PINTAIL 
319 
GENERAL HABITS 
It is difficult to know what to say and what not to say about a species like this, 
which I believe, taking the whole world into consideration, outnumbers any other 
duck. It may be less familiar than the Mallard to those who have never seen much 
of water-fowl, but it is certainly not so to the average sportsman, traveler and 
naturalist. It is as much a true duck as the Mallard, and may perhaps be thought of 
as having a good deal in common with the Widgeon and the Green-winged Teal. 
Its habits vary so much with the nature of its surroundings, that general observa- 
tions would mostly fail to serve any useful purpose. It is just as adaptable as the 
Mallard, but its wary nature and fondness for large sheets of water rather than 
marshland, pools and streams, enable it to keep out of reach of danger points. I think 
that in proportion to its numbers less are shot than of any other common shoal- 
water duck, except perhaps the Widgeon. It does not care about salt water partic- 
ularly, but often lives in tidal districts on our North Pacific coast and in western 
Europe, and in India where brackish sounds are absent. Its most noteworthy habit 
is its extremely early migration, both northward and southward, as well as its tend- 
ency to nest early. 
The Pintail is easily identified in the field by its long neck and slim build. In 
flight the wings are seen to be long as well as very narrow and pointed and they are 
depressed below the body more than in the Mallard, reminding one of the Widgeon. 
Its slender shape and conspicuous colors seem to have impressed themselves on the 
minds of the ancients, for the Pintail is more often represented on the walls of 
Egyptian temples and tombs than any other duck. The hieroglyph of a duck under 
a circle, which is translated as the son of a sun, was meant to represent this species. 
For some reason they selected this duck from among many others to symbolize the 
royal conception. Old-dynasty artists often drew it flying with the tail spread to 
show its length and I have seen a pair of males represented as facing each other with 
the long necks crossed or actually wound together. 
Wariness. Millais (1902) says, and I think rightly, that the distinguishing trait 
of the Pintail is its shyness. Owing to this it makes off to sea on the British coast at 
the first streak of dawn, and is perhaps more careful to avoid man than any other 
duck. It seems to be the hardest duck to approach with a punt, but when it is feed- 
ing at night on the Zostera, in company with Mallard and Widgeon, a successful shot 
is sometimes made. Its general alertness and its long neck enable it to note danger 
even before the Mallard in most cases, and it is not much given to circling about or 
investigating after it has once been alarmed. 
Scattered through the literature one finds many references to Pintails being tame. 
It is certainly true that single birds and sometimes small lots of young birds will act 
