ANATIDAE—DUCKS. 207
on Oct. 15th, 1881, it being the first he had heard of in the neighbourhood. The
previous day had been very boisterous. " A flock of seven or eight remained on
the Wanstead Basin for several days a few winters ago. They were very shy "
(Buxton—47. 97). "A large flock of about a hundred frequented Leigh Ray
during January and February [1871]. Although constantly shot at, they refused
to leave the cockle-grounds " (Smee—34. 2605). " In the winter of 1887-8, many
were killed at Mersea " (Laver). At Harwich, "it is common in winter " (Kerry).
Mr. Robert Page has a male, taken in his Decoy at Marsh House.
Pochard ; Fuligula ferina. Locally, " Dunbird " or " Red-
headed Dunbird."
A common visitor, chiefly during the winter, to our coast, where
vast numbers used to be taken in some of the Decoys. During the
last two or three
years a small
though increas-
ing number have
become resident
and have bred
(for the first time,
so far as is
known) on the
Marshes of the
Blackwater Estu-
ary.
Of Harwich, Dale,
in 1730, wrote (2.
409) : " This is fre-
quent in the sea and
places adjoining,"
while Lindsey, in
1851, wrote (27. App. 60) that this species visits our coast in the wintry season.
It has, however, been " very rare of late years " (Kerry). Mr. Clarke (24) men-
tions one killed at "The Roos," two at Audley End in Nov., 1835, and a
male killed on Jan. 24th, 1838, at Audley End. Mr. W. H. Hill wrote in 1835
(12. viii. 574) that it was then rarely killed near Southminster. Mr. Buxton says
that (47. 98) it
"has been observed at Wanstead. A single bird visited my pond last spring
[1883] and remained some weeks, consorting with the tame Ducks and becoming
himself very tame. A single bird came to the Wanstead Ponds early last year,
and remained more than a month. At first he was very wild, but towards the end
of his stay became much tamer. Last year [1884] probably the same bird re-
turned and kept company with the Tufted Ducks, acquiring their tameness. He
went away with the male Tufted Duck towards the end of February."
Mr. Hope observes that it arrives in October, " and is always very tame at
first."
The Rev. J. C. Atkinson writes me that he knew of its having bred occasion-
ally on the Essex marshes, some sixty years ago, but that he never came across a