190 DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS 



ful duck that I know, and its habit of constantly turning from 

 side to side is certainly in the interest of self-preservation. 

 But after all, what is the alertness of any duck against the 

 deadly, cold calculation of the greedy "market shooter" with 

 a "pump" gun? 



The Buffle-Head is one of the ducks that is rarely seen in 

 captivity. A specimen that is so seriously wounded that it 

 can be caught, usually dies a few days later. So far as I know, 

 it has not yet been induced to breed in captivity; but that is 

 no reason for believing that it never will. We hold that if 

 conditions are made satisfactory, any wild species will breed 

 in captivity. Usually it is a question of sufficient seclusion 

 and immunity from disturbance. The range of this bird is 

 said to include all North America, from the Arctic Ocean to 

 Cuba. And so it does; all save those localities wherein it 

 does not occur. I have strong hope that the spring pro- 

 tection of this species by the migratory bird law will cause it 

 to breed in the middle zone of the United States. 



The Harlequin Duck^ is most fantastically marked. 

 The prevailing colors of the male are dark blue, blue-black 

 and violet, with various white collars, stripes and patches 

 that seem to have been laid on with a paint-brush. This bird 

 is to be looked for along the Pacific coast above Oregon to 

 Japan, and on the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland north- 

 ward. It is nowhere common, rather solitary, but frequents 

 coastal rivers as well as the sea. As a rarity to be prized, 

 one Harlequin is equal to twenty ducks of almost any 

 other species in America. It is fairly common in south- 



' His-tri-on'i-cus his-tri-on'i-cus. Length, 16 inches. 



