MALLARD. Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus

Field characters.—A duck of large size and general similarity to domesticated varieties; bright iridescent steel-blue patch on wing, bordered in front and behind with white; under surface of wing, as shown in flight, white. Male: Head and neck green; ring at base of neck, white; tail whitish with black center and with up-curled feathers near end; back and belly grayish white. Female: Whole plumage streaked with light and dark yellowish brown. Voice: Of female, a loud oft-repeated quack; of male, similar but softer, more wheezy.

Occurrence.—Casual visitant on lakes and smoother flowing waters on both sides of the mountains; noted on Merced River in Yosemite Valley, in Little Yosemite Valley, and on Grant and Mono lakes.

In the Yosemite region ducks are to be found in large numbers only on Mono Lake, and there chiefly during the seasons of migration. The Mallard, the best known of all our wild ducks because of its esculent qualities, is the species most frequently seen elsewhere in the region.

The Mallard is a typical river duck and a surface feeder. It seeks its forage in shallow ponds, and 'tips up' to reach down for the coveted morsels instead of diving for them in deeper water as does the Harlequin Duck.

The Mallard probably nests on the marshy lands bordering some of the smoother flowing waters at low elevations on the west slope of the mountains, and about the sage-bordered lakes at the east base of the Sierras.