some spontaneous Variations in Mallard & Muscovy Ducks. 83


dull black instead of blue as in the type. Such ducks may be often

observed, but until M. Rog'eron’s observations were made there was

nothing to connect this slight variation with the markedly distinct

drakes and ducklings. He mentions, by the way, that the ducks of

this strain, whether normal or of the variety above described, have

always continued, though mated to unrelated drakes, to produce both

types (about equally divided in number) in their broods, except in

the case of one which, mated to a Pintail (Dafila acuta) drake,

produced no black young, though her previous broods had always

shown some.


This set me wondering as to what may he the female cor¬

related with the drake showing an excess of red-brown, extending on

to the flanks, and this I have not yet found out. But I have this

year carefully watched some red-sided drakes in Regent's Park on

their assumption of undress, and have found that when in this stage

they are lighter in tint than normal drakes in undress, redder on the

breast, and whiter on the throat and sides, with the dark markings

more in the form of simple spots than of pencilling ; in other words,

they correspond rather closely to the abnormally light females one

often sees in park and farmyard ducks.


Moreover, this year, six ducklings were hatched in the

London Zoo from eggs laid by the female of a pair of mallard-

coloured park ducks which visited and nested in the Gardens. Three

of these were of the usual mallard colour in the down—black above

and yellow below and on the cheeks — the other three were yellow

with a dash of black on crown and back. Of course I expected

these last to fledge off white, or at least heavily pied, in the style of

the Indian Runner, whose markings also occur as a spontaneous

variation. But to my astonishment they grew up simply pale-brown

ducks with dark markings and whitish throats—the light form above

alluded to, in fact. It was also noticeable by the way, that they

grew and fledged much quicker than the normal ducklings, which

developed the usual mallard plumage as one would expect.


Is it possible, then, that the red-flanked, pale-backed drake is

the correlative of the ochreous, white-throated duck, and that both

are yellow when young ? If so, we have two variations constantly

cropping up in the mallard under our protection , one tending towards



