TUFTED DUCK 243 



able, they may be worked just as we work these towards the close of autumn at 

 home." 



Behavior in Captivity. The Tufted Duck was perhaps one of the earliest ducks 

 to be kept in confinement. It has shown itself very adaptable to the conditions of 

 ornamental ponds. It appears in the list of birds kept in the menagerie of Louis 

 XIV at Versailles (Loisel, 1912) and Willughby and Ray (1678) speak of it as being 

 kept in St. James Park. It was apparently present in the London Gardens from the 

 time of their foundation (P. L. Sclater, 1880). Between the years 1848 and 1868 it 

 bred there no less than twenty-one times (P. L. Sclater, 1869), and it hybridized 

 freely with the White-eyed Pochard producing many fertile hybrids (P. L. Sclater, 

 1880). 



The old birds are very fond of bread soaked in water, but do perfectly well on 

 ordinary grains, and live to a good age. In London the average age of twenty- 

 three specimens was three years and four months, the longest being ten years and 

 five months (P. C. Mitchell, 1911). Rogeron (1903) kept one for twelve years and 

 Schmidt (1878) claims to have had one for sixteen years. Mr. Astley writes me 

 that he had a hybrid between this species and the Rosy-billed Duck that died at 

 the age of twenty-one years! 



A clutch of ten eggs which Wormald (1906) placed under a wild Mallard duck 

 hatched successfully but the duck proved a poor mother and they were given to a hen. 

 Although the Mallard female usually covers her young for at least half a day, these 

 ducklings started off for the pond when only three hours old. They throve well on 

 duck-weed, dried flies and ant " eggs " floated for them on the water, and they swam 

 and dived about for five hours on the first day. The great trouble was catching them 

 up at night in order to get them back into the coop. Wormald noticed that the sexes 

 were hard to distinguish before October and he doubts whether they breed until two 

 years old (see also J. H. Verrall, in Hubbard, 1907). Mr. Wormald supplements the 

 food in winter with chopped marigolds, turnips, potatoes and grass, as a substitute 

 for pond-weeds. As with other wild ducks it occasionally happens that the young 

 at first refuse all food. As a remedy Mr. Wormald suggests that they may often be 

 induced to "pick" if food is sprinkled about the level of their bills on blades of grass, 

 or even on the backs of their companions. His earliest captive nesting date was 

 May 8, somewhat ahead of the usual wild records. 



Before the War, Tufted Ducks would bring from 30 to 35 shillings the couple in 

 England. Post-war prices are naturally much higher. Hand-reared stock brings 

 about 70 shillings and wild-caught stock about 50 shillings the pair to-day. 



In America the species is seldom to be had from dealers, and is rarely seen outside 

 the larger zoological gardens. Mr. Henry Cooke of Woodbury, Long Island, is said 

 to have bred it, but I know of no other instance of its having reproduced with us. 



