376 
Female.—With much plainer colours, feathers about base of the bill, space on 
‘side of head, surrounding eyes and extending back in a point, chin and whole 
throat, white ; general colour of the rest of the body grayish brown. Tota: length 
about 17.75 inches ; extent, 28.00; wing, 8.50; culmen, 1.10; tarsus, 1.35 ; middle 
toe, 1.60, | 
Habitat.—Whole of temperate north America, north to the fur countries, 
breeding throughout its range. Cuba. Accidental in Europe. 
The Wood duck is by far the most beautiful and most graceful of all the 
North American ducks or in fact of those of any othercountry. It is distributed 
pretty generally over the North American continent from Southern Mexico to 
Hudson’s Bay and from one side of the continent tothe other and it breeds from 
Texas to the northern part of Ontario. It migrates to the north early in April 
and returns in October. When they first appear here in Ontario they are gener- 
ally in pairs. It breeds very generally throughout Ontario especially the southern 
part of it, nesting in hollow trees near some pond or other quiet water. They 
are very tond of a quiet secluded spot and have been known to return for many 
years to the same nesting tree. The full set of eggs is from 10 to 12 of a shiny 
cream colour. When the young birds are hatched itis said the mother deposits 
them on the ground by carrying them down in her bill. This handsome duck is 
not nearly so plentiful as in former years, and like many other birds which are 
among our most beautiful objects in nature is doomed to extinction, if some 
better effort be not made to prevent their slaughter. The Wood duck feeds chiefly 
on insects, seeds, and leaves of plants, acorns, ete. It is much sought after by 
Sportsmen not only on account of its beautiful appearance but also for the table. 
