a pair of imported birds which, since 1922,

have nested every year at Cleres. More than all other Swans, they

have a pretty way of carrying their chicks on their back, under the

wings.



