The Mallard 



February, the folly of "spring shooting" is self-evident. The courtship, 

 however, is mild-mannered enough, at least according to Dr. C. W. 

 Townsend's able account: 1 "When the Mallard drake courts, he swims 



restlessly about following 

 or sidling up to a duck. 

 She may lead him quite 

 a chase before she vouch- 

 safes to acknowledge his 

 presence, although he is 

 continually bowing to her, 

 bobbing his head up and 

 down in nervous jerks so 

 that the yellow bill dips 

 into the water for a quar- 

 ter of its length and comes 

 up dripping. He also 

 rears himself up in the 

 water and from time to 

 time displays his breast. 

 She occasionally turns her 

 head to one side and care- 

 lessly dabbles her bill in 

 the water, but sooner or 

 later, if all goes well, she 

 begins to bow also, less 

 vigorously at first — not 

 touching the water at all 

 — and to the empty space 

 in front of her. Sudden- 

 ly she turns and the pair 

 bow to each other in the 

 same energetic nervous 

 jerks; and, unless a rival 

 appears to spoil the situ- 

 ation, the drake has won 

 his suit." 



In nesting the female 

 Mallard can accommodate 

 herself to a great diversity 

 of situations. Normally a careless accumulation of grasses and reed- 

 stalks in the drier portion of a swamp will suffice. If, however, the 



'Auk. Vol. XXXIII., Jan. 1016, p. 13. 

 '756 



Taken in San Bernardino County 



Photo by Wright M. Pierce 



FEMALE MALLARD ON NEST 



