The Common Wild Duck or Majj,ard 181 



and the young pigeons were duly hatched, and took to 

 themselves wings. 



Speaking of peculiar bed-fellows, I discovered a nest 

 near the Lough last year containing fourteen eggs, six of 

 which were that of the mallard duck, and the remaining 

 eight were partridge eggs, presided over by the hen 

 mallard. It was, to the naturalists, a great disappoint- 

 ment when the nest was eventually harried, for it would 

 be hazardous to speculate on the composition of the 

 brood. 



The question has often been asked, " Does the mallard 

 duck breed in captivity ? " The best solution is centred 

 in the fact that at the present time, what is termed the 

 common duck (hen mallard) is sitting hard on ten eggs. 

 To my knowledge this bird is one of five that have been 

 winged, or in some other way captured, and the little 

 flock, with wings clipped, go about similar to the ordinary 

 farm-yard duck, and they are prolific in the matter of 

 egg-production, also similar to the ordinary farm-yard 

 duck, though the eggs are laid in batches, as though 

 intended only for incubation. 



