slender body, moderately long, thin neck, a large crested head, and a
short slender bill, which terminates in a hooked and nail-like tip. In
these birds the short powerful foot is placed far backward; the narrow,
pointed wing has its first and second quill longer than the rest; and the
very broad strong tail is composed of sixteen feathers, and rounded at
its extremity. The plumage of this species is magnificently coloured, and
forms a crest at the back of the head; a small space between the eyes and
the base of upper mandible is bare. This beautiful bird has the feathers
on the crown of head and the cheeks of glossy dark green; the sides of
head and a patch on sides of the neck are purplish green shaded with blue;
the crest is golden green, decorated with two narrow white stripes that
commence on the brow; the sides of the upper neck and breast are bright
reddish brown dotted with white; some of the shoulder-feathers, hinder
parts of back, and upper tail-covers, are blackish green; the rest of
the shoulder-feathers, the primary quills, and tail, greenish purple,
shaded with blue and glossy black; some of the exterior tail-feathers are
prolonged, and of an orange hue; the lower tail-covers are brown; the
chin, throat, a band on the upper neck, the centre of the breast, and the
belly, are white; the sides of the body yellowish grey, marked with black;
some of the long feathers on these parts are black edged with white; the
eye is bright red; eyelid orange; beak whitish, with reddish base and
black tip; the foot is reddish yellow. This species is seventeen inches
and a half long and twenty-seven and a half broad; the wing measures
eight and a half, and tail four inches. The female is somewhat smaller
than her mate, and without an actual crest upon her head; her plumage is
deep brownish green on the back, shaded with purple and spotted; the head
is greyish green, neck brownish grey, gullet white, breast white spotted
with brown, and belly pure white; the eyes are surrounded by a broad
white line, which passes from thence as far as the region of the ear. The
Summer Duck is a native of America, where it occupies the United States,
and thence wanders regularly to the central portions of that continent
and to the West Indies; it has also been killed in Great Britain, France,
and Germany, but most probably these specimens were not stragglers
but birds that had been reared in aviaries. According to Audubon, the
flight of the Wood Duck is remarkable for its speed, and the ease and
elegance with which it is performed. "It passes," he says, "through the
wood, and even among the branches of trees, with as much facility as
the Passenger Pigeon, and when removing from some secluded haunt to its
breeding-grounds, at the approach of night it shoots over the trees like a
meteor, scarcely emitting any sound from its wings." Wilson asserts that
these birds seldom fly in parties of more than three or four individuals
together; but Audubon expresses his surprise at such a statement from
the admired author of "American Ornithology," and assures his readers
that he has "seen hundreds in a single flock, and has known fifteen to be
killed by a single shot." In disposition the Wood Duck is naturally bold
and fearless; but, if molested, soon becomes shy and cautious. When in
captivity it is very readily tamed, and exhibits much attachment to those
who feed it. In their natural state these birds subsist upon grain, reeds,
delicate shoots of plants, worms, snails, and insects, the latter being
gleaned from the trees, or snapped at as they float through the air; they
will also readily devour small reptiles, and a variety of similar fare.
When tame, they can be reared on corn or fish, and in fact will eat almost
anything that may be offered them. The period of incubation commences
about March, and at this season the parties separate in pairs and
commence their search for a convenient breeding-place. For this purpose a
squirrel's or Woodpecker's hole is usually selected as affording all that
they require, and into this the female at once creeps in order to make the
preparations necessary for the reception of her eggs, while her faithful
spouse keeps watch outside. About May, or in some localities a month
later, the eggs, from seven to twelve in number, are deposited; they are
small, oval, and have a smooth white or yellowish shell. As soon as all
the eggs are laid, the female covers them with down, spreading it thickly
over them whenever she quits her charge. No sooner is the mother burdened
with family cares than, as is the case with some other species, she is
deserted by her hitherto devoted mate, who joins his male companions and
roams with them over neighbouring pieces of water until the close of the
moulting season. The period of incubation lasts about twenty-five days.
