202 



RIVER AND POND DUCKS 



gave the following approximate percentages: sedges, 39; pondweeds, 12; 

 grasses, 11; smartweeds, 5; algae, 5; duckweeds, 2; water milfoils, arrow 

 grass and burr reed, 3; miscellaneous plant food, 14; total plant food, 91 

 per cent. Insects, 5; molluscs, 4; total animal food, 9 per cent. Unlike 

 the Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teals, which are more fastidious, the 

 little Green-wings love the maggoty flesh of the rotting salmon of the Pa- 

 cific coast, and, when so feeding, are practically unfit for human con- 

 sumption. 



The following account of the curious courtship display of the Green- 

 wing is condensed from an account by Sutton, quoted by Bent (1923): 

 A female, accompanied by two males, was resting in a pond when sud- 

 denly the two males started to swim about the pond in poses which were 

 ridiculously similar; the bills were pointing somewhat upward and the 

 heads drawn back in a stiff and uncomfortable-looking manner. Strange 

 as it may seem, so similar were the birds in their every movement, that 

 even the feet seemed to stroke in perfect harmony and the picture was 

 one of unusual beauty. Back 

 and forth they swam, then, 

 still in perfect harmony of 

 movement, they started swim- 

 ming in a circle around the 

 female, keeping about two 

 feet apart, and at a tantaliz- 

 ingly deliberate speed. The 

 female all the while appeared 

 utterly unobservant. The 

 males suddenly started a re- 

 markable series of bobbings, 

 opening their bills widely and 

 uttering a musical pheep, 

 pheep; all the while they kept 

 wheeling in a circle about six 

 feet in diameter. The female 

 suddenly made a rush at one 

 of the males, whereupon he 

 stood up in the water, lifted 

 his wings slightly, and with 

 rapidly churning feet made a 

 most unusual noise, like a fine 

 jet of water impinging on 

 some object; as soon as this 

 happened he settled to rest 

 for a while and the other male arose and repeated the performance; oc- 

 casionally both would perform the antic at the same time. The attitude 

 of the males toward one another throughout the entire display was al- 

 ways one of dignified tolerance and, while they vied with one another in 

 matters of elegance of movement, there was never any sign of combat. 



