THE DUCK-MOTHERS 85 



balanced on the top of a post, and looked down 

 upon the nest, but without any better result. 

 Fearful lest the eggs should chill, I went over 

 to the test them, and when I reached the kodak, 

 away went Madam Spoonbill! We had no 

 means of knowing how long she had been on her 

 nest. But she had so skilfully arranged the 

 grass-blades in their original positions as to ef- 

 fectively break up with their light and shade all 

 trace of the outline of her dusky form, and we 

 had been completely deceived. 



During the afternoon, the hours wore away, 

 but the little duck mother seemed in no mood 

 to return to her eggs. We made no mistake 

 about it now; she was off the nest. Doubtless 

 she knew as well as we did that the hot after- 

 noon sun was incubating the eggs sufficiently, 

 and she had set out to beat the kodak man. It 

 was five o'clock before a peep at the nest showed 

 that again the grass-blades had been moved, and 

 I judged for I could not see that Madam 

 was on her eggs. To make her raise her head a 

 little we tried an old trick. For some time we 

 lay flat on the ground, then peeped up. As we 

 had hoped, she had raised her head a few inches 

 that she might watch us, and bang went the 



