THE WILD DUCK. 27 



ceedingly handsome. The bill is yellowish-green; the 

 irides hazel ; the head and upper part of the neck a rich 

 glossy green, with a ring of white ; the lower part of the 

 neck arid the back a grayish chestnut-brown; the rump 

 and upper tail-coverts bluish-black ; the middle tail-feathers 

 velvet-black, and curled upwards; front and sides of the 

 neck rich dark chestnut ; breast, belly, vent, grayish-white ; 

 under tail-coverts velvet-black; legs, orange-yellow. As 

 already mentioned, a wonderful change takes place in the 

 appearance of the Drake at the time of breeding. First, 

 the back and breast change colour, then the curled feathers 

 are lost, the splendid plumage of the head and neck 

 becomes dull and gray, and about the first week in July 

 all the handsome markings have disappeared, and the bird 

 has assumed the dull brown colour of the female. This 

 extraordinary change, however, lasts only for a couple of 

 months, and by the first week in October the Drake has 

 discarded his sad-coloured garb, and once more appears in 

 all the beauty of his original plumage. 



The flight of the Wild Duck is strong and rapid ; the 

 birds generally fly in a long irregular slanting line, with 

 their necks fully extended. When only short journeys 

 are performed, they commonly follow the course of water 

 or low wet grounds, flying in a confused mass near the 

 ground. Broad reedy sheets of water, ponds, lakes, rivers, 

 streams, ditches, and watery districts generally, are the 

 favourite resorts of the bird ; but a considerable number 

 of Wild Ducks may always be found upon the sea-coast 

 during winter, and especially when severe frosts have 

 closed up their favourite resorts. 



The food of the Wild Duck is principally made up 

 of grain, worms, slugs, small fish, land and water insects, 



