10 TowNSEND, Courtship of Ducks. [jj![^_ 



birds for the breeding grounds. A group of birds are apt to be all 

 doing the same thing at the same time. For example, courting 

 may be going on actively, when suddenly the flock takes to diving 

 or dipping. Again the birds may become indolent, and doze and 

 preen themselves, so that one may often be disappointed on visiting 

 a pond to find the ducks all feeding or dozing and not courting. If 

 one's time is limited, he may often draw a blank. 



If, in a group of ducks the drakes are seen to be restlessly swim- 

 ming back and forth or weaving their way in and out through the 

 crowd as if they were at an afternoon tea, the case looks promising. 

 This afternoon-tea-effect is very characteristic of courtship among 

 water birds in general, and one can often tell at a glance whether 

 courtship is in progress or not. The most favorable opportunity 

 for observation is afforded when the ducks are crowded into a small 

 area of open water near the shore by the freezing over of the larger 

 part of the pond. 



There is a great variety in the methods of courtship of ducks 

 from the very spectacular performance, — the song and dance — 

 of the Whistler to the simpler movements of the Mallard, but one 

 can trace in most of them a general family resemblance. All are 

 interesting as primitive forms of dancing, an art which has under- 

 gone wonderful developments in the human species, but undoubt- 

 edly owes its origin to courtship impulses. It is to be noted that, 

 even among mankind, the dance may not be with the feet alone, 

 but may include movements of the body, neck, head, arms and 

 hands. Indeed certain human dances in Java and some of the 

 Oceanic islands are limited to one or more of these last named 

 movements without any leg action. 



The courtship of the Merganser or Goosander (Mergus ameri- 

 canus), is fairly spectacular and differs widely from that of its 

 red-breasted cousin, M. senator. The only description I can find 

 of it is one by Mr. William Brewster ^ who states that he saw the 

 performance on March 16, 1909, at Fresh Pond, Cambridge. 

 This and the brief description given by Mr. J. G. Millais ^ of the 

 Courtship of the European Merganser (Mergus merganser), — a 



' Bird Lore, XIII, 1911, p. 125-127. 



2 British Diving Ducks, 1913, vol. 2, p. 94. 



