. Bird lore . CAPTIVE MALLARD DRAKESThe bird at the right is in full plumage which it wears from September to June. The bird at the left isin Eclipse plumage. This corresponds to the winter plumage of other birds, but it is worn only from Julyto September, during which time the flight feathers are lost and regained. molts by the replacement of the outer primaries, the loss of which in short-ening the wing, makes flight difficult and the long flights to the uplands prac-tically impossible. Hence they are seldom seen and it might easily be con-cluded that they had left for other parts. Thus it i
. Bird lore . CAPTIVE MALLARD DRAKESThe bird at the right is in full plumage which it wears from September to June. The bird at the left isin Eclipse plumage. This corresponds to the winter plumage of other birds, but it is worn only from Julyto September, during which time the flight feathers are lost and regained. molts by the replacement of the outer primaries, the loss of which in short-ening the wing, makes flight difficult and the long flights to the uplands prac-tically impossible. Hence they are seldom seen and it might easily be con-cluded that they had left for other parts. Thus it is with other birds also. They cease singing and go into hidinguntil the molting is practically completed, but it is not long before they regaintheir former vitality and some even revive their full springtime songs. Themajority, however, prefer to rest after their strenuous labors, filling their cropswith fruits and seeds and laying up a store of fat that will serve them in thelong journeys that they are about
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectorn
