9b General Notes. LJan. 



phus) resting on ice at the edge of the water on one of the lagoons of 

 Jackson Park, Chicago. It appeared during an unusually cold wave. 

 Mr. F. M. Woodruff in his ' Birds of the Chicago Area ' published in 1907 

 writes of this species as being a rather rare fall visitant in the area covered 

 by that book, and no doubt since then it has become still more rare. At 

 least, in nearly six years acquaintance with the birds of this region, this is 

 the first cormorant that I have ever seen. — Edwin D. Hull, Chicago, 

 Illinois. 



Note on the Feeding of the Mallard. — That the Mallard (Anas 

 platyrhynchos) does not dive for its food seems to be the general impression. 

 Therefore an exception which I was fortunate enough to witness would 

 seem worthy of record. January 28, 1914, on one of the lagoons of Jackson 

 Park, Chicago, I saw an adult male Mallard in company with a female 

 Lesser Scaup. When the birds were first seen about 4:30 P. M. the Scaup 

 was diving repeatedly near the middle of the lagoon in deep water, while 

 the Mallard was following her about, rushing up to her every time she 

 appeared at the surface, but unable to rob her of any food. Nearly twenty 

 minutes later the Mallard dove for the first time. A few more dives fol- 

 lowed in fairly quick succession. Meanwhile the Scaup had been diving 

 continuously. The diving of the Mallard in comparison with that of the 

 Scaup was clumsy in the extreme, and accompanied with much flapping of 

 wings and splashing of water. The actual time spent by the Mallard under 

 water was very short, in fact, when it dove after the Scaup had disappeared 

 it was still the first to rise. The diving would seem to be unsuccessful, 

 for the bird quit shortly although the Scaup kept up its diving, and later 

 about 5:00 P. M. when the birds swam off to another part of the lagoon 

 and the Scaup again commenced diving the Mallard made no effort to do 

 so. It is highly improbable that sufficient food, if indeed any at all, was 

 secured in these short clumsy dives. At any rate the bird brought no food 

 to the surface, and if any was obtained it was swallowed under water. 



I notice J. G. Millais x states that young Mallards when about three- 

 quarters grown and before they are able to fly, encouraged by their mothers 

 secure a considerable part of their food by diving. This author states 

 further in his notes on the Mallard that surface-feeding ducks exceptionally 

 dive for choice bits of food, but he does not name the species, although 

 presumably the Mallard is included. 



From the few available observations, the most plausible theory, it seems 

 to me, in regard to the feeding of the Mallard is that the species has nearly 

 changed in adult life from a diving to a surface-feeding duck, although 

 diving is habitual in the young. Reversions to this juvenal behavior occur 

 among adults under the pressure of a very strong stimulus, as an unusually 

 choice morsel of food, or in imitation of a diving duck after that bird has 



The Natural History of British Surface-Feeding Ducks, 1902, p 3. 



