LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WILD FOWL 39 



bird in my baud, as she actually fluttered at my feet, so intent was she to 

 withdraw my attention from her young. I retired, and with peculiar call she 

 gathered the young ones and began her march. I foUov/ed them to the salt 

 water where the mother seemed frantic with joy, as she flopped around like 

 a tame duck at the approach of rain. The young were not more than two 

 days old and had awaited until they had sufficient strength to undertake the 

 long journey. They took to the water as though they had been accustomed 

 to it for weeks. I must confess that I felt pleased that I did not molest them 

 for I have seldom seen anything that afforded me greater satisfaction than 

 to witness the pleasure evinced .by the old bird when she had her young on 

 the bosom of the sea where she felt so secure. 



There are so many enemies to be contended with at this critical 

 period that it is a wonder that any of these ducks ever succeed in 

 raising a brood. It is only by good luck in many cases that the nest 

 is not discovered and robbed; and only eternal vigilance and a con- 

 stant struggle on the part of the devoted mother serves to protect the 

 little ones from their enemies. In the instance just related several 

 occupied fox dens were within a short distance of the nest, yet the 

 eggs were hatched and the young were conducted away in safety. 



The following incident is related by Mr. Millais (1913) : 



I watched a newly hatched brood of long-tailed ducks one day for a long time 

 and noticed that they took very little food for themselves. They caught a few 

 flies, but most of their food was obtained by the mother diving incessantly 

 and bringing up substances from the bottom and placing it before her brood. 

 When she appeared they all kept up a gentle " peeping " sound and kept close 

 together in a bunch, seldom running to catch flies as other young ducks do. 

 After watching these birds for some time I wandered up the river to the Lake 

 of Myvatn to look at a scoter's nest, and on returning witnessed the attack of 

 two Richardson's skuas, a black and a white bellied one, on the same brood of 

 long-tailed duck. The method of attack was exactly the same as I have seen 

 employed by carrion crows in Hyde Park. One skua swooped down and dis- 

 tracted the mother's attention to one side by hovering over the water. The 

 anxious parent opened her bill and gave a series of grating calls. As the 

 marauder came to the level of the water the long-tailed duck with raised crest 

 made a fierce rush of a few yards at it and in this short space of time the 

 second skua swooped down, picked up a nestling, and swallowed it alive, head 

 first. The frantic mother then darted in the other direction when the skua that 

 had first attacked nimbly picked up a duckling and swallowed it whilst mount- 

 ing into the air. These skuas, which are plentiful at Myvatn, must commit con- 

 siderable havoc amongst the very young ducks and doubtless constitute their 

 chief enemies. Mr. Manniche, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Denmark 

 in 1911, tells me that the glaucous gull is equally mischievous in destroying 

 the young of long-tails and king eiders in East Greenland and probably Buffon's 

 skua is another successful pirate. 



The young are taught to dive at an early age, but at first they 

 are not ver}^ successful. Mr. Hersej^'s notes state that on July 5, 1915, 

 a female and eight recently hatched young were " seen on a small 

 pond. The female did not fly but swam around the yoimg calling 

 softly to them. At an apparent signal from the mother all would 



