is a favourite place of resort, and one day in particular, during a very severe snow-storm, they were literally in thousands there ;the surface of the river exhibited one living mass of them. For many seasons before and after those, pochards were very scarce. In the winter of 1847-48, the chief wild-fowl shooter in the bay obtained only a couple, and, during some other winters, none at all. Occasionally they associate with scaup and tufted ducks. They appear the second of the Fuligula—after the scaup, and before the tufted duck-and generally arrive by the latter end of October; but December* is usually the earliest winter month in which they are met with in quantity. January or February, especially the former, is the height of their season. They generally take their departure in March, throughout which month, until the 25th, they were here in 1836:-about two dozen Fuligula, believed to be of this species, were seen on Ballydrain Lake, on the 15th of April, 1832. On the same day of that month, in 1850, one was obtained near Lurgan.

Pochards, as well as scaups and tufted ducks, fly at the dusk of the evening, like the wigeon, to the sea-banks to feed, but at a later hour. I have known several of the two first-named species to be brought by the flowing tide within range, and shot from the barrel in which a fowler was awaiting the flight of wigeon. Pochards and scaups, when wounded on their feeding-banks, run very fast, assisted by their wings, and, when pursued, always move towards the water, in the hope of being the better able to save themselves by diving. A wild-fowl shooter gives an amusing account of the chase of a pochard. He had at one shot wounded two or three, and, as he thought, killed four. The most active of the wounded was first looked after, as it was hurrying with all speed towards the water, which was distant. The shooter followed as quickly as he could, knee-deep, through the soft muddy banks, until weakness and want of breath rendered him unable to move a step farther. The bird, fortunately for him, stopped at the same time, perhaps equally requiring to "draw breath." So

In this month they were once plentiful, when other Anatida were scarce.

soon as my informant was able to renew the chase, this was recommenced, and continued in the same manner for some time longer, the bird always running when he ran, and stopping when he stopped. At last the object of pursuit was captured, and no mercy shown, though it deserved a better fate. The four slain were now sought for, but the chase had lasted so long as to enable two of them to recover themselves sufficiently to make their escape they were not even seen again. Pochards and scaups,

:

when wounded on the water, steal to the banks if they can quietly reach them, and are so much inclined to remain there, that from this habit alone disabled birds are known from others.

When either species was wounded by one of our shooters, in calm weather, and the water was clear, instead of following them with his gun, he and his companion pursued them, armed with the setting-pole of the boat, which had an iron V-formed fork at the end. The birds were struck with this weapon while urging their way through the water from near the surface, to the depth of eight feet, which was as far as the pole would strike them effectively. In this manner they moved at least as quickly as they could have done by swimming on the surface. The sport was very exciting, from the quick rowing of the boat that was requisite, in consequence of the progress made by the birds, and the frequent change of tack necessary on account of their sudden turnings. They were merely struck by the pole, not brought up on its fork. One person rowed, while the other managed the pole. Many birds have been thus secured.

The same observant shooter has often seen pochards and scaups that dived when wounded, keep close along the bottom, busily using their wings and feet all the time that he was in close. pursuit. But, when merely feeding, both species dive down in water from three to nine feet in depth, and scoop along the surface of the mud at the bottom, for shell-fish. That they do so, is evident when the tide is out, by narrow zigzag lines, the breadth of their bills, being then observable. These lines are from one to five yards in length, and of a sinuous form, such as would be produced by the motion of the wings and body during

the onward progress of the birds. My informant and another fowler having remarked the two species feeding at high-water, and then only at a particular part of the bay, examined the bottom there, when the tide was out, and observed these lines. They picked up some shells from the stratum of ooze above the sand, and, on shooting the birds, found the same kind in their stomachs ;-these shells being brought to me, proved to be Tellina solidula, of small size, not exceeding one-third of an inch in diameter.

Mr. Selby remarks, that "the flesh of this bird is tender and well-flavoured, unless killed in the neighbourhood of the sea, when it frequently acquires a rank and fishy taste" (p. 349). Mr. Yarrell observes more fully :-"Dun-birds [pochards] are in general remarkable for the excellence of their flesh, and probably but little inferior to the far-famed canvas-backed duck of the United States, which it very closely resembles, in the colour of its plumage; but our dun-bird is the smaller of the two. As the canvas-backed duck of America is considered to derive the goodness and flavour for which it is so much esteemed from its taking a considerable portion of a particular vegetable food [said by Dr. Nuttall to be Valisneria Americana, Zostera marina, and Ruppia maritima,] and is much less prized in spring when deprived of it, and obliged to live entirely at sea; so our dunbirds are best while they feed at the mouths of rivers, and about fresh-water; but when they feed at sea on fishes, crustacea, and mollusca, I have found them coarse and ill-flavoured" (vol. iii. p. 235). Wilson and Audubon mention the pochard as highly esteemed in America, and the latter author states that he found food of various kinds in those killed in the shallow ponds of the interior. The pochard, though considered better than the scaup in Belfast, is but little esteemed for the table, and brings no higher price to the shooter than that species-from six to ninepence each. The dealers rarely purchase them, except as a favour from the regular shooters, who supply them with wigeon and brent geese. Yet pochards should be particularly good here, as they always find abundance of vegetable food. Nothing else

