

Like many other birds, the male Mallard or Drake lays aside his best clothes during 

 certain months of the year, and is then hardly to be distinguished from his mate. Mr. 

 Waterton has given an admirable description of the process. "About the 24th of May, 

 the breast and back of the Drake exhibit the first appearance of a change of colour. In 

 a few days after this, the curled feathers above the tail drop out, and grey feathers begin 

 to appear among the lovely green plumage which surrounds the eyes. Every succeeding 

 day now brings marks of rapid change. By the 23d of June scarcely one single green 

 feather is to be seen on the head and neck of the bird. By the (Jth of July every feather 

 of the former brilliant plumage has disappeared, and the male has received a garb like 

 that of the female, though of a somewhat darker tint. In the early part of August this 

 new plumage begins to drop off gradually, and by the lOtli of October the Drake will 

 appear again in all his rich magnificence of dress, than which scarcely anything throughout 

 the whole wide field of nature can be seen more lovely or better arranged to charm the 

 eye of man." 



The head and neck of the adult male Mallard are rich shining green, with a collar of 

 pure white at the lower part of the neck. The back is chestnut-brown deepening into 

 black on the upper tail-coverts. The four central tail-feathers are velvety black and curled 

 over as if with a barber's tongs, and the rest are ashen grey edged with white. The greater 

 wing-coverts have a bold white bar and are tipped with velvety black, and the wings are 

 beautifully coloured with shining purple, snowy white, and velvet-black. The upper part 

 of the breast is dark chestnut, and the remainder of the breast and the whole of the under 

 parts are greyish white, pencilled under the wings with dark grey lines. The total length 

 is about two feet. The female is rather less, and her whole plumage is brown of various 

 shades. 



The pretty little Teal is the smallest and one of the most valuable of the British 

 Ducks, its flesh being peculiarly delicate and its numbers plentiful. 



It arrives on our shores about September, coming over in large flocks, and remains 

 with us until the commencement of its breeding season. Some few birds, however, remain 

 in the British Isles throughout the year. Like other Ducks, it is found on lakes, ponds. 



