The Ruddy Duck 



Taken in San Francisco 



bill. It was not merely 

 blue, but a glowing blue. 

 He dived repeatedly, and 

 emerged each time ra- 

 diant with beaded moist- 

 ure; and as he warily 

 passed our bows, he 

 paused now and then to 

 make gestures whose sig- 

 nificance, whether of fear 

 or defiance, I could not 

 determine, although I 

 suspect the latter. He 

 first reared his head and 

 tail to the utmost, 

 straight up and parallel 

 to each other; then let 

 his head subside by spas- 

 modic jerks, as though 

 he were a bag of wind 

 and somebody were de- 

 flating him by successive 

 raps upon the head. 

 Each subsidence was ac- 

 companied by a little 

 grunt, and to conclude 

 the whole he thrust his 

 head suddenly forward 

 with a grunt louder than 

 all; thus: chut - chut - 

 chut - chut - chelub. It 

 was a properly ridiculous 

 performance from a hu- 

 man standpoint, but I 

 suppose if I had been a 

 drake Ruddy, I should 

 have flown into a pretty 

 passion and given him a 

 drubbing for his impudence. This particular bird was a fat rascal, for 

 when he tired of issuing vain challenges, he took to wing, and as he did 

 so, although aided by a light breeze, he found it necessary to patter upon 

 the surface for at least a hundred feet before he cleared. 



RUDDY DUCK 



Photo by the Author 



1842 



