136 GAMB BIRDS OF CALIFORNIA 



the open season. Even during the severest winter weather this duck 

 is found in numbers on any sizable body of fresh water. Only rarely 

 is it found "rafted" on the bays along the coast. Bailey (1902, p. 

 55) states that at Point Reyes large flocks of Pintails were seen by 

 J. A. Loring lying out in the bay. As soon as the tide covered the 

 salt grass flats the Pintails would follow in and commence feeding. 

 Pintails in the north begin to move south in August, but they do not 

 appear in great numbers in California until well along in September, 

 and the full quota does not arrive until the latter part of October. By 

 the end of March most of the migrants have left for the north. 



Whether resting on the water or in flight the Pintail may be 

 recognized by its considerable size and by its slender head and long, 

 graceful neck. If it is disturbed while feeding in the grass its long 

 neck stretched almost straight upward is an easy mark of identifica- 

 tion. The long middle tail feathers, 

 dark brown head, white stripe on 

 neck, pale rusty wing bar and pure 

 white under surface are excellent 

 distinguishing characters in the 

 .=X, male (pi. 3). The female, although 

 ^'^^^ much like the female Mallard, is 

 PiSfil.' NaSl sfze'''' "' ''"''' readily distinguished by her slender 



■NT i 1, ji.1. 3 -xi, form, dull brownish speculum, 



Note breadth as compared with ' . i' ^ " j 



bill of female Gadwall (fig. 12). more pointed tail, and long neck. 



(See also figs. 19 and 10.) The 

 mellow whistle of the drake and the hoarse muffled "quack" of the 

 duck are so rarely given that the voice is seldom useful for field identi- 

 fication. According to Brooks (1899a, p. 19) the note of the male, gen- 

 erally heard only in spring, is a soft rolling whistle, exactly like that 

 of the Green-winged Teal, but in a lower key. The same author says 

 that while feeding with Mallards, Widgeon or Teal, the Pintail does 

 not turn tail uppermost as these ducks do, its longer neck ordinarily 

 enabling it to reach the bottom when sitting flat on the water. The 

 eye of this duck is smaller in proportion than that of any other sur- 

 face-feeding duck except the Shoveller. The habit of "slanting in" 

 to a pond with wings set, is a field mark used by almost every hunter. 

 Although the favorite breeding grounds of the Pintail lie far to 

 the north of California, yet some individuals of this species remain 

 and breed within the state. It is one of the earliest of our ducks to 

 breed, for usually it lays its five to twelve eggs in late April or 

 early May. A set of eight eggs, partly incubated, was collected by 

 W. 0. Emerson near Hayward, Alameda County, as early as April 



