ANATIN.E — THE DFCKS — ANAS. 



497 



) the reuiot- 



itudes. At 



was luoult- 



y, however, 



an hfis seen 

 ran' visitor 

 lul in small 

 that it has 

 ig been met 

 : the winter, 



malitos and 

 It was also 



jnsin, where 

 t^, while the 

 these Ducks 

 ■y are much 

 •orntieltls of 



IS. 



t Salt Lake. 

 )n on all the 

 ;. It is sup- 

 inland lakes 

 ij) to and be- 

 a to lite in 

 Moieover 

 _• food, even 



Unalashka, 

 til the suc- 

 ^lazatlan, 

 is met with 



lout the in- 



it is also a 



, in Nortli- 



nd was seen 



71) that he 



ng there to 



ania swarm 



eding in the 



it breeding 



unsociable, 



islands not 



jf Formosa, 



its presence 



it breeding 



this species 



among the birds of Siberia, wliert- he found it breeding in the wooded districts and 

 forests. It is also given l)y Wheelwright as the most common of all the Ducks 

 throughout the whole of Scandinavia. 



In no pcu'tion of Eastern North America is it a common species in the summer. 

 Even on Long Island Giraud saw but a single pair — in duly, l.SoT — and was unable 

 to Hud their nest. lie met with this bird in large muubers, however, in North Car- 

 olina, where it freciueuts the rice-iields ; and also found it common in the bayous 

 of the Lower Mississippi, and still more numerous in Alabanui. The voice of the 

 Wild ^Mallard is not distinguishable from that of the donu'sticated bird. 



While uu)re or less common on all our rivers, fresh-water ponds, and lakes, it is 

 seldom met with near the sea-coast. In the winter it is found in hirge nundjcrs in 

 all the Southern waters, and especially in the rice-lields, where it becomes very fat, 

 and acquires a delicate Havor. It prefers vegetable matter to any other kind of food, 

 and its flesh is almost universally c.xceUent. It is easily brouglit within gunshot by 

 means of decoys. At certain seasons it is abundant on the Delaware, where it feeds 

 on the seeds of the wild oats, of wldch it is very fond, and which eoutribut<! greatly 

 to the delicacy of its flavor. 



It is abundant in all parts of Great IJritain and Ir.'land ; and in many parts of 

 Scotland, where it is protected, it exhibits great fearlessness, and even fandliarit}'. Mr. 

 liobert Gray mentions that in walking tlimugh the policies of Duff House, in Uaiift- 

 shire, he saw many hundreds of ^Mallards, in a particular pool in the Devcron. wliich 

 were so tame, that on being apjjroached they merely swam to tlir other siile of the river. 

 He also witiu'ssed a remarkable assemblage of Mallards, in tlie spring of 1870, on a 

 pond at IKmglas Castle, Lanarkshire, which weri' so unsuspicious as to allow even 

 strangers to approach witiiin si.K or eight yards of tlie bank where they sat jireening 

 their feathers. 



Mr. Ciray was also infornu-d by 'Slv. D. Macdonald that he has seen hundreds of 

 ^Mallards, on a null-daai in Aberdt'cnshiri', so tame as to come at the call of the milier 

 who fed tlieni. Tliis man no sooner api)earetl and uttered a peculiar wiiistle, than 

 the Ducks canu' flying from all parts of the pond and alighted within a few yards of 

 where he stood. Hut no stranger could ])revail upon them to approach. 



Mr. li. E. Dresser, who luijoycd fav(n'al)le op[iortunitii's for studying the habits of 

 the Mallard in Northern I'inland, noticed certain peculiarities that have escai)ed 

 other observers. Like its very near relative, the .luan o/iscKru. it was ol)scrved to 

 feed chiefly, if not entirely, by night. When found in the marshy lowlands during the 

 daytime, it was resting, and not feeding; but began to nuive as soon as evening 

 approached. Mr. Macgillivray states that around Edinlmrgli it resorts at night, from 

 October to April, to open ditches and l)rooks to feed. As it discovers its food by 

 nu'ans of the sense of touch rather than of sight, it can feed e(|ually well by inght 

 or day; but in iiopulous districts it is compelled to feed in tlie dark. 



Marshy places, the nuirgins of ponds and streams, pools and ditches, are its favor- 

 ite resorts. It walks with ease, and can even run with considerable speed, or dive, if 

 forced to do so; but never dives in order to feed. Its food consists chiefly of the 

 seeds of grasses. 1il)rous roots (d' idants, worms, nu)llusks. and insects. In feeding in 

 shallow water it keeps the hind ])art of its liody erect, while it searches the muddy 

 bottom with its bill. When alarmed and made to fly, it utters a loud i/mirh; the cry 

 of the female being the louder. It feeds silently ; but after hunger is appeased, it 

 amuses itself with various jabberings, swims aliout, moves its head backward and 

 forward, throws the water over its back, shoots along the surface, half Hying, half 

 running, and seems cpiite jdayful. If alaruu'd, it si)rings up at once witii a bound, 



vol.. 1. — (i3 



