WILD FOWL IN ST. JAMES'S PARK. 469 



Observations on the Wild Fowl in St. James's Park. — It 

 is remarkable that among the numerous species of wild fowl 

 which ornament the fine sheet of water in St. James's Park, 

 the only species of the duck tribe — excluding the geese and 

 swans — which have propagated, besides the common mallard 

 duck, is the tufted pochard (Fuligula cristata), a single brood 

 of which, consisting of five, one of which was soon after de- 

 stroyed, was hatched in July, 1838 : the rest of the brood 

 (two of each sex) were reared, and, with some of the old ones, 

 have been in the habit of taking daily flights to the Serpen- 

 tine ever since. This season there are three large broods, — 

 one the progeny of the same female which bred last year, and 

 which is known by her being pinioned, and the others the 

 produce of the two young females that were bred on the spot: 

 so that a single brood once raised in the locality, would seem 

 to be all that is necessary to secure a permanent stock of 

 other species. It is curious that the young pochards scarce- 

 ly ever follow their parents from the time they are three or 

 four days old, but disperse all over the lake, emitting contin- 

 ually a loud piping cry, which is characteristic. Far less 

 dependent on the parents' vigilance and care than the young 

 mallard ducks, or indeed than any other species so far as my 

 observation has gone, they seem wonderfully capable of tak- 

 ing their own part, and scramble for food among the full-grown 

 larger species, with an alacrity and amount of impudence 

 that is highly amusing, diving the moment they give offence 

 by their uncommon boldness, and appearing the next moment 

 at an inconsiderable distance, quite unabashed, and ready to 

 renew the affront if occasion should tempt them. These lit- 

 tle creatures in general lie close under the bank of one of the 

 islands when their appetite is sated, so that a person may look 

 for them in vain, though it seldom happens that some of them 

 are not visible and sufficiently audible ; they as often occur 

 solitarily as together, and their down is of a dusky black co- 

 lour, with the usual pale markings (such as are seen in a com- 

 mon duckling) not very distinct: the eggs are dark olive green* 



So domesticated do various species become in this favora- 

 ble spot for observing their manners, that on regaining the 

 use of their wings after these had been merely clipped, many 

 have shown no desire to fly away ; and during the very long 

 protracted frost of January, 1 838, a flock of widgeons and 

 pin-tails long lingered circling over the skaters for hours every 

 day, but at length disappeared, and were probably destroyed 

 from their want of shyness, as none returned : during the same 

 period, many of the pochards {cristata and ferina) were 

 commonly to be seen in the Thames about Westminster and 



Vol. III.— No. 33. n. s. 3 e 



