ZOOLOGICAL 
MALLARD DUCKS NESTING TOGETHER. 
down, with the exception of the heads, which 
bare The photo- 
graph was taken by Mr. Kinney on June 25, 
when the birds were 
probably about five 
weeks old. Unfortu- 
nately, no record was 
kept of the date at 
which the youngsters 
took flight, but this 
event finally took 
place, late in the sum- 
mer. 
It will be most in- 
teresting to note if the 
birds return to their 
nesting-place in 1910, 
and it is to be hoped 
that a more accurate 
account will be kept of 
the important points in the life-histories of the 
young. IL; 
were and reddish in color. 
NESTING OF THE MALLARD. 
HAT the great readiness which the mallard 
evinces for putting on the empty cloak of 
civilization was appreciated and taken ad- 
vantage of by our very remote ancestors, is evi- 
denced by the innumerable multitudes of the 
effete descendants of these splendid birds, rang- 
ing from the lowly “puddle-duck” of the coun- 
try roadside to the great Rouen, which has 
retained the original color of plumage. To thus 
endure the captivity, a wild 
creature must possess adaptability in an extreme 
degree. 
vicissitudes of 
This is admirably developed in the 
SOCIETY 
NEST OF A MALLARD IN THE MULE-DEER SHELTER. 
BULLETIN. 
mallard, and not least strongly in the selection 
of nesting sites. 
The flock of mallards in the Zoological Park, 
starting from a very unpretentious few, now 
numbers several hundreds, the majority of 
which are un-pinioned and hence have the lib- 
erty of the Park, even exceeding its limits, 
sometimes disastrously, for the ubiquitous small 
boy is ever ready with the proverbial “rock” 
for the straying bird. The nesting sites within 
the confines of the Wild Fowl Pond are neces- 
sarily limited and are usually claimed early in 
the year by the pinioned females, that cannot 
“gad” about as freely as their full-winged sis- 
ters. Most of the latter, therefore, must seek 
temporary homes elsewhere, and some of their 
selections are well worth notice. A better exam- 
ple of protective coloration than a female 
mallard would be difficult to find. The dark 
brown mottled feathers seem to blend admirably 
into every color scheme 
of nature. One bird 
made her nest on a 
narrow bit of sod 
which has grown in a 
crack in the face of a 
large rock west of the 
Wild Fowl Pond. The 
erack is horizontal and 
about one foot from 
the ground, protected 
only by a stray branch 
or two; yet only the 
sharpest eye can de- 
tect the sitter. An- 
other has wedged her- 
self between the roots 
There is absolutely no cover, yet 
it is almost impossible to make out the patient 
mother. 
of a giant elm. 
When intruders are near, a leaf blown 
MALLARD’S NEST IN ALASKAN INDIAN HOUSE. 
