MALLARD OR WILD DUCK 285 



much as 3 lbs. while the duck will scale about ^ lb. less. As regards 

 colouring, the mallard in breeding-plumage is specially characterised 

 by the green head and neck, the white ring round the latter, and the 

 upwardly-curled black tail-coverts glossed with green. Below the 

 neck-ring, extending to the upper part of the breast, is a band of dark 

 chestnut ; on the middle of the back the feathers are dark brown 

 passing posteriorly into black ; those of the scapular region and flanks 

 are finely laced with black and grey wavy lines ; the greater wing- 

 coverts show sub-terminal white bars with black tips, which form a 

 double band across the front of the " speculum " ; the latter being 

 green shot with purple and steely blue and bordered behind (as in 

 front) with white ; the middle of the breast and the abdomen are grey 

 finely laced with wavy ash-coloured lines, and the under tail-coverts are 

 black. When in non-breeding plumage, the drake is very similar to 

 the duck, from which it may, however, be distinguished by the darker 

 crown and back, the latter being nearly black near the tail, and the 

 crescentic markings on the fore part of the breast. At all seasons the 

 duck has the head and neck brown streaked with dusky, the feathers 

 of the upper-parts brown with light brown borders ; the breast wood- 

 brown with dusky oval central areas to the feathers ; the " speculum " 

 duller than in the drake ; and the under-parts yellowish buff, except 

 the under tail-coverts, which are whitish with dark streaks down the 

 middles of the feathers. Young birds are similar. The down of the 

 duckling is umber-brown above and yellowish white beneath. 



The geographical range of the mallard includes the whole of 

 the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere ; but in many 

 localities a certain proportion (in some cases perhaps all) of the birds 

 migrate southward in winter. At that season, for instance, a large 

 number of wild ducks from Central Asia visit the plains of upper 

 and central India, whereas the species breeds only in Kashmir and the 

 Himalaya. Similarly, many wild ducks arrive in the southern parts of 

 the British Isles from the north for the winter, although others remain 

 throughout the year and breed. In Europe the breeding-range includes 

 Iceland in the north and Greece in the south. Northern Scotland 

 apparently is too cold for these birds to remain throughout the winter. 



In the south of England wild ducks mate as early as March, and 

 even in the northern counties early in April. L^sually the nest is 

 built in reeds by the water, but instances are not unknown — they have 

 happened in the London parks — of wild ducks breeding in trees or in 

 ivy, when the ducklings are carried down one by one on their mother's 

 back to the water. So soon as the full clutch of eggs, which varies 



