Notes on the Habits of the Mallard, 54? 3 



The wild clucks which frequent this place may be observed 

 to catch insects on the water in the daytime : but they do not, 

 in general, rove on land in quest of food, though once or 

 twice, in moist and heavy weather, I have seen them waddle 

 through the pasture ; but I marked the fact down, as one of 

 rare occurrence. When undisturbed, they are seen to pass 

 much of their time asleep on the ground. At intervals they 

 will take to the water ; and while some float on it, with the 

 head reclined on the shoulder, others will sport and dive into 

 the deep, and then return -to land, and there arrange and 

 preen their feathers, though not with oil from the gland on 

 the rump, as is generally supposed. At the close of day they 

 become exceedingly vociferous, the voice of the female being 

 much louder and more frequent than that of the male ; a cir- 

 cumstance too notorious in the human species. After this 

 uproar of tongues has continued for a certain time, they rise 

 on rapid wing in detached flocks, and, to a bird, they go away 

 for the night. At early dawn they return in companies, con- 

 sisting of fifteen or twenty birds, and stay here, to pass the 

 day in peace and quiet. When the water is frozen over, they 

 sometimes huddle together on the ice, and at other times col- 

 lect in one large flock in the adjacent pasture. Every now 

 and then a peregrine falcon makes his appearance, and perches 

 on a neighbouring sycamore tree. We know of his approach 

 by the singular agitation which takes place amongst the ducks : 

 they shake their wings with a tremulous noise, and get into 

 a compact group. After this they all rise in the air ; and then 

 you may see the falcon dash at an outside duck with an 

 almost inconceivable velocity. 



u Ocior cervis, et agente nimbos 

 Ocior Euro." * 



One morning he was observed to pursue a teal, which only 

 just escaped destruction by alighting on a pond, within a few 

 yards of the place where some labourers were at work. 



I should think that the old birds remain in pairs through 

 the entire year ; and that the young ones, which have been 

 hatched in the preceding spring, choose their mates long 

 before they depart for the arctic regions in the following year. 

 I have a favourite hollow oak tree on a steep hill, into which 

 I can retire to watch the movements of the pretty visitors. 

 From this I can often see a male and female on the water 

 beneath me, nodding and bowing to each other with as much 

 ceremony as though they were swimming a minuet, if I may 



* [Far fleeter than the timorous hind, 

 Far fleeter than the driving wind. 



Hor. Carm. 2, 16, 23. Francis.] 



