108 MALLARD. 



posed, in its usual situation, of dried grass or the 

 vegetable substances near, and is always warmly 

 lined with the down from the parent bird. 



After the young have received complete first 

 plumage, the whole again begin to congregate and 

 to frequent at the time of rest some chosen piece of 

 water or large morass, where they remain during 

 the whole day, making excursions morning and 

 evening to various feeding grounds. These differ 

 according to the season ; a river, if near and at all 

 secluded, is much frequented ; in autumn the fields 

 of grain are flocked to at dark, and where the crop 

 has been laid is selected for a spot to alight upon. 

 Extensive holms or valleys are much frequented, 

 particularly if water be in the vicinity, to which 

 for a time they can retire after feeding. As twilight 

 approaches they may be seen by the watcher, early 

 in the night, coming from the points where he 

 knows the daily resting-places are situate. They 

 at first fly round in circles, gradually lowering and 

 surveying the ground around; but as the night 

 advances, they fly straight to the spot and alight at 

 once; many years since, when wild ducks were 

 much more abundant, we have shot them by watch- 

 ing among the ripe grain. As the season advances, 

 the stubble-fields are selected, and more particularly 

 if the ground is at all moist, or is liable to be occa- 

 sionally flooded and the water continues standing 

 in the furrows ; in these situations they are able to 

 find the grain, and by the sensibility of their bill- 

 apparatus to separate it from the water and foreign 



