72 



ORDEBS OF BIEDS— DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS 



other American ducks ; and nowhere among 

 wild-fowl is there to be found a more charming 

 color-scheme than in the plumage of the drake. 

 It is a harmony of delicate drabs, grays and 

 white, used to set off several pleasing shades 

 of brown, black, and iridescent green. None 

 of the colors are gaudy or cheap-looking, and as 

 a whole the combination of form and colors pro- 

 duces a bird that is in every way an exquisite 

 creature. 



It is in recognition of its beauty that this 



southward before the advance of snow and ice 

 begins in September. On our Atlantic coast, 

 many of the flocks winter in the labyrinth of 

 sounds, bays and channels that fringe the coast 

 of Virginia and the Carolinas. 



During recent years, quite a number of 

 these birds have been caught alive near Water 

 Lily, North Carolina, which is a locality famous 

 for its wild ducks, geese and swans. 



Fortunately the Pintail is easily acclimatized, 

 and although not a good breeder, like the* 



THE PINTAIL DUCK. 



Male. 



duck is sometimes called the Water -Pheasant. 

 Its correct name, however, has been bestowed 

 in honor of its 7-inch long, finely pointed tail. 



This bird ranges over nearly the whole of 

 North America, but its favorite breeding-grounds 

 are in the subarctic regions, particularly in 

 the Yukon valley, and in the lake regions of the 

 Canadian Barren Grounds. It is equally at 

 home on the fresh-water lakes and rivers of the 

 interior, and the salt-water inlets and channels 

 of the Atlantic coast. The annual migration 



mallard, it does well in captivity, and is truly a 

 thing of beauty, and a joy as long as it lives. 



The beauty of the Wood-Duck, or Summer- 

 Duck, 1 depends almost wholly upon its brill- 

 iantly colored plumage; for its form is quite 

 commonplace. It may be wrong to make a 

 cold-blooded analysis of its points, but for beauty 

 of form, the neck of this bird is too small and 

 too short, its head is too large, and its body is 

 very ordinary. Its plumage, however, presents 



1 Aix spon'sa. Average length of male, 19 inches. 



