152 RIVER AND POND DUCKS 



LIFE STORY 



Of all ducks, the one that is of the greatest importance to man is, 

 unquestionably, the Mallard. For thousands of years the wild Mallard 

 has furnished mankind with countless tons of food and the domesticated 

 variety has provided us with vast quantities of eggs, flesh and feathers. 

 The Mallard lends itself readily to domestication and is the progenitor 

 of nearly all our domestic breeds. In China, with its tremendous popu- 

 lation, the flesh and eggs of this splendid duck form an important part 

 of the country's food supply. 



No one country or even continent can claim the Mallard for its own; 

 it inhabits almost the whole of the Northern Hemisphere, and among the 

 ducks is probably the most abundant species. In North America it is 

 found across the continent, though it is much more prevalent in the west- 

 ern portion, giving place in the East to the Black Duck. Much over- 

 lapping occurs, however, and both species are common in the interior. 

 The Mallard crosses freely with other species, especially with its near 

 relative, the Black. The offspring of these two are usually fertile. 

 Crosses with the Gadwall, Pintail, Baldpate, Green-winged Teal and 

 other species are also known. See Colour Plate No. 36. 



In the spring during late February and early March the hardy 

 Mallards, leaders in the migrating hordes of wildfowl, leave their winter 

 homes in the Southern States, follow closely the footsteps of retreating 

 winter and arrive at the northern limits of their breeding range in 

 Alaska early in May. In the autumn, flights from local nesting areas 

 to nearby feeding grounds start in late August or early September, but 

 the main migration flight does not begin in earnest until late in Septem- 

 ber, "when the first early frosts, the brilliant hues of ripening leaves 

 and the falling crop of acorns and beechnuts remind them of advancing 

 autumn. But the waning of the harvest moon and the crisp, clear nights 

 of early October also remind the hunters of the glorious sport of duck 



shooting; in the stillness of the night 



T**&/ "V<\ ""^^ they P usil their flat skiffs out tnrou gh 



ff^ * ^- tne watery lanes among the acres of 



"* * reeds anc * buckrusn to the shallow 



ponds, overgrown with smartweed and 

 wild rice, where the ducks are wont 

 to feed; their wooden decoys are 

 anchored in some conspicuous open space and their skiffs are carefully 

 concealed in blinds of thick reeds and grasses, where they patiently await 

 the coming daylight, listen for the quacking notes of the awakening 

 ducks and watch for the passing flocks on the way to their feeding 

 grounds" (Bent, 1923). 



The main winter home of the Mallard is in the lower half of the 

 Mississippi Valley south of the line of frozen ponds, and in the Gulf 

 States from Texas to Florida. Here it lives and flourishes mainly in 

 fresh water ponds, swamps, streams, everglades, and rice fields, fattening 