(except sand and gravel) did I find in the course of several years, in a number of them dissected, from the beginning of December to the end of March. The shell-fish noticed at p. 130 were subsequently found. That Zostera is not a favourite food, is evident from their predilection for fresh-water, in which it does not grow, and even those killed in Belfast Bay do not contain this plant like the brent geese and wigeon, in which we very rarely find anything else. Soft green vegetable matter, and seeds of various aquatic plants,† are the favourite food of the pochard with us. It should be in the highest condition on these, but justice, I fear, has not been done to its "flesh" here, the market being regularly supplied with wild-fowl of well-known and long-established character, as wild ducks, teal, wigeon, and brent geese. It is, however, considered the best of the diving ducks.

In an article on Walker's 'Original,' published in the 'Quarterly Review' (vol. lv.), there is a good deal said of the weight, &c., of different kinds of game and other birds (p. 466). The following information, which appears there, I could not resist extracting:

"The greatest novelty, perhaps, is the POCHARD, or DUN-BIRD, a species of wildfowl, supposed to come from the Caspian Sea, and caught only in a single decoy on the Misley Hall estate, Essex, in the month of January, in the coldest years. The mildness of the season kept them away during the winters of 1833-1834 and 1834-1835; but a few have arrived within the last month (January 1836), and were generally admired by those who had the good fortune to become acquainted with them. Their flesh is exquisitely tender and delicate, and may almost be said to melt in the mouth, like what is told of the celebrated canvas-back duck of America; but they have little of the common wild-duck flavour, and are best eaten in their own gravy, which is plentiful, without either cayenne or lemon-juice. Their size is about that of a fine wigeon."-p. 464.‡

A taxidermist has remarked to me that as the spring advances,

* A shooter and bird-preserver, who has killed many of these birds in Belfast Bay (generally in company with scaups, and sometimes with tufted ducks), states, that the pochards differed from the others in containing vegetable matter, in addition to minute mollusca, on which alone the other species had fed.

Two pochards, purchased in Belfast market (Nov. 11, 1848) had both crops and gizzards entirely filled with oats. One (Jan. 1849) was wholly filled with extremely minute seeds, excepting a few small fresh-water bivalve shells of the genus Pisidium.

Two mature females of the pochard and scaup, shot in Belfast Bay at the end of

all birds of the duck kind, and the bernacle, smell strongly when he is skinning them, much more so than in frosty weather;this applies, also, to gulls generally. The flesh looks much more delicate to the eye during frost, the fat being white in cold weather, and yellow, or even orange in some species, late in the spring. He was once tempted by the delicate appearance of the flesh of a gull during frost, to eat of it, and found it good.

In the winter of 1847-48, a pochard was captured near Wexford, when lying on its back upon the surface of the water, and its feet in violent motion. When examined, it had no visible mark of injury. The gentleman into whose possession this duck came, saw it occasionally afterwards attacked so violently with what he believed to be cramp, as to be entirely disabled. The symptoms being precisely similar to those under which it was originally taken, he considers that the bird was captured during one of these fits.*

A wounded pochard refused to partake of oatmeal steeped in water, and placed before him, but on his bill being dipped into it, he quickly discovered his mistake, and thenceforth ate of this food with avidity. I have remarked that these birds, which were kept from time to time on the pond at the Falls, were of a gentle quiet disposition.

Audubon remarks that this species is "equally fond of salt and fresh water" (vol. iv. p. 199). It frequents fresh-water much in the north of Ireland, and has been several times, in December and January chiefly, brought to me from Lough Neagh. It is partial to Bally drain Lake by day, as mentioned under Tufted Duck ;-Nov. the 17th, 1832, was noted as early in the season for their appearance here, when about thirty were seen in company with that species. In the following month, both kinds were much more

January, weighed, the former 2 lbs. 2 oz.; the latter 1 lb. 10 oz.: the pochard was in every respect considerably larger than the scaup; its length was nineteen, that of the scaup seventeen inches.

The colour of the eyes of the pochard, according to Mr. Darragh, is, in young females, dark brown; in old females, yellowish-brown. Young males, red and yellow prettily mixed; and in old males bright red.

* Mr. J. Poole.