"If," says Audubon, "the nest of the Wood Duck is placed immediately over
the water, the young, the moment they are hatched, scramble to the mouth
of the hole, launch into the air with their little wings and feet spread
out, and drop into their favourite element; but whenever their birthplace
is at some distance from it, the mother carries them to it one by one in
her bill, holding them so as not to injure their tender frames. On several
occasions, however, when the hole was thirty, forty, or more yards from a
pool or other piece of water, I observed the mother suffered the young to
fall on the grasses and dried leaves beneath the trees, and afterwards led
them to the nearest edge of the next pool or creek. At this early age the
young answer to their parent's call with a mellow 'Pee, pee, pee,' often
and rapidly repeated. The call of the mother at such time is soft, low,
and prolonged, resembling the syllables 'Pe-ēē, pe-ēē.' The watch-note
of the male, which resembles 'Hoe-ēēk,' is never uttered by the female;
indeed, the male himself seldom uses it unless alarmed by some uncommon
sound or the sight of a distant enemy, or when intent on calling passing
birds of his own species."
Wilson mentions having heard from an eye-witness that a female of this
species was seen carrying down thirteen young from her nest to the ground
in the space of ten minutes. This she accomplished by seizing them one by
one in her bill by the wing or back of the neck, and thus bearing them to
the foot of the tree, whence she afterwards led them to the water.
THE CHINESE TEAL, OR MANDARIN DUCK.
The CHINESE TEAL, or MANDARIN DUCK (_Aix galericulata_), represents the
group _Cosmonessa_, comprising birds closely resembling the Summer Ducks
above described. This well-known species is not merely adorned with
a crest, but has a flowing collar, and two remarkable fans or plumes
situated on the shoulders. In the gorgeously apparelled male the green
crest is purplish blue in front, with brown and green at the sides and
back; a broad, brownish yellow line shading into yellowish white passes
from the eyes to the nape; the long-pointed collar-feathers are bright
red, the front of the neck and sides of the breast brownish red. The
back-feathers are light brown; the fan-like shoulder-plumes steel-blue
on the outer and brownish yellow on the inner web, which is edged with
black and white. The sides of the breast exhibit two white and two black
stripes; the sides of body are yellowish grey darkly marked; the under
parts white, and the quills brownish grey bordered with white on the outer
web. The eye is yellowish red, the beak red, with a white tip, and the
foot reddish yellow. The female closely resembles the female _Aix sponsa_
in appearance. The brilliant plumage of the male is thrown off from May
to August, when the bird also loses its crest and wing-fans, and assumes
a sober-tinted dress similar to that of his mate. The Mandarin Ducks
are natives of Japan and China, and are highly esteemed in the latter
country as exhibiting, it is supposed, a most striking example of conjugal
attachment and fidelity. A pair of these birds are frequently placed in
a gaily-decorated cage, and carried in their marriage processions, and
are afterwards presented to the bride and bridegroom as worthy objects of
their emulation. So highly, indeed, are they valued, that Dr. Bennett,
we are told, was informed by a friend whom he commissioned to buy him a
pair, that he could send him two live mandarins to Australia with far
more ease than a pair of Mandarin Ducks. To the above naturalist we
are indebted for the following interesting particulars concerning the
attachment to their mates that characterises these beautiful birds:--"One
day Mr. Beales' aviary at Macao was broken open, and the male bird stolen;
his poor mate remained in a retired part of the aviary and refused to be
comforted. She would scarcely take any food, and allowed her plumage to
become dirty; in vain did another Drake endeavour to console her for her
loss, she rejected all his advances, and remained disconsolate. After some
time the lost bird was discovered in the hut of a Chinese of the lower
class, and was brought back again. As soon as he recognised his old abode,
he expressed his joy by flapping his wings and quacking vehemently, and
no sooner did his mate recognise his voice than she almost quacked to
screaming with ecstacy, and flew to meet him, and both expressed their
joy by crossing necks and quacking together. Next morning the returned
spouse fell upon the unfortunate Drake who had made advances to his mate
in his absence, pecked his eyes out, and otherwise so disfigured him as to
occasion his death in the course of a few days." According to Schrenck,
this species appears in the countries watered by the Amoor about May, and
departs again at the end of August; at this season it is always met with
in small or large flocks, which are so extremely shy that they rarely come
within gunshot. Whilst on the wing these parties crowd closely together
in front, whilst the birds in the rear occupy a comparatively free space;
the same authority states he has repeatedly seen Mandarin Ducks perching
upon trees. These beautiful birds have been successfully reared in the
London Zoological Gardens, some being hatched under the parent, and others
under a Domestic Hen; the latter hatching the eggs two days sooner than
the mother. The eggs are of a creamy brown colour.
THE SHOVELER DUCK.
The SHOVELER DUCK (_Spatula clypeata_) represents a group distinguished by
their very remarkable and large bill, slender at its base, very broad and
vaulted towards its extremity, and finely denticulated at its margins. The
plumage of the male of this species is much variegated. The head and upper
neck are dark green; the nape, upper back, and short shoulder-feathers
edged with light grey; the lower neck, crop, and the upper wing-covers are
white; the rest of the wing is light blue, decorated with a broad white
stripe and a patch of metallic green. The lower parts of the back and
rump are blackish green; the breast and belly chestnut-brown. The lower
tail-covers are black, the quills brown, the centre tail-feathers brown
bordered with white, and those at the sides more or less white. The eye is
golden yellow, the bill black, and the foot reddish yellow. This bird is
nineteen inches long and thirty inches broad; the wing measures ten inches
and a half, and tail two and a half. The plumage of the female is greyish
yellow, darkly spotted; the upper wing is grey, with a small greyish green
patch, and her bill greenish yellow, edged with pale red. The summer
costume of the male resembles that of his mate. The Shoveler Duck inhabits
the temperate regions of the earth, and only occasionally wanders into
northern latitudes. In Europe it is met with in all parts as far north
as Norway. In Great Britain it is usually only a winter visitor, but
occasionally remains to breed. From these temperate latitudes it wanders
forth during the winter to Mexico, North and Central Africa, the South of
China, and India. Audubon, who met with this bird in the United States,
where he tells us it is rare, says:--"The Shoveler walks prettily, and I
have often admired its movements in the puddles formed by heavy dashes of
rain in our Southern corn-fields, where I have found it in company with
the Wood Duck, Mallard, and Pin-tail. Its flight resembles that of the
Blue-winged Teal, and in tenderness as well as in flavour its flesh rivals
that of that beautiful bird as an article of food. No sportsman who is a
judge will ever pass a Shoveler to shoot a Canvas-back. It is rarely ever
found on salt water, and then only when compelled to resort thither." The
Shoveler Ducks pass a good deal of the day on dry land; they, however,
principally frequent lakes, marshes, rivers, and muddy shores, in search
of insects, molluscs, worms, and crustaceans, that form their principal
means of subsistence; they also consume grass and other vegetable matter.
[Illustration: THE SHOVELER DUCK (_Spatula clypeata_). ONE-FOURTH NATURAL
SIZE.]
The remarkable beak possessed by these birds is admirably suited for the
use to which it is destined, its laminated sides being furnished with
numerous nerves, which endow it with a delicate sense of touch, enabling
it at once to select such matters as are fitted for sustenance. The nest,
which is placed on a tuft of herbage, is composed of fine grass, the eggs
being carefully covered with down from the mother's breast. The eggs are
of a buffy white, tinged with green; their size is about two inches two
lines by one inch six lines.
THE MUSK DUCK.
The MUSK DUCK (_Cairina moschata_) is recognisable by its slender rounded
body, tolerably slender neck, and large head, and by its comparatively
long powerful beak, which is elevated at its base. The bare bridles are
covered with large fleshy warts, and the claws are short and broad. The
proportionately short wings have the third quill longer than the rest. The
tail is strong and rounded, and composed of eighteen feathers. The plumage
of the male is principally brownish black; the top of the head brownish
green; the rump, wings, and rest of the upper part of the body are shaded
with metallic green and purple-violet. The quills are green, shimmering
with dark steel-blue; the wing-covers mostly white, the under parts dull
blackish brown; the under tail-covers shining green; the eye yellow; the
naked places on the face brownish black; the warty excrescences dark red,
partially spotted with black. The bill is black, with a cross stripe of
blueish white just in front of the nostrils; towards the point it is of a
pale flesh-colour. Length of male, thirty-two inches; breadth, forty-seven
inches; length of wing, fourteen inches and a half; length of tail, seven
inches and three-quarters. The female is considerably smaller than her
mate, but in other respects they very much resemble each other.
