178 TowNSEND, Red-legged Subspecies of Black Duck. LApril 



"The validity -of the Black Duck," but as that seemed almost 

 insulting to our old friend obscura, I have adopted the present 

 title which, although perhaps not entirely correct, will, I believe, 

 readily be understood. 



The only way definitely to decide this question is by the observa- 

 tion of native New England birds during a period of several years 

 from their hatching out, or by the observation of breeding birds. 

 Both of these observations I have been fortunate enough to make, 

 for I have watched two pairs of Black Ducks, caught in the down 

 in Massachusetts, from June. 1909, imtil June, 1911, when one pair 

 had nested. Careful notes of these birds were taken from time 

 to time, and, as far as this experiment goes, it certainly bears out 

 Mr. Brewster's statements, for the breeding birds in their third 

 spring were typical tristis. 



The birds were captured in the down in Hudson, Massachu- 

 setts, on July 15, 1909, and came into the possession of Mr. John 

 Golding of South Sudbury, to whom I am much indebted for his 

 interest and assistance. There were originally five birds, three 

 males and two females. These I labelled on October 2, 1909, by 

 fastening numbered aluminum bands on their legs, and I noted the 

 colors and markings of each. They were kept in a small enclosure 

 out of doors, in which was a pool of water. All thrived but one 

 male that soon died. I visited them again in January, INIarch, July 

 and November, 1910, and in June, 1911. At the last date one 

 pair had died, and the other pair had been transferred to Medfield 

 where I saw them. This pair was given considerable freedom in 

 an enclosure in a natural meadow in which were pools of water, 

 and they had nested. At each visit the birds were caught sepa- 

 rately and examined critically in the hand, and the colors of bill 

 and feet and the markings noted down without reference to any 

 preceding notes. 



When four months old one of the females had a pure buffy 

 throat, while the other female's throat had a few scattered spots on 

 it. All three males had more or less fine spotting on a buffy 

 ground. The bills of the females were dark greenish black, their 

 tarsi brownish, while the bills of the males tended more to greenish 

 yellow and their legs to orange. The next spring the bills of the 

 males were slightly lighter in color, but by no means yellow, and 



