320 OUR RARER BIRDS 



man. Tame birds, however, frequently revert to the colour of 

 their wild congeners, and resemble them so closely in every 

 respect that distinction is almost impossible. I can speak 

 thus from experience, for memory gently reminds me that I 

 once shot a tame Duck by mistake on the coast at Flam- 

 borough — an unpardonable blunder which never dawned upon 

 me until I was accosted by an old country dame, who inquired 

 if I had met with a brace of her missing ducks during my 

 ramble under the cliffs, and who eyed my trophy suspiciously, 

 although she never claimed what was undoubtedly her lawful 

 property ! 



A word as to the singular change of plumage the Wild Duck 

 undergoes every summer. For a brief period every year the 

 drake loses his brilliant dress and assumes a plumage very 

 similar to that of the female. This change takes place as 

 soon as the duck begins to sit, making itself first apparent on 

 the breast and back. Almost daily a great change may be 

 noticed — the showy plumes drop out and are replaced by 

 brown ones ; until in the brief space of a month he resembles 

 his mate externally in almost every particular. He remains 

 like this a week or so, but by the early autumn he has once 

 more changed his brown plumage for his usual brilliant attire. 

 Most other species of Ducks, by the way, go through a similar 

 change. Some naturalists are of opinion that this brown 

 plumage is assumed for the purpose of protecting the showy 

 drake while he moults his quills ; but I am convinced, after 

 paying much attention to the subject, that this change of 

 plumage is the last remnant of what was once a regular winter 

 plumage, and that this partial moult in summer may eventu- 

 ally be entirely dispensed with, as in the more highly special- 

 ised Geese and Swans. 



Owing to the protection afforded to them by man, there 

 are several other species of Ducks which continue to breed in 

 suitable haunts, where they are guarded from disturbance 



