WATER-BIRD WAIFS 



eastern part of our country. They are shy birds and 

 keep pretty well out of sight by day in the swamps. 

 At dusk they begin to fly about and come into the 

 ponds to swim and feed. I have stood silently on the 

 edge of a morass, listened to their subdued quackings 

 as they fed, heard the whistle of their wings, and seen 

 their shadowy forms as they passed overhead. I have 

 found their nests, too, now and then, but always by 

 accident. The nest is always on the ground, hidden 

 among the rank vegetation, or by the edge of a body 

 of water among the rushes or under a bush. Not 

 lone: ao'o I was shown one under an isolated thorn 

 bush right out in an open field, not far back from the 

 bank of a river. A trout fisherman happened along 

 and flushed the bird from her eggs. These are usually 

 from eight to twelve in number, as is true of nearly all 

 ducks, and they are laid usually by the middle of April, 

 sometimes earlier. The nests of all ducks are lined 

 softly with down which the mother plucks from her 

 breast. These ducks remain with us in winter as long 

 as they can find water. I have seen them swimming 

 in brooks in the swamps when the ponds were frozen 

 over. 



There is one other species which breeds in all our 

 Eastern States, the beautiful Wood or Summer Duck. 

 The drake is one of the most gorgeously beautiful of 

 all our native birds. It is deplorable that they are 

 decreasing so rapidly as to be on the brink of extermina- 

 tion. Some states are entirely prohibiting their being 



264 



