THE BLACK DUCK 279 
neck and under parts and the dark markings 
finer and fainter here. Wings and feet as in 
the male bird, save that the scapulars are of 
the same tawny hue as the rest of the body. 
Bill orange with a dusky patch on each side. 
In length the Mallard is from twenty-two to 
twenty-four inches; in extent from thirty-two 
to thirty-six inches, and of weight varying from 
two and one-half to three and one-quarter 
pounds, 
THE BLACK DUCK. DUSKY DUCK. 
(Anas obscura.) 
This is the duck of New England. To the 
wildfowler of this section the Black Duck is all 
that the mallard is to his western brother; aye, 
more than all, because he must be mallard, red- 
head, canvasback, pintail and many another 
western favorite rolled into one acute and re- 
sourceful waterfowl. Mallard and Black Duck 
are closely related, but inhabit an area of our 
land apart from each other. They have ap- 
parently divided the continent between them, 
the Black Duck taking the northern and east- 
ern range, leaving to the other the southern 
