248 THE POCHARD OR DUN-BIRD.
Prjevalski says it docs not occur at Lake Hanka in the Ussuri
country.
Southwards it is not uncommon in Afghanistan and Bcluchistan
; and, as it Iras been procured botli on the Persian Gulf
and on the Caspian, it probably occurs throughout the interior
of Persia also.
It has been found in Mesopotamia, is not uncommon in
Asia Minor, and extremely common in Palestine and in Lower
Egypt, ranging southwards to Nubia. It is equally abundant
and breeds in Algiers, while in Morocco it seems to be only a
cold weather visitant.
Throughout the greater part of Europe (not however extending
much beyond the 6oth Degree North Latitude) the
Pochard is known either on passage or as a summer or winter
visitant, and it breeds in England, Southern Denmark, Germany,
Russia (central, and as far north as Lake Ladoga) and many
other places.
Its range may well be extended to America, where a variety
(ametieaua, Eyton), not in my opinion specifically distinct,
occurs throughout the whole of North America and more
particularly Eastern North America, as well as the Bahamas,
and breeds in the Fur countries.
THE POCHARD is rather later, I think, in putting in an appearance
than most of our other ducks. I have never seen it myself
before the 17th of October, and even in the North-West
Provinces it is not until the second week in November
that it is in full force. Further south it is later still.
What the Pochard really likes is a large broad or mere
surrounded by rushes, reeds and aquatic plants, some feet in
depth, and with a considerable breadth of open water in the
centre. Elsewhere you may meet a few, as on the banks of
rivers, or in any kind of lake, even the Sambhar; but in such
localities as I have indicated, you will see flocks of several
thousands, and many acres of water completely paved over
with them. Habitually this species goes about in large flocks,
but in places unsuited to its tastes, you will meet with single
birds or small parties.
The Pochards are eminently swimming and diving ducks ;
" their path is o'er the glittering wave, their home is on the
deep " They walk badly ; indeed it is very seldom one sees
them on land, but I have once or twice surprised them
feeding in wild rice in the early mornings, and have been
struck by the awkwardness of their gait. Their flight is slow
and heavy until they get well on the wing, after which it is
fairly rapid ; but they rise with some little difficulty in perfectly
calm weather, and always, if there be a wind against it, if possible.
There is no duck of which such an enormous haul may
THE POCHARD OR DUN-BIRD. 249
be made in the standing net as of the Pochard ; but the large
flocks always frequent waters in which, owing to their depth,
it is difficult and troublesome to set the net, and difficult to work
the fowl up to it, as you must have canoes, and birds will not
work as well in front of these as they will when before men
and buffaloes, and then at the flush at least half the Pochards
dive (unless the night be very dark); and, though they get
meshed, it is a tremendous job getting them out of the net,
which, moreover, thirty or forty of them in a lump below water,
tear to shreds; so that, though I have twice made gigantic
" takes," I generally concluded not to undertake the business,
but to stick to shallow jhi'ls.
They swim very rapidly and gracefully ; as a rule, rather deep
in the water, but at times, especially, when a lot are at play
together, for a minute or two quite high as if barely resting on
the water. They are very playful, and skirmish about together,
chasing each other, scuttling along on the surface one moment,
out of sight the next. They are grand divers ; like all the
Pochards they have the hind toe more webbed (though this is
slightly less marked in this species and the White-eye than in
the Scaup, &c.) than the true Ducks and Teal have, and it is
doubtless partly this which makes them such good divers.
I think that they chiefly feed by night, for which purpose all
birds, spending the day in rivers and bare-shored lakes, leave
these at night for more suitable feeding grounds, and one
often drops a brace or two of " old Pokers" flight shooting. But
they feed during the day also when in any of their favourite
haunts, and you may see them for an hour together diving for
the roots and submerged stems and foliage of all kinds of
aquatic plants. With us, in Upper India, their food is, according
to my experience, almost entirely vegetable; I have found a few
insects, grubs, worms, tiny frogs and a good many shells in
their stomachs, but seeds, flower buds, shoots, leaves, stems and
roots of water plants, together with fine pebbles and sand, of
which there is always a considerable quantity, have always constituted
the bulk of the contents of these ; and it is perhaps in
consequence of this that, as a rule, when killed inland in India,
they arc excellent eating. Not so always those killed on the
coast. A pair I shot in Kurrachee Harbour turned out rank and
far from good eating; and a third, shot a few days later, proved to
have fed chiefly on marine plants, small Crustacea and mollusca.
Occasionally, when in small parties, they arc to be seen paddling
about in shallow, weedy corners of jlitis, along with and just
like Gadwall, Teal and Shovellers ; but normally they keep in
large flocks, and feed in pretty deep water when feeding in the
day time.
It is difficult to say whether they should be called tame or
shy. Naturally I think they are the former. At the Madho
Jlu'l in Sindh, where no sportsman, European or Native, had
11 1