COMMON BIRDS OK THE YANGTZE DELTA. 15 



crowned black, the forehead, sides of head and whole under- 

 parts are cream-white, as are the long white crown plumes. 

 Theupper parts are of very dark irridescent blue ^ndthewings 

 bluish-grey; except when feeding its young this bird is not 

 often seen by day, but towards dusk or through the night its 

 harsh squawking call seems to come from almost anywhere 

 in the sky. Some of these herons stay with us through 

 the winter, but nearly all leave when the cold weather 

 arrives. 



Three wild ducks come to our notice both out in the 

 open and on the market. The big handsome mallard (Anas 

 boschas) with a glossy green head, the sober yellow nib 

 {Anas zonorhyncha) and the gaudy little green-winged teal 

 {Anas crecca). The Chinese call them all ya ah, or wild 

 ducks, distinguishing them only by their size as big or little. 

 The drake mallard is sufficiently marked by 'his green head. 

 The hen mallard and the yellow nib are both greyish-brown 

 mottled yellowish, but the mallard has a yellow bill with a 

 black tip and the yellow nib a black bill with a yellow tip from 

 which he is named. Both the mallard and yellow nib types 

 are quite common amongst the flocks of domesticated ducks 

 raised by the Chinese. The green-wing teal is the little 

 duck so common both on the market and in the countrj' 

 during the winter. The drake has the sides of the head and 

 a spot in the wing rich glossy green ; the rest of the head is 

 reddish-chestnut, the body is beautifully marked black, white 

 and brown. The female has the same green wing spot which 

 names the species, but lacks the bright colours on the head 

 and is a uniform greyish-brown mottled cinnamon above and 

 yellow-white spotted black below. This little duck has the 

 most delicately flavoured flesh of any of our wild ducks, and 

 is rightly much prized for the table. 



The lastof thelist is the curious little grebe ordidapper 

 {Podiceps minor) everywhere present in the marshes. 

 He is dark brownish-grey above and a clear silvery-white 

 beneath. In winter the head is brownish-black, but in summer 

 both sexes put on a dark red hood which covers the whole head 

 and neck. The grebe lives in the water and gets his food 

 from it, rarely flying unless forced to do so. He is expert 

 at diving and swimming. His Chinpse name, s-wii-lii, or 

 water ghost, is given him because of his habit of disappearing 

 almost instantly under the water and coming up far to one 

 side, frequently where he cannot be seen. The feet are set so 

 far back that they are of very little use to him on land, in fact 

 he can scarcely walk at all; but for the water they are 

 admirably placed, and serve him so well both as propellers 

 and rudder that he does without a tail, which is the steering 

 apparatus for most birds. 



