COURTSHIP OF DUCKS AND NOTES ON HYBRIDS. 699 
they had dropped their flight feathers in July. The chief 
feature of this Teal’s display is the fact that he slowly raises 
his breast out of the water, with head drawn back between his 
shoulders, and then gradually raises himself out of the water 
until one feels that he will fall over backwards. During this 
performance he utters a very loud and melodious whistle. 
The Bahama Pintail drake, in display, raises his tail higher 
than does any other duck ; at the same time he depresses his 
flank feathers to show the speculum, which, in this species, is 
of a very beautiful, brilliant metallic green with a broad edge 
of buff. 
The Cinnamon Teal’s courtship is exactly the same as that 
of our Shoveler. Indeed, I am certain that “ Teal ” is a mis- 
nomer, and that this bird is a Shoveler, because in all his habits 
outside those of courtship, and in size, he is a Shoveler. 
Here we will leave the subject of courtship and look into 
that of hybridisation. 
Ducks do not interbreed freely, which is an excellent thing. 
For my part, I can see no use in hybrids, as they are seldom 
so beautiful as either parent, and they are frequently sterile. 
I suppose that the most common hybrids among ducks are 
Pintail x Wild Duck hybrids. These birds are fertile both 
inter se and with original parents, and are exactly what one 
would expect them to be in colour and appearance. They can 
readily be obtained in confinement by putting a Pintail drake 
and Mallard duck in an enclosure by themselves, and I have 
seen one or two wild-bred examples. 
The duck known as the Bimaculated Duck, and now 
generally supposed to be a cross between a Teal and a Wild 
Duck, is I believe, in reality the result of a cioss between a 
Teal drake and a female hybrid between a Pintail and Wild 
Duck. This one has three different species blended into one 
bird. 
Gadwall x Wild Ducks and Sheld- Duck x Wild Duck hybrids 
are fairly frequent, and not very interesting. Last year I 
hatched a duckling which I believe to be a unique hybrid, 
namely, that between a Garganey Teal drake and a Common 
