^"'"iQi^"^] TowNSEND, Courtship of Ducks. 15 



Duck except one by Mr. Edmund J. Sawyer ^ who describes the 

 actions of two Black Ducks that flew repeatedly two or three rods 

 back and forth in a small pool, alighting each time with splashings 

 of the water while other ducks swam about unconcernedly. An 

 interesting sketch of this courtship flight illustrates the article. 



The Baldpate (Mareca americana) is a charming little duck with 

 his pale blue bill, snowy white pate, and vinous breast. He is an 

 arrant thief, however, and much prefers to rob his diving neigh- 

 bors, particularly the Coot and Lesser Scaup, of their provender 

 brought from the bottom by honest labor, than to search the shal- 

 lower waters by his own limited method of dipping. The robbery 

 is bold and open, and apparently awakens no resentment. In his 

 courting he continually emits gentle but eager whistling notes, and 

 with neck extended and head low, bill wide open and wings elevated 

 behind so that the tips are pointed up at an angle of forty-five de- 

 grees, he swims rapidly over the water behind or beside the duck. 

 Occasionally he pecks playfully at the side of her head, and now 

 and then in his excitement jumps clear of the water and flies for 

 two or three yards. 



I have found no previous account of the courtship of this species. 

 Millais' description of the courtship of the European Wigeon 

 {Mareca penelope) shows a striking similarity, the only difference 

 being in the character of the note emitted. Millais^ says that as 

 the female swims away, the drakes "follow in a close phalanx, 

 every male raising his crest, stretching out his neck close over the 

 water and erecting the beautiful long feathers of the scapulars to 

 show them off. He also depresses the shoulder joint downwards, 

 so as to elevate the primaries in the air. All the time the amorous 

 males keep up a perfect babble of loud Whee — ous, and they are 

 by far the noisiest of ducks in their courtship." 



The courtship of the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) is a pretty sight. 

 The gorgeously colored drake swims close to his modest little wife 

 who is dressed in quaker gray and wears large white spectacles. 

 If she swims too fast for him he is apt to touch her head with his 

 bill, and when she stops he jerks his head up and down in an 



1 Bird Lore, XI, 1909, p. 195. 



' British Surface-feeding Ducks, p. 45. 



