WILD DUCK. NATATORES. ANAS. 309 



in the mean time the young ones either dive or secrete them- 

 selves in the bushes or long herbage, so that it rarely hap- 

 pens that more than two or three are captured out of a large 

 brood. The eggs are from ten to fourteen, of a bluish- 

 white; and the Duck, during incubation, when she quits 

 the nest for food, is in the habit of covering them with down 

 and other substances, in all probability from an instinctive 

 idea of concealing them from observation, and which 'prac- 

 tice is pursued by many birds as well of this as other fami- 

 lies. The trachea of the Mallard is furnished at its lower 

 extremity with a labyrinth * (not unlike that of the Gadwall 

 in shape and position, but considerably larger), yet the tube 

 itself is of nearly equal diameter throughout its length. The Food, 

 food of the Wild Duck consists of insects, worms, slugs, and 

 all kinds of grain, &c. 



PLATE 50. Represents the Mallard, of the natural size. 



Head and neck glossy duck-green, with the lower part General 



descrip- 

 surrounded by a narrow collar of white. Breast deep tion. 



chocolate-red. Under parts greyish- white, with fine Male, 

 zigzag transverse lines of grey. Mantle chestnut-brown, 

 with the margins of the feathers paler. Scapulars grey- 

 ish-white, rayed with zigzag brown, those next to the 

 wing being rich brown, rayed with black. Lower part 

 of the back, rump, and under tail-coverts velvet-black, 

 with green reflections. The four middle tail-feathers 

 black, and curled upwards ; the rest hair-brown, deeply 

 margined with white. Lesser wing-coverts hair-brown, 

 tinged with yellowish-brown. Greater coverts having 

 a bar of white, and being tipped with velvet-black. 

 Speculum rich glossy Prussian blue, passing into black, 

 and tipped with white. Quills pale hair-brown. Bill 



For illustrations and descriptions of the different tracheas of the 

 Duck, &c. I refer my r/eaders to Mr YARRELL'S excellent paper, published 

 in the 15th. volume of the Transactions of the Linnean Society. 



