HOW TO STUDY THE GAME BIRDS 375 



lacks the lobe on the hind toe which is present in the latter. The 

 River and Pond Ducks not only lack this flap on the hind toe, but 

 their feet are not so powerful as oars, being smaller and with webs 

 not so fully developed; and their legs are placed farther forward 

 than in the other subfamily. They live in protected, calm and 

 shallow waters ; they do not dive like the fishing ducks but dabble 

 with their bills along the surface of the water for small aquatic 

 animals or, tipping the tail in the air like our domestic ducks, they 

 hunt the mud or water weeds for mollusks or insects or lor the 

 leaves and roots of aquatic plants. Their bills are long and flat 

 and well fitted for this kind of fishing and have strainers along the 

 sides so as to retain what they get and let the water escape. The 

 drakes are much more brilliant in plumage than the ducks ; during 

 the summer the drakes are clad in "eclipse" plumage which resem- 



<L 



Foot of River and Pond Duck Foot of Sea and Bay Duck 



Hind toes shown at a-a 



bles that of the ducks. The young of both sexes resemble the 

 mother in color. The following is a list of the River and Pond 

 Ducks : 



Mallard, Black, Gadwall, Baldpate or Widgeon, Green-winged 

 Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Shoveler, Pin-tail and Wood Duck. 



The Bay and Sea Ducks have a lobe hanging free on the hind toe. 

 The feet are larger and the legs are shorter and placed farther back 

 than those of the Pond and River ducks; thus they act far more 

 powerfully as oars. These ducks are all strong swimmers and 

 divers; they often seek for their food seventy-five or even one 

 hundred and fifty feet below the surface of the water. Some of 

 them live largely upon mollusks and other aquatic animals and 

 use but little vegetable food and therefore their flesh is coarse and 

 unpalatable. However, some of them like the canvasback, are 



