THE MALLARD 277 
storms and revel in food in abundance; but the 
writer has known of several fine specimens in 
full breeding plumage being taken on our coast 
(in Casco Bay) during the very severest of the 
winter’s weather, all male birds and nearly al- 
ways alone. On the Pacific coast they winter 
from the Aleutian Islands to southern Califor- 
nia. 
The farmer is indebted to this species for the 
common domestic duck, which is a lineal de- 
scendant of this gallant gentleman, yet few 
would guess from the clumsy waddle of the 
bird of the barnyard that he had any blood in 
common with this free courser of lake and 
marsh. What a degenerate scion of a noble 
race! In his habits the domestic bird has kept 
as closely as may be to the ways of his ances- 
tors, but his lazy life and uneventful existence 
have taken away well nigh all the wild bird’s 
fire and graceful action, so that he falls far 
short of his model. 
Our hero is brilliantly appareled in showy 
garb, and is a handsome bird, especially in his 
spring plumage. The female, as is usually 
the case with the duck family, is attired 
in much more sober dress. The drake, then, 
