THE PINTAIL. 209 



remaining of a pale blue colour. In the female the bill 

 is always of a dark brown. 



" At the autumn moult the males again assume with 

 their new feathers the colours peculiar to their sex ; 

 but the assumption is gradual. White spots first appear 

 among the brown feathers on the front of the neck; 

 by the end of the second week in October the front of 

 the neck and breast is mottled with brown and white, 

 and at the end of the third week in October a few 

 brown spots only remain on the white." 



The Pintail, besides the usual productions of muddy 

 swamps and pond life, feeds largely in autumn on the 

 mast of the beech, in search of which it is often dis- 

 covered wandering about under the trees at a consider- 

 able distance from any water. Pintail are at times abun- 

 dant on and around the lakes, feeding in all the pools 

 and marshes in their vicinity, but are excessively cautious, 

 sleeping far out on the open waters by night; very 

 generally also they rest there during great part of the 

 day. 



I have seen numbers of them late in the month of 

 October on Lake Ontario, sometimes in noisy chatter- 

 ing groups, though more often being lazily rocked to 

 sleep on the gently heaving surface of the deep blue 

 waters. Although apparently always dozing, they 

 evidently keep one eye open; for however many ducks 



