be seen to be admired. Excelling the spectrum in gorgeous tints, he moves, a perfect rainbow of color, 
with equal ease and grace among the lilies of the pond or branches of the forest tree. Upon his head 
he wears a crest of iridescent green and purple, and narrow, parallel, curved, white, superciliary, and 
post-ocular stripes. His throat is pure white, irregular in outline, but sharply defined. His breast is brown 
madder, spotted with irregular white patches, while the sides of his body are finely vermiculated with 
rich blue-black, and form a striking contrast with the wings. His feet are pale brown or flesh-tint, and 
his bill, which contains two red patches, is tipped with dark blue, and his iris is red. The female and 
young are modestly clothed in grays and dull white, with slight iridescence on some of the feathers. 
In the proper season, and when fed upon good food, the flesh of the Wood Duck is hardly 
excelled by the Canvas-back, Red-head, or Teal. With such an exceptional combination of characters it 
is no wonder that he is so prized by the taxidermist, who stuffs him for the library stand, and by the 
epicure, who has performed upon him the same ceremony for the dining-room table. But in spite of the 
collector and the sportsman the Wood Duck is still moderately plentiful in certain sections of the State. 
Unlike some of its family the presence of man does not distiu-b it, in fact it rather courts his shelter 
and protection, and delights in his harvests. When taken young it readily adapts itself to the environment 
of the poultry-yard, and when properly cared for may be domesticated successfully. In the wild state the 
birds begin mating in March; the large flocks which have but just returned from the south are thus 
broken up, and by April they are seen principally in pairs. About the first of June the little Ducks 
break the shell which confines them, and from this time on to August they demand the care of their 
parents. If the nest is situated so that the Ducklings can climb out they leave it as soon as they are 
two or three days old, by jumping to the ground or water beneath; but if the nest is in a cavity so 
deep that they can not climb to the exit, or if unwilling to leave of their own accord, the most curious 
thing in the life-liistory of the Wood Duck occurs. The mother-bird appreciating the fact that they must 
leave such confined quarters, takes her downy brood in her bill, one at a time, and throws them out of 
the tree to alight the best they can. It is a very interesting sight to see an old Duck thus engaged in 
launching her young ones. The little fellows, as they obey the law of gravity, extend their legs and wings 
in an irregular and comical manner; now one turns a summersault, another spins around like a falling 
autumn leaf, and still another, parachute like, descends with a sailing motion, all striking with a soft thud 
if upon ground, or a sharp splash if in water, and as if the breath was entirely knocked out of them, 
remain quiet a moment upon the rippled surface. Soon they recover from the shock and boldly strike 
out with their paddles as if delighted with the qualities of H 0 2 , and thankful to be released from their 
previous home at any price. I have heard it related that the mother bird sometimes carries the little 
ones in her bill to the ground instead of throwing them out as mentioned, and I believe the statement 
is true. 
Often long journeys are made by water or land to some favorite pond; in which case the Ducklings 
swim or waddle over fields and through woods to their destination. In making these trips, the mother 
selects a well covered route and often leads the way on wing, flying some distance in advance, then 
returning and repeating; thus keeping the little ones on line of march by uttering low, motherly tones. 
Born with an insatiable appetite, with a vacancy within which they vainly endeavor to fill, they spend 
the first few weeks of their existence chiefly in eating and drinking. Their food consists of snails, roots, 
seeds, leaves of various aquatic plants, worms, and such insects as they can catch, mixed in various 
proportions. Like tame Ducks and chickens, they soon learn to hunt for themselves, yet they are largely 
dependent upon their mother, and she in turn is very solicitous for their welfare. At the age of two 
months they arrive at the period designated “Whippers.” At this time they are nearly full-grown, and 
excepting wings and tail are full-feathered. Whippers were formerly taken by thousands, and in certain 
sections still are captured in considerable numbers. The method of taking them is as follows : A small 
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