504 PALMIPEDES. 



They have the power of })erching, and it is a curious sight 

 to see them on the branches of the trees that overhang 

 the pond in which they live ; the male and female l)eing 

 always close together, the one gorgeous in ))urple, green, 

 white, and chesnut, the other soberly a|>parelle(l in brown 

 and grey. This handsome ])lumage of the male is lost 

 during four months of tlie year, i, e. from May to August, 

 when the bird throws off his fine crest, his wing-fans, all 

 his brilliant colours, and assumes a sober-tinted dress, 

 resembling that of its mate. The Mandarin Duck has 

 been successfully reared at the Zoological Gardens in 

 London, some being hatched under the parent bird, and 

 others under a domestic hen, the latter hatching the eggs 

 two days in advance of the former. The eggs are of a 

 creamy-brown colour. These birds are regarded by the 

 Chinese as emblems of conjugal fidelity, and are usually 

 carried about in their marriage processions, a distinction 

 of which they are by no means unworthy, as is abun- 

 dantly proved by the following anecdote. " A drake of 

 this species was stolen one night, along with some other 

 l)irds, from the aviary of Mr. Beale, of Macao, of which 

 mention has already been made. The beautiful male 

 only was taken, the poor duck was left behind. The 

 morning following the loss of her husband, the female was 

 seen in a most disconsolate condition, brooding in secret 

 sorrow in a. retired part of the aviary. While she was 

 thus giving herself up to grief, a gay prim drake, who had 

 not long before lost his dear duck, which liad been acci- 

 dentally killed, trimmed his beautiful feathers, and ap- 

 pearing quite handsome, pitying the forlorn condition of 

 the bereaved, waddled towards her, and after devoting 

 much of his time, and all his attention, to the poor lady, 

 offered her his j^rotection ; she, however, refused all his 

 offers, having apparently made a solemn vow to live and 

 die a widow if her mate did not return. From the day 

 when she met with her loss she neglected her usual avo- 

 cations, her plumage became ragged and dirty, she was 

 regardless of her appearance, forsook her food, and no 

 consolation that could be offered had the least effect. 

 Some time had elapsed since her bereavement, when a 

 person accidentally passing a hut overheard some Chinese 

 of the lower class conversing together, and understood 

 sufficient of their language to know that one said, ' It 



