48 THE RIVER-SIDE NATURALIST. 



Hard sitting on her eggs in some reeds close by, or under 

 the shadow of some overhanging tree, or may be in the 

 hollow of some pollard willow, or even at times in some 

 cast-off nest of some other bird higher up amongst the 

 branches. When thus placed we may wonder how the 

 old bird conveys her young ones to the water. Some say 

 she carries them down on her back ; but much more likely 

 in the same manner as the woodcock between her thighs 

 or the young may attach themselves under the pinion, 

 something in the same manner as the dabchick. 



Jesse (" Gleanings," p. 181) says that " at a place in 

 North Wales some wild ducks had their nests on trees. 

 The birds had been frequently watched whilst conveying 

 their young to the ground, and in every instance one of 

 the wings of the duck appeared to be closed, whilst she 

 flapped rapidly with the other, evidently for the purpose of 

 breaking her fall. She always alighted near the foot of 

 the tree, thus descending nearly perpendicularly." 



However that may be, the first duty of the mother is 

 to convey her brood to the reeds by the river-side, or to 

 some secluded piece of water not likely to be disturbed, 

 and there hide them carefully all day. Should anything, 

 however, occur to frighten or cause alarm, what a fuss she 

 will make, flapping along the water as if her wing were 

 broken, or hobbling along the grass as if desperately hurt, 

 and so allure her enemy, whatever it may be, from her 

 brood ! Last year we happened to wade into a mass of 

 flags by the river-side, when out burst a duck, almost 

 touching us, and down she went, as if wounded, into the 

 stream. We remained very quiet for two or three minutes, 

 and then came Cheep, cheep, cheep at our feet. On looking 

 down, there were half a dozen little brownish-black mites 

 amongst the reeds. The moment the old mother heard 

 the voice of her children her antics began. First she 

 commenced flapping and gliding all along the water ; then 

 she got on to the grass and flew a little way, and tumbled 

 over as if with a broken leg. Then she got up and flew 

 round, and again tumbled into the water, all the time 

 quacking loudly. When this did not move us, she rose 



