TAME WILD DUCK. 319 



himself by laying down a quantity of grain, and watching 

 the wild ducks regaling themselves on it. After continuing 

 the practice some time he brought such a crowd of ducks 

 round him* that it seemed as if the entire mallard population 

 of that part of the country was present. With his pockets 

 full of loose grain he went out regularly on his sporting ex- 

 peditions, and returned with a brace or two of mallards, 

 without ever firing a shot, for in their eagerness to gobble 

 up the corn the birds waddled up to his feet, and all he 

 had to do was to stoop down and quietly seize a victim, when 

 it was easily transferred to his capacious pockets." * 



It might perhaps be supposed by many persons that 

 the facts here related were exaggerated ; but although 

 they constitute a very remarkable instance of tameness 

 in wildfowl, it does not follow that they may not be 

 strictly true. It is well known that the confidence 

 of wild creat ires of almost every sort can be won 

 over in a woi. derful way by the person who habitually 

 feeds them. Young wild ducks, reared by hand for 

 instance, frequently become as tame as domestic birds: 

 and many kinds of wild birds can be made perfectly 

 tame by daily supplying them with crumbs of bread 

 or other food. There used to be a man in Hyde Park 

 some few years since for example, who by feeding the 

 sparrows, got them to know him quite well, so that 

 they would even come and take crumbs from his 

 hand. 



As we know, in London and other large centres of 

 population bird life is quite abundant; and many kinds 

 of very wild birds find a secure haunt in its parks and 

 squares and on its ornamental waters. 



In all thickly populated countries at all events, aquatic 



* The Birds of the West of Scotland and the Outer Hebrides, by 

 Robt. Gray, 1871. (Article "The Wild Duck," p. 370). 



