V ° 1 i907 :iV ] Bigelow, Hybrids between Mallard and other Ducks. 383 



Museum of Comparative Zoology, No. 42855, d\ shot on Curri- 

 tuck Sound, N. C, Jan. 9, 1889, by Dr. John Bryant. 



The head of this specimen presents a very interesting appearance. 

 The crown, as far back as the occipital region, is dark chocolate 

 brown, the feathers margined and tipped with pale fulvous as in 

 the Black Duck. The sides of the head below the line of the eye 

 are light yellowish brown, striped with dark fulvous and green; 

 while the postocular region, comprising a band about .75 in. in 

 breadth running around to the back of the neck, is bright 'Mallard 

 green.' The throat, and lower side of the fore-neck are thickly 

 spotted with fulvous and green, with a few pale spots: a condi- 

 tion seen, though to a lesser degree, in young male Mallards. 

 At the junction of neck and breast the feathers are very pale: this 

 being the only suggestion of the white collar of the Mallard. 



The breast, for a band about 4 inches broad, is of the charac- 

 teristic Mallard chestnut, each feather, however, marked with a 

 semilunar patch of dark brown. Posteriorly the chestnut of the 

 breast shades into a pale yellowish brown, considerably darker 

 than the belly color of the Mallard. At the level of the legs the 

 semilunar spots disappear. Although the general tint of the belly 

 is very much darker than in the Mallard, yet near the sides the 

 characteristic vermiculations of that species can faintly be traced, 

 as they likewise can be on the flanks. The lower tail coverts show 

 a very remarkable condition, the feathers being streaked with black, 

 and with rufous of a tint not occurring on that region in either 

 Mallard or Black Duck. 



The middle line of the back is typical obscura, the rump, however, 

 is almost black, with a greenish gloss. The scapulars are vermic- 

 ulatcd, and the arrow-shaped tertials are of the rich grayish brown 

 of the Mallard. With this parent also the rest of the wing agrees, 

 the speculum having the white frame of that species. The two 

 middle tail coverts are curly, but the general color of the tail 

 closely resembles that of the obscura parent. The legs and feet, in 

 the dried skin, are light yellow. 



To sum up: undoubted Mallard characters are, (1) green on 

 the head; (2) chestnut breast band; (3) white wing markings; (4) 

 tertials; (5) curly tail coverts; (6) color of legs and feet. Black 

 Duck characters arc: (1) color of crown, cheeks and neck; (2) 



