FEATHERED GAME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15554, 11 March 1914, Page 11

FEATHERED GAME.

THE MALLARD DUCK.

CHRISTCHURCH OPINION.

TnE mallard duck, which has been the subject of a considerable amount of correspondence, was discussed at the meeting of the council of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society last evening. Mr. W. H. Hazard, the president, said that the society had been taxed with having neglected its duty in not importing the mallard duck. Two years ago, he continued, the council decided to concentrate its activities upon improving the strain of the pheasants, seeing that the acclimatisation of this bird had been so successful.' Doubtless pheasants were not so plentiful now as formerly, rut this was due to settlement, and to the fact that sportsmen had greatly increased in number.

The objection to the mallard duck was I that it crossed with the grey, producing j hybrids, which, were not good us game, and which, being larger than the milliard and grey, ousted both. In support of this opinion lie quoted from a circular written by Mr. E. F. Stead, of Christchurch, and i endorsed by the Canterbury Acclimatisa-1 tion Society. In it the writer replied to ! Mr. Whitney's letter, which claimed that! the mallard duck was superior to the! grey. i It was open to question, said Mr. Stead, whether the mallard was the more hardy breed, but lie had no doubt on the point that the grey had the swifter flight. The Canterbury Society's objections to the mallard wore not, however, confined to the pure-tied bird. It was the hybrid that was going to do the damage. The hybrid was characterised by a most extraordinary pugnacity, and being frequently polygamous it spent much of its time in fighting and thrashing the purebred of both species and appropriating their mates. When the hybrid drake did not want mates, lie fought the others for the sake of bullying. From what, one can see of the wild duck 1 on the various waters around Christchureh [ the mallard had as little chance of surviv--1 ing in the pure state as the grey, and the I question narrowed itself down to whether I or not it was desirable to replace the grey duck throughout New Zealand with a race I of mongrels. Dr. A. H. Chatfield said he was not prepared to accept the Christchureh opinion as final. He would much prefer to hear the opinion of an expert. He did not consider that under ordinary circumstances the mallard would mate with the grey if females of his own kind were in sufficient numbers. He asked if the hybrid could produce his kind, but no one could speak authoritatively on the question. It was decided to write to the Southland Society, which has imported and bred mallards for years, asking for an opinion on the bird generally.