290 FIELD-STUDIES OF RARER BIRDS 



the sandy patches of soil chess-boarding the heath- 

 covered waste adjacent, where one might suppose 

 the ducks would nest (and especially in a wet 

 season), instead of, and as they nearly always do, 

 close to the river bank, where they are often 

 flooded out. 



The Gadwall is a mixture of trustfulness and 

 wariness, the former because, when flying, it is 

 apt to pass the observer well within range ; the 

 latter because, when at rest on land or water, the 

 merest suggestion of a human form here at all 

 events even though he be eighty yards or further 

 away, is all sufficient to put the startled fowl on 

 the wing, causing them to rise from the water almost 

 perpendicularly for a short distance before, break- 

 ing off at a sharp tangent, they finally get into 

 their full swing. 



It is well to be able to distinguish the Gadwall 

 at a good range when on the wing, especially if 

 you lack glasses. To me its chief characteristic 

 then is its very slender neck; as viewed when 

 stretched to its full extent, while its wings appear 

 to be hooked very far back on the body. Its erratic 

 mode of flight resembles that of some gigantic bat, 

 which flies aimlessly about, seeking in vain a suit- 

 able retreat. At a distance, especially when flying, 

 the sexes are much alike in size and colour, 

 though if anything, the duck is slightly larger than 

 the drake, a peculiarity not usually met with in 

 the duck family. Save for the thin, slender neck, 



