THE RUDDY DUCK, ERISMATURA RUBIDA. 



ALLAN BROOKS. 



This, the most aberrant in form and hab- 

 its of all North American ducks, is found 

 from Atlantic to Pacific but does not reach 

 a very high latitude. It is easily recognized 

 in any plumage by its short, thick neck, the 

 stiff feathering of the breast, and its peculiar 

 tail, which is composed of stiff feathers and 

 looks as if it had been stuck into the bird 

 as an afterthought, both upper and lower 

 tail coverts being abruptly terminated. 



As a rule, except when much disturbed, 



swallow a large mouthful. These antics 

 are kept up even after the young are 

 hatched. 



The nest is in the rushes in a similar 

 position to that of a coot, and the eggs 

 are enormous considering the size of the 

 bird. They measure 2.35 x 1.8 inches, with 

 a rather rough, granular shell, unlike that 

 of the eggs of other ducks, and they are 

 pure white. In fact, they much resemble 

 large hens' eggs. 



RUDDY DUCK, ERISMATURA RUBIDA. 



the ruddy duck prefers to escape by diving 

 rather than by flying, in this respect resem- 

 bling a grebe; and it is almost as good a 

 diver as that bird. In spite of its small 

 wings the ruddy duck is a rapid flier, and 

 it is a pretty sight to see a bunch of them 

 whirling in giddy circles close over the 

 surface of the water before alighting. 



In their breeding haunts the male is a 

 conspicuous object and his actions are 

 most grotesque. He sits rather high in the 

 water, his tail elevated over his back like 

 that of a wren, his head well back between 

 his shoulders and his breast inflated. Ev- 

 ery now and then he throws his head still 

 farther back and wags it from side to side, 

 uttering a gurgling noise as if trying to 



In the breeding season the bill of the 

 male is a beautiful shade of bright turquoise 

 blue, which soon fades after death and in 

 12 hours or so is dull blackish, like the bill 

 of the female. 



The irides are dark brown in both sexes. 

 The flesh is dark, and it is one of the 

 poorest of all ducks for the table. 



During the breeding season the neck of 

 the male is much enlarged, a thick layer 

 of fatty cellular tissue underlying the skin, 

 similar to that on a blue grouse during the 

 hooting season. This feature is very notice- 

 able when the bird is flying, the skin hang- 

 ing down in a sort of " dew lap," even more 

 conspicuous than I have made it in the 

 illustration. 



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