158 BULLETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



chusetts, " seeds of bur reed, pondweed, bulrush, and Naias, and buds, 

 etc., of wild celery," also " chironomid and hydrophilid larvae." 



In the Currituck Sound region of North Carolina and Virginia I 

 have found them feeding almost exclusively on the seeds of the fox- 

 tail grass. Nuttall (1834) mentions " seeds and husks of the Ruppia 

 maritima,''^ which is apparently the same thing. Audubon (1840) 

 says : " Wlien on salt marshes they eat small univalve shells, fiddlers, 

 and young crabs, and on the seacoast they devour fry of various 

 sorts. Along with their food they swallow great quantities of sand 

 or gravel." 



Behavior. — In its flight, swimming, and diving habits the ruddy 

 duck more closely resembles the grebes than does any other Ameri- 

 can duck. Its small, rounded wings are hardly sufficient to raise its 

 chunky little body off the water, except with the aid of its large, 

 powerful feet, pattering along the surface for several yards. But, 

 when well under way, it makes good progress in flight, though it flies 

 usually close to the water and seldom ri,ses to any great height in 

 the air, even when migrating. It has a peculiar, uneven, jerky gait 

 in flight by which it can be easily recognized at a long distance, and 

 it usually flies in good-sized or large flocks. Audubon (1840) says: 



They alight on the water more heavily than most others that are not equally 

 flattened and short in tjie body, but they move on that element with ease and 

 grace, swimming deeply immersed, and procuring their food altogether by 

 diving, at which they are extremely expert. They are generally disposed to 

 keep under the lee of shores on all occasions. When swimming without 

 suspicion of danger they carry the tail elevated almost perpendicularly and 

 float lightly on the water ; but as soon as they are alarmed, they immediately 

 sink deeper, in the manner of the anhinga, grebes, and cormorants, sometimes 

 going out of sight without leaving a ripple on the water. On small ponds 

 they often dive and conceal themselves among the grass along the shore, rather 

 than attempt to escape by flying, to accomplish which with certainty they 

 would require a large open space. I saw this very often when on the planta- 

 tion of General Hernandez in east Florida. If wounded, they dived and hid in 

 the grass, but, as the ponds there were shallow, and had the bottom rather 

 ftrm, I often waded out and pursued them. Then it was that I saw the 

 curious manner in which they used their tail when swimming, employing it now 

 as a rudder, and again with a vertical motion ; the wings being also slightly 

 opened, and brought into action as well as the feet. 



Walter H. Rich (1907) writes: 



The wings are small in proportion to their chunky little bodies, and their 

 flight at the outset is heavy and labored, but once fairly going they fly fast, 

 their wings making considerable noise from their rapid motion. With all 

 these drawbacks the ruddy is wonderfully quick, either in the air or on the 

 water. He is quite capable of taking care of himself once he gets it into his 

 head that harm is intended. He can get under water with a celerity that 

 falls little short of the marvelous. One of his tricks has always been a mys- 

 tery to me: He will sink himself completely beneath the surface without div- 

 ing — simply settles down like a sinking craft and lieats a retreat under water. 



