NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



usually utters a low cry of warning, and she and the 

 brood instantly flatten themselves down and remain 

 perfectly still. The bird of prey, although exceed- 

 ingly keen sighted, is always on the lookout for a 

 moving object ; and the instant it detects a rodent, 

 a bird, or any other likely form of prey, it drops on it 

 like a stone. Young ground-frequenting birds know 

 instinctively that their best chance of escaping observa- 

 tion is to remain perfectly still. The young of ducks 

 and other aquatic birds take to the water and swim 

 and dive without any training by the parent. When 

 alarmed the mother duck instantly leads her brood 

 into the midst of reeds, rushes, and other cover. If 

 on a lagoon or lake, she often takes them as far from 

 land as possible. I suddenly surprised a wild duck 

 in a quiet river pool. The moment she observed me 

 she emitted a warning " quack " and dived, followed 

 by her brood. The mother and young seemed to 

 disappear at one and the same moment. They 

 evidently swam under the water and came to the 

 surface in the midst of the rushes near the bank, for 

 I saw no more of them. On another occasion I 

 encountered a red-knobbed coot (Fulica cristatd) on 

 a river pool. The disappearance of herself and 

 brood under water was practically instantaneous. 

 There was a momentary glimpse, and nothing 

 more. 



The young of this division of birds feed very 

 largely on insect life which infests the ground and 

 play havoc with vegetation. The economic value of 

 the young so-called game birds is simply incalculable. 



