THE MALLARD DUCK. 



Qj 



(5 HE Mallard Duck is generally 

 distributed in North America, 

 migrating south in winter to 

 '■"*" Panama, Cuba, and the Ba- 

 hamas. In summer the full grown 

 male resembles the female, being 

 merely somewhat darker in color. The 

 plumage is donned by degrees in early 

 June, and in August the full rich 

 winter dress is again resumed. The 

 adult males in winter plumage vary 

 chiefly in the extent and richness of 

 the chestnut of the breast. 



The Mallard is probably the best 

 known of all our wild ducks, being 

 very plentiful and remarkable on 

 account of its size. Chiefly migrant, 

 a few sometimes remain in the south- 

 ern portion of Illinois, and a few pairs 

 sometimes breed in the more secluded 

 localities where they are free from dis- 

 turbance. Its favorite resorts are mar- 

 gins of ponds and streams, pools and 

 ditches. It is an easy walker, and can 

 run with a good deal of speed, or dive 

 if forced to do so, though it never 

 dives for food It feeds on seeds of 

 grasses, fibrous roots of plants, worms, 

 shell fish, and insects. In feeding in 

 shallow water the bird keeps the hind 

 part of its body erect, while it searches 

 the muddy bottom with its bill. 

 When alarmed and made to fly, it 

 utters a loud quack, the cry of the 

 female being the louder. " It feeds 

 silently, but after hunger is satisfied, 

 it amuses itself with various jabberings, 

 swims about, moves its head backward 

 and forward, throws water over its 

 back, shoots along the surface, half 

 flying, half running, and seems quite 

 playful. If alarmed, the Mallard springs 



up at once with a bound, rises obliquely 

 to a considerable height, and flies off 

 with great speed, the wings producing 

 a whistling sound. The flight is made 

 by repeated flaps, without sailing, and 

 when in full flight its speed is 

 hardly less than a hundred miles an 

 hour." 



Early in spring the male and female 

 seek a nesting place, building on the 

 ground, in marshes or among water 

 plants, sometimes on higher ground, 

 but never far from water. The nest 

 is large and rudely made of sedges and 

 coarse grasses, seldom lined with down 

 or feathers. In rare instances it nests 

 in trees, using the deserted nests of 

 hawks, crows, or other large birds. 

 Six or eight eggs of pale dull green 

 are hatched, and the young are covered 

 over with down. When the female 

 leaves the nest she conceals the eggs 

 with hay, down, or any convenient 

 material. As soon as hatched the 

 chicks follow the mother to the water, 

 where she attends them devotedly, aids 

 them in procuring food, and warns 

 them of danger. While they are at- 

 tempting to escape, she feigns lame- 

 ness to attract to herself the attention 

 of the enemy. The chicks are won- 

 derfully active little fellows, dive 

 quickly, and remain under water with 

 only the bill above the surface. 



On a lovely morning, before the sun 

 has fairly indicated his returning pres- 

 ence, there can be no finer sight than 

 the hurrying pinions, or inspiring 

 note than the squawk, oft repeated, of 

 these handsome feathered creatures, as 

 they seek their morning meal in the 

 lagoons and marshes. 



13 



