White. — On Hybridism. 205 



the common domestic duck were allowed on the pond they 

 would intermix with the hybrids readily. The grey-ducks, 

 being smaller than the hybrids, are made to keep their dis- 

 tance by the larger birds, though still passing backwards and 

 forwards among the hybrids on the pond. 



In trying to breed for the light-green speculum seen on 

 the wing of the grey-duck in preference to the green-blue of 

 the domestic duck, the result has been that the top coverts of 

 the wing-bar are white, while the pen-feathers are becoming 

 grey-brown edged with white in place of the green-blue ; so 

 that by further selection a white speculum might be obtained, 

 or, on the other hand, the speculum would be obliterated, the 

 entire wing becoming similar to the colour of the rest of the 

 bird's plumage. 



Among these hybrids two instances of very old ducks 

 becoming barren and assuming the plumage of the male 

 have been noted. The first showed" full male plumage, even to 

 the curled tail-feathers, excepting that the neck and head still 

 retained their original colour. The duck now alive never gets 

 the speckled white breast or back-feathers perfect ; her head 

 and neck inclines to green, and the tail and tail-coverts are 

 blackish as in the mallard, and she has also the curled 

 feathers. In both ducks the bill retained its colour of yellow 

 and black, and did not become green, as in the perfect drake. 

 The bill and legs of the A. superciliosa are blackish, and it is 

 notable that the hybrid ducklings have dark down with black 

 legs and bill, although when mature their legs become orange- 

 yellow. From nine to eleven young are hatched out by these 

 hybrids after inbreeding for many years ; but they seldom 

 nest a second time during the one season. 



The drakes have the breast, thighs, and back of speckled 

 white feathers ; neck and head, the green of the mallard. I 

 have tried to breed out the white neck-ring and the chestnut- 

 red breast which occasionally appears. The tail and coverts 

 are blackish. The ducks are of tw r o shades of yellow-brown, 

 each feather beautifully marked by dark lines or spots. The 

 lighter-coloured ducks seemingly correspond with the chestnut- 

 breasted drake. Why there should be a number of ducks 

 uniform in colour of a light shade, and others equally uni- 

 form of a darker shade and with somewhat different markings 

 on each feather, I am at a loss to decide. There are none 

 of various or intermediate colours — just the two shades of 

 colour, and of the two the light-coloured ducks are somewhat 

 larger than the others. 



Comprised in the small museum of curios collected in the 

 entrance-hall of the Tavistock Hotel, Waipukurau, Hawke's 

 Bay, is a very handsome specimen of a female hybrid of the 

 third generation from the domestic duck crossed with the 



