48 BIRDS OF THE WORLD 



scribed, the brilliant plumage is confined to the males, 

 the females being very dull-coloured. 



The Mallard is probably the best known of our 

 American Ducks, and is the bird from which our 

 domestic variety is derived. The male is rather 

 brightly coloured, with a beautiful dark-green, velvety 

 head, and a white ring around the neck, the rest of 

 the body being various shades of brown and grey. 

 The eyes are dark, the legs and feet a bright orange 

 colour. The flesh is excellent, and is much prized for 

 food. The domestic variety is larger than the wild 

 form, and flies with difficulty, owing to the fact that 

 the breast muscles are less developed. See Plate 35, 

 Fig. 203. 



The Black Duck seems to be nearly related to the 

 Mallard, but differs from it in that the male and 

 female are almost exactly alike in colour, both being 

 a brownish-black, with a patch of deep iridescent blue 

 on the wings. 



Several varieties of Teal are found in this country, 

 the principal forms being the Blue-winged, the Green- 

 winged, which most nearly resembles the European 

 form, and the Cinnamon. All are most beautiful 

 little Ducks, with very delicate shades of colour in 

 their plumage. See Plate 35, Fig. 202. 



Two species of Duck justly celebrated for the deli- 

 cious flavour of their flesh are the Canvasback and the 

 Redhead, or Pochard. These are near relatives, and 

 are often confused, since the general colour is much 

 the same in both species. The head and part of the 

 neck are reddish-brown, the body a rather warm grey 

 and black, with very fine black lines, or rows of spots. 



