24 BIRDS OF THE WATER 



on a niile or two of water. This species 

 lays early, and there must be many nests 

 in August. 



This season our first lot of ducklings 

 were marked on September 27th — a brood 

 of three or four — the young being then 

 about a fortnight old. On October 1st 

 another brood was seen about the same 

 place. On October 8th some miles up the 

 river I watched for long a family of four 

 — ^ten days old, I daresay, the ducklings 

 showing much white about front of throat 

 and breast and side of face. 



The glassy, cool, translucent stream en- 

 abled me to easily follow these little divers 

 to its pebbly depths, their white mark- 

 ings showing very distinct as they explored 

 the river floor or rose with a plop to the 

 surface. Above water, too, they were equally 

 active, skimming after flies on the surface 

 and scrambling half out of water after 

 insects on the damp cliffs. Again and again 

 at a pool's tail I was sure the strong water- 

 draw would suck them down, but they 

 would cross it safely above the very break. 

 Every now and again from the parents 



