Color Male Head and neck, rich brown, with a 

 white stripe running from the ociput down the sides of 

 the neck to the breast; bill, lead color, with a black 

 stripe along the top; back, gray; breast, white; central 

 tail feathers, very long and pointed; speculum, light 

 smoky brown, edged with white. 



Female The female is much more of an ocher brown 

 than the male, and without the stripe on the neck or 

 the lead color of the bill. The top of the head and the 

 sides of the neck are streaked with brown; breast, 

 spotted with dark brown; under parts, white. While 

 it somewhat resembles the female mallard, the much 

 narrower bill and difference of the speculum should 

 prevent any error in identification. Besides the tail is 

 pointed and the axillars are white, barred with dark 

 brown. 



Nest and Eggs The nest is usually back a little dis- 

 tance from the water's edge and contains from eight to 

 twelve bluish-white eggs. 



Measurements Total length, male, 28 and female, 22 

 inches; wing, 9%; bill, 2 inches. 



THE WOOD DUCK 

 (Aix sponsa) 



The wood duck, the handsomest of all the American 

 ducks, is not plentiful anywhere, and seems to be grow- 

 ing fewer in numbers. Ornithologists class them as resi- 

 dent ducks, breeding throughout their range. From my 

 personal experience I believe that they are migratory, 

 at least to a considerable extent, for while many flocks 

 of from half a dozen to twenty birds can be seen along 

 the timbered portions of the Sacramento river during 

 the summer months and the early fall, as well as along 

 other wooded streams of the Coast, few are to be seen 

 during the shooting season. From this fact I can draw 

 but one conclusion; they migrate south in the winter. 

 A few are killed each winter but they can only be con- 

 sidered a rare duck whose beauty lends an occasional 

 charm to the game bag. 



Color Male The male has a long crest falling down 

 the back of the neck and showing a green and purple 

 luster; the bill is red with a dark stripe on top; a 

 broad stripe of white commences under the bill and 

 passes down the neck, meeting another stripe of white 

 that nearly encompasses the neck; sides and front of 

 lower neck, brownish purple, dotted with white; back, 

 71 



