STUDIES ON HYBRID DUCKS 243 



forms were two black ducklings which appeared among the dozen 

 mentioned above. 



F] adults. From the mating Rouen female and Pekin male, 

 seven females and five males grew to maturity. From the recip- 

 rocal mating there were two females and three males. These 

 were all pigmented and on the whole closely resembled the Rouens. 

 When, however, the various characters were considered separately 

 it was found that the hybrids differed in several points from the 

 Rouens, as wiU appear from the following description. Besides 

 these there were two greenish black females with white throats 

 and breasts (fig. 7). They appeared among the lot of hybrids 

 in which the reciprocal crosses were mixed. 



The males (fig. 5), generally speaking, are all alike, such varia- 

 tion as was noted being one of degree rather than kind. The 

 head is identical with that of the male Rouen. The rest of the 

 body is usually somewhat lighter in tone, so that the hybrids 

 appear brighter than the Rouen male. There is a neck ring, 

 several times as broad as that of the Rouen in all the males. 

 The claret feathers of the breast are partly white, especially in 

 the midline. On the other hand, the feathers of the dorsal side 

 of the lower neck contain much claret. The dorsal surface of the 

 wing usually is quite different from the Rouen. The anterior 

 third is nearly white, due to the presence of a broad white margin 

 to each feather. The next three rows or thereabouts have less 

 white, but present a broad submarginal band of rufous, which 

 becomes less conspicuous in the next two rows. The next row, 

 which lies directly over the remiges, is not especially modified. 

 A variable number of the primaries are always white. The main 

 tail feathers may have white or vermiculated margins. Vermicu- 

 lations may also appear in sections where they do not occur 

 in the pure Rouen. There is one male, however, in which the 

 breast and the dorsal surface of the wing is the same as that of 

 the thorough-bred Rouen. This may be merely a variation in 

 dominance, or it may have greater significance. 



The females (fig. 6), with the two exceptions already noted, 

 are also brighter colored than the female Rouens, but not more 

 so than what I am informed is the fancier's ideal. The brighter 



