ANATID.E. 483 



been known to breed in confinement; but this ap- 

 pears to be rarely the case, although the male adopts 

 the usual change of plumage in the summer. 



The nest is said to be placed amongst rushes and 

 strong herbage, and is invariably well concealed. 



The food of the Pintail seems to be very various, 

 consisting of plants, insects and their larvse, Mol- 

 lusca, snails, and the spawn of frogs and fishes. 

 Meyer adds that it consumes small fish and frogs for 

 want of better provender, but not from choice : he 

 also adds to the list of food the blades of grass, 

 seeds, and the roots of water plants and corn, to ob- 

 tain which it flies to corn and stubble-fields; but 

 I have never seen th.e Pintail in my pond feed on 

 grass, like the Wigeon : its principal food seems to 

 be the pond- weed and the insects and small Mollusca 

 it picks up with it : the weed it obtains by tipping 

 its head downwards into the water, after the manner 

 of tame Ducks ; but I have never seen this or any 

 other of the true Ducks dive for food, although they 

 all even the Burrow Ducks do so when sporting 

 or washing themselves, and when wounded and 

 trying to escape. 



The Pintail, though not quite so showy as many 

 of the other Ducks, is a very pretty and ornamental 

 bird, and more elegant, both in form and in its move- 

 ments, than the common Wild Duck. The bill is 

 black on the ridge and at the base, pale blue on the 

 sides ; the irides are dark brown ; the head, chin, 



2 T 2 



