12 TowNSEND, Courtship of Ditcks. [j^ 



tint. From time to time he emits a quickly repeated purring 

 note, dorr - dorr or krr - krr. 



The most surprising part of the performance is the spurt of water 

 fully three or four feet long which every now and then is sent back- 

 wards into the air by the powerful kick of the drake's foot. It is 

 similar to the performance of the Whistler but much greater, and 

 while the foot of the Whistler is easily seen and is plainly a part of 

 the display, it is difficult to see the red foot of the Merganser in the 

 rush of water, although it is evident doubtless, to the females. The 

 display of the brilliantly colored foot in both species is probably the 

 primary sexual display, and the splash, at first incidental and 

 secondary, has now become of primary importance. 



During all this time the female swims about unconcernedly, 

 merely keeping out of the way of the ardent and belligerent males, 

 although she sometimes joins in the dance and bobs in a mild way. 

 At last she succumbs to the captivating display and submerges 

 herself so that only a small part of her body with a bit of the crest 

 appear above the water, and she swims slowly beside or after her 

 mate, sometimes even touching him with her bill. Later she re- 

 mains motionless, flattens herself still more, the crest disappears 

 and she sinks so that only a line like that made by a board floating 

 on the water is seen. One would never imagine it to be a live duck. 

 The drake slowly swims around her several times, twitches his head 

 and neck, picks at the water, at his own feathers and at her before 

 he mounts and completely submerges her, holding tightly with his 

 bill to her neck meanwhile. Then she bathes herself, washes the 

 water vigorously through her feathers and flaps her wings; the 

 drake stretches himself and flaps his wings likewise. From the 

 beginning of submergence by the female the process is the same in 

 all the duck family that I have observed. 



The Mallard {Anas platyrhynchos) is a common duck in Jamaica 

 and Leverett Ponds, in the Fens and in the Back Bay Basin. 

 Most of these birds have been introduced by the Park Department 

 and semi-domesticated, and some are housed in winter, but there 

 are always a considerable number that fly freely and spend the 

 winter in the few open places at the entrance of springs and water 

 courses that are to be found at that season. They are practically 

 wild birds, and it is possible and probable that some are really wild. 



