A DUCK PROTECTING HER YOUNG BY STRATAGEM. 55 



As I watched her thus sacrificing herself to save her, 

 young, provoking the death-shot in order to draw 

 attention from them, I wondered how I couhl for a 

 single moment have wished to destroy her. I leaned 

 over the boat and watched her movements for nearly 

 half a mile. She would keep just ahead of us, sail- 

 ing backwards and forwards, now striking her wings 

 on the water, as if struggling with all her strength to 

 fly, yet unable to rise, and now screaming out as if 

 distressed to death at her perilous position, yet cun- 

 ningly moving off in the mean time, so as to allure 

 us after in order to increase the distance between us 

 and her offspring. While we were near the nest, she 

 swam almost under our bows; but, as we continued to 

 advance, she grew more timorous, as if beginning to 

 think a little more of herself. I could not blame her 

 for this, for she had hitherto kept within reach of 

 certain death if I had chosen to fire. But it was 

 curious to see in what exact proportion her care for 

 herself increased as the danger to her offspring 

 lessened. She would rise and fly some distance, then 

 alight in the water, and wait our approcyph. If she 

 sailed out of sight a moment, she would wheel and 

 look back, and even swim back, till she saw us follow- 

 ing after, when she would move off again. The fool- 

 ish thing really believed she was outwitting us, and, 

 I have no doubt, had many self-complacent reflections 

 on the ease with which ducks could humbug human 

 beings. After we had proceeded in this way about 

 half a mile, she rose from the water, and, striking the 

 Rackett River, sped back by a circular sweep to her 



