Identifier: naturalhistoryof01phi (find matches)
Title: A natural history of the ducks
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Phillips, John C. (John Charles), 1876-1938 Benson, Frank Weston, 1862-1951, ill Brooks, Allan, 1869-1946, ill Fuertes, Louis Agassiz, 1874-1927, ill Grönvold, Henrik, 1858-1940, ill
Subjects: Ducks
Publisher: Boston New York : Houghton Mifflin Company Cambridge : The Riverside Press
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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ersecuted there by the natives and of resorting to high trees both atnight and during the heat of the day. The favorite habitat of the Muscovy is the region of forested swamps along thebanks of streams and large rivers, where they lead a rather secluded life in smallcompanies. Wariness; Daily Movements. Apparently the species is rarely met with farfrom wooded country except in the wet season when open savannas are flooded. Asthe dry season advances, they are driven more and more to the wooded banks ofstreams (Cherrie, 1916). They seem to be well able to take care of themselves, asnearly all writers mention their wary disposition and the inaccessibility of theirhaunts. Nutting (1882) speaks of them as the shyest and most difficult to approachof all Costa Rican birds. They pass the night in high trees often resorting to thesame tree night after night; sometimes, according to Hagmann (1907), dozens roosttogether in the same tree. A favorite roost in Brazil is the smooth horizontal branch
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Map 2. Distribution of Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata) MUSCOVY DUCK 61 of the Cecropia (Wied, 1832). During the daytime they remain in the forests for themost part, in the evening resorting to their feeding-grounds, or flighting up anddown the streams. When alarmed the members of a flock immediately disperse. Flight; Voice. Again according to Wied, the flight is extremely fast and causesa whistling sound. The voice is very weak, and, so Heinroth (1911) affirms, asgood as absent. During great excitement males in confinement emit a soft, blow-ing hiss, accompanied by a drawing back and thrusting forward of the head. In thefemale Heinroth noted a similar but somewhat higher-pitched blowing sound, andduring a period of very great fear a high, frequently repeated quack. The downyyoung peep like other related Anatidoe, but not very loudly. I cannot recall anysound made by the few Muscovies that I have kept myself. The trachea, a plate of which may be found in Eytons monograph of the Anatido

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