All travellers who have had an opportunity of studying these Ducks in a
wild state tell us that they are beautiful, lively, and well-flavoured
birds, equally attractive to the naturalist and the sportsman. This
species is extensively distributed throughout the South American
continent, from Paraguay to Guiana, and is to be met with almost in equal
numbers near the mouths of rivers flowing into the sea, and amid the
swamps and marshes of wild uncultivated parts of the country. The Prince
von Wied found it swimming upon rivers in the depths of the primitive
forests, and also in still, secluded bays, and upon islands near the
sea-coast. Schomburghk observed it at an altitude of 1,500 feet above the
level of the sea. During the mid-day heat, and in the afternoon, these
birds generally seek out shady places upon the shores and on sandbanks;
in the morning and evening they employ themselves in searching for
their food, which consists of fishes and snails, also algæ and other
water-plants. They invariably pass the night upon trees, and if disturbed
in the daytime always seek shelter among their branches; even those which
spend their days in marshes and morasses exchange these localities as the
sun descends for extensive woods, and perch upon the loftiest trees they
can find. Their flight is remarkably rapid, and is always, at their first
rising, accompanied by a loud noise, somewhat resembling that produced by
a covey of Partridges when first flushed. Their pairing-time seems to be
signalised by incessant quarrelling amongst the jealous males; and if the
violence of these combats is to be judged of by the number of feathers
left upon their battle-fields, they are more than usually pugnacious.
Their nest is sometimes built in the hollow of a tree near the sea-shore,
sometimes amid the branches. The female parent shows herself most vigilant
in protecting her young ones, and should they be attacked, rushes at once
to their rescue; when she has succeeded in driving back their enemies she
calls them together with a peculiar cry. These birds seem to have two
broods during the season--one in May, the other in September.
In Brazil, tame Musk Ducks are everywhere to be met with; indeed, at
the period of the visit of the Prince von Wied there seemed to be no
others kept in a state of domestication. In Germany, also, breeders have
endeavoured to rear them for the table, and speak favourably of the
result of their efforts. In their good opinion of these birds we cannot
participate. To say nothing of their being unable to endure the cold of
our winter so well as other more common species, we consider them to be
positively dangerous; they not only attack and do serious damage to other
Ducks, but they have been known to set upon children and injure them very
seriously. Should any of their companions fall under their displeasure,
they follow them unremittingly by land or water, pluck their feathers off
and bite them savagely; indeed, they not unfrequently kill them outright
by swimming after them and holding them so long under water that they are
drowned.
* * * * *
The DIVING DUCKS (_Fuligulæ_) were formerly considered as belonging to the
same race as the preceding, from which they are now properly separated,
seeing that they have no more in common with them than Geese or Swans. The
Diving Ducks are at once recognisable by their short, broad, plump body,
by their short thick neck, their large head, and moderate-sized beak;
the latter is broad, furnished with very short teeth, and occasionally
somewhat enlarged at the base. The tarsi are short, feathered quite to
the heel, and compressed laterally. The anterior toes are large, long,
and strongly webbed. The wings are short and vaulted, the two first
quills being the longest. The tail is short, but broad, consisting of
from fourteen to eighteen close-set feathers; the general plumage is
thick and close, differing in colour according to sex and age, and on
the head is generally prolonged into a tuft or crest, which is rendered
more conspicuous by the brightness of its colours. These Ducks, in
correspondence with their power of diving, always prefer open deep water
to such as is either shallow or overgrown with plants. The greater number
of them live upon the sea, and only visit fresh water during the breeding
season. There are, however, some that must be considered as fresh-water
birds, seeing that they spend the greater portion of their lives upon
ponds, lakes, or rivers. In consequence of the backward position of their
legs, they are obliged, when they stand or walk, to keep themselves very
upright; indeed, their gait can scarcely be called a waddle, inasmuch as
it is with difficulty that they stagger along. Their flight is, perhaps,
better than that of most other Ducks, and when once on the wing they move
pretty rapidly through the air. In the water they are quite in their
proper element; their broad powerful body is so deeply immersed that only
a small portion of the top of the back is visible, and their tail touches
the surface of the water. As they row themselves nimbly along, striking
well out their broadly-webbed feet, they tilt their body tail upwards,
and disappear with a single stroke. These birds are not, like the Divers,
able to catch their prey by pursuing it under water; when they dive they
