LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL 35 



quentl}^ some individuals molt and mate before they start on the 

 spring migration and others not nntil after they have reached their 

 breeding grounds. Many males apparently do not acquire a full 

 nuptial plumage during the whole summer and probably do not mate 

 that season; I have seen males in Alaska in midsummer in practi- 

 cally full winter plumage and in various stages between that and 

 full nuptial plumage; the full development of the latter seems to be 

 rather rare. 



John G. Millais (1913) writes: 



As previously stated, the actual courtship of the male is generally aroused 

 and brought about by the sexual desire of the female, and amongst ducks 

 the females are very irregular as to the time of their coming into season. 

 Thus only one or perhaps two females in a large flock may be well advanced 

 in their summer plumage and their breeding instincts, and these are the spe- 

 cial objects of desire of all the males. I have noticed a bunch of 8 or 10 

 females swimming apart and not a male going near them, whilst 10 or 15 

 males will crowd round some particular female and lavish upon her all their 

 arts of charm. The most common attitude of the male in courtship is to 

 erect the tail, stiffen the neck to its fullest extent, and then lower it toward 

 the female with a sudden bow, the bill being held outward and upward. As 

 the head curves down, the call is emitted. Sometimes the head is held out 

 along the water before the female, who herself often adopts this attitude, or 

 makes a " guttering " note of appreciation with head held in close to the 

 body. Another common attitude of the male is to throw the head right back 

 till it almost touches the scapulars, the bill pointing to tb.e heavens. As the 

 bird throws the head forward again the call is emitted. iMany males will 

 closely crowd round a female, all going through the same performance. It 

 is not long before a fight starts amongst the males, so that the lady of the 

 tourney is in the midst of a striiggling clamorous mass of squabbling knights, 

 each endeavoring to show his qualifications to love by his extravagant gestures 

 or strength. To add to the confusion, any male long-tails in the neighbor- 

 hood are sure to hear the noise and come flying in all haste to take part 

 in the jousts. Even males still in full winter plumage will come and be almost, 

 if not quite, as active as the rest. They advance with all haste, swaying from 

 side to side, their sharp-pointed wings being only arrested when almost 

 above the contest. Then they close the wings in mid-air and dash into 

 the fray with all their ardour. So impetuous and gallant are males of this 

 species that they will chase each other for long distances, falling often in 

 the sea and sending the spray flying; down they go under the water and 

 emerge almost together on the surface to continue the chase in mid-air. I 

 have twice seen a male when flying seize another by the nape and both come 

 tumbling head over heels into the sea in mad confusion. 



In Mr. Hersey's notes, made at the mouth of the Yukon, I find 

 the following account of the later courtship, observed on June 19, 

 1914, which shows that the birds are not all paired when they ar- 

 rive on their breeding grounds. 



To-day I watched the courtship of a pair of this species. A male and two 

 females were swimming about in a small pond. As the male began calling 

 another female joined the party. The male, however, paid all his attentions 

 to one of the females and did not notice either of the others. As this favored 



