226 CANADIAN WILDS. 



gan to lay, I found that the concave top had 

 been lined with dead leaves, hay, clay and small 

 sticks. After this one peep in at the archi- 

 tecture and the couple of eggs therein, I re- 

 frained from approaching the stump again, but 

 continued my observations from a distance. 



When the duck took to steady setting I could 

 just see her head and bill over the edge of the 

 nest. Regularly each evening during the period 

 of incubation she would fly out onto the lake to 

 feed, drink and plume herself. These absences 

 from her duty lasted from twenty minutes to 

 half an hour. 



When the young were hatched I kept a strict 

 and steady watch on her movements for the 

 thought occurred to me, "How would they get 

 to the ground?" But, like a good many other 

 things, this riddle of the forest was made clear 

 to me one evening near sundown. 



I sat motionless in my canoe a little to one 

 side of the direction of the stump. The lake 

 was as calm as oil, and in a little while, after 

 taking up my position, out flew the mother in a 

 slanting way to the water, and hanging from 

 her bill was one of the young ducks. This she 

 quickly deposited on the lake and flew back to 

 the nest, and made trips to and fro, until she 

 had brought the whole of her brood which num- 

 bered seven. 