seem to plunge more or less perpendicularly down to the bottom, and,
after about a minute's absence, again make their appearance nearly upon
the same spot from whence they vanished. As it is from the bottom of the
water that they obtain their food, even those inhabiting fresh water have
necessarily to dive to a considerable depth; whilst those that live in the
sea must occasionally plunge still deeper, even to the depth of fifty or
sixty fathoms--a fact of which it is easy to convince oneself by examining
the contents of their stomachs. A few of them seem to prefer a vegetable
diet, but the greater number live upon small bivalve shell-fish and
other mollusca; they likewise eat worms, crustaceans, and fishes, while
those that inhabit fresh water also feed upon aquatic insects. The booty
thus procured from the bottom is also swallowed under water. The Diving
Ducks, when employed in fishing for their food, only come to the surface
to breathe. Their voice is totally different from that of the Swimming
Ducks; instead of quacking they only screech. The manner of their breeding
agrees pretty closely with that of ordinary Ducks; still, however, there
are points of difference. They breed more in company with each other, and
sometimes form regular settlements. Two females even of different species
will occasionally lay their eggs in the same nest, sharing the duties of
incubation and the charge of the young brood. Some individuals exhibit
a sort of mania for brooding; they will slip into the nests of other
birds, roll away the eggs, and take possession of them, or even tempt the
nestlings away from their proper parents in order to take them under their
own care. The eggs are rounder, the shells more closely-grained than those
of the Common Ducks, but in other respects resemble them. Some Diving
Ducks are valuable on account of the down with which they line their
nests, others on account of the excellence of their flesh, but, generally
speaking, the latter is rank and ill-flavoured.
* * * * *
The EIDER DUCKS (_Somateria_) first claim our attention, inasmuch as they
are not only the largest and most beautiful of the Diving Ducks, but
also the most useful members of the family, ornamenting the seas that
they frequent, and conferring inestimable benefit upon the inhabitants
of the inhospitable coasts where they are common. Apart from their very
considerable size, the Eider Ducks are distinguishable by their long
slender beak, the base of which extends up the forehead, and is divided
by a triangular projection of the feathers; the upper mandible, which is
brightly coloured, terminates in a large nail-like appendage, covering
the entire anterior margin of the bill; the tarsi are short, the feet
broad-soled, and the toes long; the wings are of moderate length, the
second primary quill being the longest; the tertiary quills, which
are sickle-shaped, are deflected, and prolonged so as to overlap the
primaries; the tail, which is slightly rounded at its extremity, consists
of fourteen or sixteen tapering feathers. The general plumage is soft,
thick, and fleecy. In the adult male the prevailing colours are simply
black and white; the head, however, is ornamented with sea-green, and
the breast suffused with roseate pink or brownish yellow; in one species
smalt-blue is likewise observable. The colour of the female is brownish
grey or reddish brown. All the various species inhabit the colder regions
of the Northern Hemisphere. Although the name of these Ducks is supposed
to be derived from the river Eider, dividing the duchy of Holstein from
Lower Schleswig, they are in reality seldom found south of the sixty-third
degree of north latitude, from which point to the North Cape they are met
with in vast numbers all along the coast and in the fiords that indent it
in every direction, stretching sometimes 200 miles inland. The northern
shores of Russia, Siberia, and the same latitudes of North America, are
also inhabited by these valuable fowls.
The Eider Ducks are strictly sea-birds; upon dry land they walk with
extreme difficulty, and as they clumsily waddle along often stumble and
fall down flat on the ground. Their flight seems difficult and fatiguing,
requiring the sustained rapid action of their proportionately short wings.
They rarely rise to any height in the air, but wing their way straight
down into the water beneath, and it is only when they reach this, their
proper element, that they begin to show what are their real capabilities.
They swim with the body less deeply immersed than the generality of
Diving Ducks, but their movements are quicker than those of any of their
congeners.
The breeding-time of the Eider Ducks is rather late in the season,
generally towards the end of May, sometimes in June or July; about this
period they assemble upon certain small islands, apparently selected
because they are easily accessible; the birds then separate into pairs,
each pair proceeding at once to chose a place for establishing its
nest, the principal conditions required being seclusion and safety.
In localities where the birds are tended as though they were private
property, the owners of the islands to which they resort take care to
furnish a supply of old boxes, platforms built with stones, boards covered
with brushwood, and other similar conveniences for breeding.