48 DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS 



large space on secondaries ; head uncrested except for the slightly elon- 

 gated green feathers of male mallards in winter plumage. 



r 



KEY TO SPECIES OF ANAS. 



1. Head and neck iridescent green (winter male) . . . boschas, p. 48. 

 r. Head and neck finely striped and specked with dusky. 



2. Belly mottled gray and dusky (summer male, female, and young). 



„, „ „ , boschas, p. 48. 



1 . Belly mottled brown and dusky maculosa, p. 49. 



132. Anas boschas Linn. Mallard. 



Male in winter and breeding plumage. — Four of the black upper tail coverts 

 recurved ; head and 

 neck, down to white 

 collar, rich iridescent 

 green ; chest dark 

 chestnut brown ; belly "^""^^^^^-i^ 

 and sides gray ; wing 

 with iridescent violet 

 green speculum bor- 

 dered by black and w hite bars ; rump 

 and upper and lower tail coverts black. 

 Male in summer plumage : like female. 

 Female and immature: entire plum- 

 age variously mottled, scalloped, and 

 streaked with dusky and buff, ex- 

 cept for plain buffy chin and white 

 under surface of wing ; buff predomi- 

 nating on belly ; wing as in male. 

 Length : 20-25, wing 10.25-12.00, bill 

 2.00-2.40. 



Distribution. — Northern hemi- -pi gg 



sphere ; in America breeding from / 



southern United States to Alaska ; south in winter to Panama. 



Nest. — On the ground, in grass or weeds, well lined with down. Eggs : 

 6 to 10, pale olive or buffy green. 



The mallard is the best known of all the American ducks, l)reed- 

 ing at large over the country and migrating north and south in great 

 flocks, feeding extensively on w^ild rice and various grains and seeds, 

 and becoming extremely fat. Its large size and delicious flavor ren- 

 der it an important and much sought game bird, but at the same 

 time threaten it with partial extermination. Nature has done her 

 best for it in its summer dress, for nothing could be more protec- 

 tively inconspicuous. The female keeps the mottled disguise all 

 winter. In fall, however, both old and young males acquire the 

 rich breeding plumage which they keep until after the eggs are laid 

 in spring. The male then doffs his bright dress and in his dull dis- 

 guise can be distinguished from the female only by his soft voice, 

 a mere whispered imitation of her loud quack, quack. When both 

 old birds are away from the nest, the eggs are left carefully covered 

 with down. Vernon Bailey. 



