DUCK IN GENERAL AND IN PARTICULAR n 



5 inches beyond the others. The male pintail is the 

 most graceful, as well as one of the most beautiful, of 

 all our duck. 1 His mate's plumage is of many shades 

 of brown ; the projection beyond the others of the 

 two middle tail feathers of the female bird is slight, 

 not more than about three-quarters of an inch. Pin- 

 tail in certain districts are fairly common duck during 

 every season. Sometimes, when really hard weather 

 sets in, one finds them numerous on the east coast 

 of England. They have never been known to nest in 

 our islands in a purely wild state. Occasionally 

 migrants reach us as early as the latter part of Sep- 

 tember. Pintail visit inland waters freely, and will 

 make a suitable spot their winter home if not too 

 frequently disturbed, or if not again driven to the 

 coast by severe weather. The male pintail measures 

 about 27 inches. Most people who taste a pintail 

 declare it to be the best of all duck for the table. 

 The pintail is a surface-feeding duck. 



Food : animal and vegetable in great variety, in- 

 cluding grain, seeds, and aquatic insects and mol- 

 lusca. 



1 Lest from this brief description the pintail should at some 

 time or another be confused with the long-tailed duck (Fttligula 

 glactalis), one may add that the speculum of the former contains 

 glossy green feathers, whereas that of the latter is a dull brown. 



