Volltext Seite (XML)
( 28 ) ORD. III. GEN. XI. DUCK. SPE. III. MALLARD. PI. 247. Anas bofchas. Lin. Syfi. I. p. 305. Le Canard fauvage. Brif. Orn. VI. p. 318. The mallard, or common wild duck, weighs between two and three pounds. The bill is a dull orange, (haded with green; its nail, black: eye, dark brown: head, and neck, a fhining dark blue green : round the lower part of the neck is a white ring : the bread is a chefnut brown : the back, grey, brindled with minute dots of black, and (haded with brown : the belly, paler, but brindled as the back: vent white : rump, dark glofly green : tail, greeni(h black, the four middle feathers curling upward, which is peculiar to the male of this fpecies: on the wing coverts is a tranfverfe white ftreak, edged with a fecond of black, below which is a large violet green (hining patch: legs, faffron colour ; webs, black. The female is of a pale reddifh brown colour, fpotted with black; and of a dirty white on the belly. This fpecies, from which our domeftic ducks have originated, breeds in almoft every part of England, on the Tides of retired fre(h waters and rivers, or near them, lays about fourteen eggs, and fits twenty-eight days. The neft is formed of any foft materials near at hand ; and the female plucks the feathers and down from her own body, to cover the eggs, when (lie is abfent from the neft. In winter they aflemble, and fly in company. The greater part of the prodigious numbers of thefe and others of this genus, that are taken in our decoys, are bred in the very remote parts of Europe, and vifit us about the firft or fecond week in Odtober, remaining throughout the winter, fome feeding in the (ea, and creeks adjoining, others uftng our frefh waters only : not but in very tempeftu- ous weather the fea ducks are driven for (helter to the inland waters. For the egg fee PI. LV.