BIRDS HUNTED FOR FOOD OR SPORT. 



71 



MALLARD {Anas platyrhynchos) . 

 Common or local names: Green-head; Gray Duck (female and young). 



Female. 



Male. 



Length. — 23 to '-24 inches. 



Adult Male. —Head and most of neck iridescent green; a white ring almost 

 entirely around neck, broken only on the nape; lower neck and upper 

 breast chestnut; center of back brown, graying over shoulders and 

 blackening toward tail; wings brownish gray; wing patch or speculum 

 violet, bordered in front and behind with black and white; feathers 

 under tail black; rest of under parts silver gray, finely cross-lined with 

 black on the flanks, which end in white; a tuft of up-curled feathers on 

 tail; bill and legs yellow; feet reddish orange; iris brown. 



Adult Female. — \hove dark brownish; feathers edged with buff; throat 

 buff; speculum like that of male; head and neck lighter than body and 

 finely mottled; top of head dark, as also an inconspicuous line through 

 eye, and often another from lower part of bill crossing cheek then curv- 

 ing downward; breast brownish buff, marked with black; below white, 

 spotted with dusky; bill greenish yellow; feet yellowish or orange. 



Field Marks. — Size of the Black Duck; the green head and white ring 

 around neck identify the male; female similar to the black Duck, but 

 body lighter in color, with wing markings like those of male; speculum 

 or wing patch bordered both before and behind with a white bar. 



