OLD CROW 169 



presumably, genetically distinct, the others apparently containing 

 inheritance mixed from many localities by the wandering of indi- 

 viduals during the time before and after nesting. 



Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos Linnaeus 



1 male 



May 19 



weight 1063 g. 



fat 



testes 18 x 48 ,23 x 50 

 mm. 



1 male 



summer 





medium fat 





1 female 



summer 







medium fat 







Mallards were first reported at Old Crow by Stephen Frost, who 

 saw a flock of ten land early in the morning of May 8 just across 

 tlie river in one of the few grassy sloughs of water then open. A small 

 female mallard was shot that morning on the ice of the river, where 

 it had alighted with two pintails. During the next week singles, pairs, 

 and small flocks were often seen. Some flew intently eastward, but 

 more circled as they flew up the river and searched for any of the few 

 small pools of water in which to land. Occasionally landing on ice, 

 they chose water more often than the pintails, which seemed to have 

 no aversion for ice. At first the mallards were often with pintails, and 

 later both mingled freely with widgeons. 



In the first week of migration practically all of what little water 

 lay on the ground was underlain with ice, and on several days of cold 

 there were no unfrozen pools. During this week we saw no signs that 

 food was available for ducks. Occasionally mallards, like pintails, 

 settled to stand resting on the ice or to float on pools over the ice. 

 The birds which alighted seemed ready to rest, but several that were 

 examined were fat. 



The trend of migratory flights of mallards at Old Crow was up the 

 Porcupine River. During the first two or three days mallards were 

 almost half as numerous as pintails. Since they were not in well or- 

 ganized flocks the arriving mallards gave an impression of being nearer 

 to the end of their migration than the better organized flocks of pin- 

 tails. After the first week the numbers of other migrating ducks con- 

 tinued to increase, but the main migration of mallards was over. 



Evidently the mallards at Old Crow are not so near the end of their 

 migration as at Anaktuvuk, where scarcely any but singles, and pairs 

 are seen. The numbers of mallards observed passing Old Crow did 

 not seem sufficient to populate the eastern and southern areas of Por- 

 cupine Valley. 



On May 19 singles and pairs were flying locally and during the next 

 week males were often seen flying in pursuit of loudly quacking fe- 

 males. On June 7 a nest was found with three eggs, the first estimated 

 to have been laid on June 5. At that date a female mallard might 

 occasionally be seen swimming on the lakes . 



The Indian name for the mallard is Natakcho. 



