File:Indian sporting birds (1915) (14563879930).jpg

Identifier: indiansportingbi00finn (find matches)
Title: Indian sporting birds
Year: 1915 (1910s)
Authors: Finn, Frank, 1868-1932 Hume, Allan Octavian, 1829-1912 Marshall, Charles Henry Tilson, 1841-
Subjects: Birds -- India Game and game-birds -- India
Publisher: London : Francis Edwards
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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I have seen, the eyes are almost always brown, but I oncesaw a red-eyed specimen. This pochard is a squat, thick-set,big-headed duck, with a very short tail, which is not noticeableon the water, as the bird swims very low, especially astern.The males pale grey body, contrasting with the black breast andchestnut head (which at a distance also looks dark), is verycharacteristic both on the water and on the wing, especially asthe latter has no conspicuous mark, being grey like the body.The female is also grey, but dull and muddy, with the head andbreast a decided brown. The absence of any white on the wingwill distinguish her from all the other diving ducks except therare stiff-tail, which is sufficiently well characterized by itspeculiar beak and tail, to say nothing of other parts. Males inundress have the breast grey instead of black. This is a heavyduck for its size, weighing about a couple of pounds or littleunder, and showing but little sex difference in weight. *Fuligula on plate.
Text Appearing After Image:
COMMON POCHARD 27 The pochard is as well known a bird in India as in Europe,but only as a winter visitor, ranging throughout the north toManipur and even Burma, but not going further south thanBellary. It is very common in the northern part of its rangesbut comes in rather late, not till the end of October even in thenorth as a rule. It goes in flocks numbering at times thousands, but of coursecommonly in dozens, according to the nature of the accommoda-tion, the big flocks being found on the big sheets of water. Itis fond of open water, and may even be found on the sea coast.A few feet of depth at least is in its favour, for it is one of thefinest of divers among our Indian ducks, and gets nearly all of itsfood in this way, though now and then small flocks may befound surface-bibbling in the shallows, and in rare cases feedingon land. Their gait in this case, as Hume says, is certainly veryawkward, but in practice they walk rather better if put to itthan most diving ducks, in spite o

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