in size, and by this alone may be readily distinguished from each other. That of the Mallard is the 
largest, measuring about 2.25x1.72; next, the egg of Wood Duck, about 1.90x1.50; and last, that of 
the Blue-winged Teal, measuring about 1.85x1.30 inches. The Teal’s eggs are decidedly buff tinted, 
the Wood Duck’s less so, while the Mallard’s arc usually greenish or brownish in color. 
REMARKS : 
The three eggs illustrated, Fig. 4, Plate LXII, are part of a set of seven taken in Ottawa county, 
in 1879. The coloring is that of blown specimens about five years old, but as they fade but little it is 
sufficiently near in tint, to the fresh eggs. 
With the exception of the Wood Duck, the Mallard is the handsomest of all the Ducks that are 
found in Ohio, or even our entire continent ; and were not the old adage true, that familiarity breeds 
contempt, would be considered much more beautiful than it is at present. Let any one observe for a 
short time a full plumaged drake, how proudly he stands among his soberly attired companions, for he 
is no believer in furbelows and gewgaws of fancy colors as ornaments to the female form. For himself 
on the contrary, nothing can be too line, provided always it is in good taste, for he is not of the common 
herd. Now see him change his position and pose upon one leg — even this is a feat not gracefully 
performed by every one — while he turns slightly to one side his metallic-green head. Now he lovingly 
strokes the feathers upon his beautiful back, and wriggles from side to side the jaunty curled feathers 
of his tail. Now he stretches his gorgeous wing to its full extent along his orange-colored leg and foot, 
twisting and bending it till in turn each part sparkles in the sunlight as if set in costly gems. “'Awkward 
as a Duck.” Nonsense! In repose or upon his native element there is not among Nature’s store a 
more graceful bird. He rivals the Peacock in his plumage, and outdoes him in the way he wears it. 
The one is a vulgar upstart, the other an elegant gentleman. 
The Mallard is without doubt the progenitor of our common domestic Duck, but when or where it 
was first domesticated is never to be' answered. So far as we know the domesticated Duck was a stranger 
to the Greeks and Romans as late as the Christian era, but the Egyptians were certainly familiar with 
it; and it is a well established fact that the Chinese have reared and cultivated Ducks from time 
immemorable. The Chinese Duck is not however, our Mallard, consequently our domestic Mallard did 
not come from this eastern stock, or if it did it has lost its old characteristics by mingling with the 
wild Mallard. It is much simpler and more probable to suppose that our tame Ducks descended from 
the wild Mallard. Cultivation would change their plumage and size some, and intermixing with Eastern 
stock would change them still more. All through the country are to be seen tame Ducks almost exactly 
like the Mallard in size and plumage, and knowing that the wild bird is easily domesticated I see no 
reason to go farther for the origin of our tame Mallards. 
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