54 THE BIRDS OF 



MALLARD AND CANADA GOOSE 



The Mallard (Plate 13, p. 105) is 

 now common at Ravine Lake, because 

 a few pairs were liberated there several 

 years ago, and they have increased 

 rapidly. The body of the male is green, 

 black and brown, with a beautiful em- 

 erald green head, which is separated 

 from the body by a white neck ring. 

 The female and young are dark brown. 

 These ducks stay almost all the year. 

 The usual size of the Mallard is twenty- 

 three inches, but a friend of mine, John 

 B. Clark, of Bernardsville, New Jersey, 

 has crossed some with the White Pekin 

 Duck; and the young are the size of the 

 latter. In captivity young Mallards 

 sometimes dive under the water like 

 Grebes, head foremost, but I have never 

 seen the old birds do it. To a great 

 many people, the V-shaped flocks of 

 Geese flying over in migration are a 



