MASKED DUCK. 



'T^HIS rather handsome Duck is a native of the West 

 Indies and South America, and it is only as an acci- 

 dental visitor within the limits of the United States that 

 it can be included in our Fauna. A few instances 

 only are on record of its capture within our borders; 

 at Lake Champlain in New York, Maiden in Massa- 

 chusetts, and on Rock River, Wisconsin, widely sepa- 

 rated localities. Another individual was supposed 

 to have been seen on Lake Koshkonong, Wiscon- 

 sin, but as it was not secured its identification was 

 impossible. It has also been procured near Brownsville 

 in Texas, and at Matamoras in Mexico. In Trinidad 

 and the northern parts of South America, in some of the 

 West Indian Islands and in Western Mexico this Duck 

 is frequently met with and in some localities is not rare. 

 Nowhere, however, is it observed in such large flocks as 

 are frequently seen of its relative, our common Ruddy 

 Duck, in Northern waters. 



Like that species the flight of the Masked Duck is 

 rapid, but not sustained for any great distance, and it is 

 a sociable species and loves to keep together in small 

 companies on the lakes and lagoons in the localities it in- 

 habits. In Trinidad its flesh is considered excellent, and 

 it is regarded with much favor. As a diver it is an ex- 

 pert, and remains under water for a long time. It swims 

 deeply like the Ruddy Duck, but on land is awkward, 

 usually holding itself upright and supported in a great 

 measure by its stiff tail. It is a handsome bird with a 



