LIFE HISTORIES OF ISORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL. 95 



coverts, which is quite conspicuous as the duck flies away from its nest. 

 It can readily be distinguished from the mallard duck by its smaller 

 size and by the absence of the conspicuous white borders of the blue 

 speculum. Doctor Townsend (1905) has called attention to the fact 

 " that the under surface of the wings of thebald[)ate is gray, that of 

 the mallard snowy white." 



The ordinary call note of the male baldpate is a whistling whew, 

 whew, whew, which is uttered on the wing or while feeding and 

 swimming. Mr. J. H. Bowles (1909) has well described its vocal 

 powers, as follows: 



Their principal call is a lisping, throaty whistle, repeated three times in quick 

 succession. It is surprisingly light in character for the size of the bird, and serves 

 to confirm the bird's position on the list next to the teals. Although quite impossible 

 to describe, the note is rather easily imitated when heard a lew times, and frequently 

 proves a valuable addition to the repertoire oi the wild-fowl hunter. The only 

 other note I have heard them utter is a low, short chattering, somewhat resembling 

 that of the pintail, but greatly reduced in volume. Their quacks, or squawks, of 

 alarm also express the limit of terror, but are still pathetically inadequate in compari- 

 on with those, say, of a hen mallard. 



Doctor Yorke (1899) describes the cry as " a whistle like the last 

 note of a Bartramian sandpiper." The female has a soft guttural 

 note, which can hardly be called a " quack " and a louder cry, which 

 Eaton (1910) says resemble " the syllables Tcaow, kao^v." Mr. Aretas 

 A. Saunders writes to me in regard to the notes of this species: 



They also rarely quack like the mallard and gadwall, but this note is less nasal 

 than the mallard's and not so loud and sonorous as the gadwall's. The whistle 

 differs in pitch with different individuals, and one may frequently hear whistles 

 of two or three different pitches coming from the same flock of birds. 



On their breeding grounds baldpates are associated on friendly 

 terms with various other species, as has already been shown above. 

 In their vvinter feeding resorts they associate with canvasbacks, 

 redheads, and scaup ducks, stealing from them what bits of food 

 they can grab. Neltje Blanchan (1898) says of this performance: 



Such piracy keeps the ducks in a state of restless excitement, which is further 

 induced by the whistling of the widgeons' wings in their confused manner of flight 

 in and around the feeding grounds. Here they wheel about in the air; splash and 

 splutter the water; stand up in it and work their wings, half run, half fly along 

 the surface; and in many disturbing ways make themselves a nuisance to the 

 hunter in ambush. 



Doctor Townsend (1905) describes similar behavior with the Amer- 

 ican coot, as follows: 



I have seen a flock of five baldpates eagerly following half a dozen American 

 coots that were frequently diving in a pond and bringing up weeds from the bottom. 

 The baldpates gatlierod about the cools as soon as they emerged on the surface and 

 helped themselves to the spoils, tipping up occasionally to catch some sinking weed. 

 They seemed even to be able to perceive the coot coming up through the water, 



