108 FRANK forester's FIELD SPORTS. 



" The young acquire the full plumage in the course of the 

 first winter." — Audubon^ s Birds of America. 



" The common Wild Duck is found in every fresh water 

 lake and river of the United States, in winter, spring, or au- 

 tumn, but seldom frequents the sea shore or salt marshes. Their 

 summer residence is the North, the great nursery of this nume- 

 rous genus. Instances have been known of some solitary pairs 

 breeding here in autumn ; in England these instances are more 

 common. The nest is usually placed in the most solitary 

 recesses of the marsh or bog, amidst coarse grass, reeds, and 

 rushes ; and generally contains from twelve to sixteen eggs, of 

 a dull greenish-white. The young are led about by the mother 

 in the same manner as those of the tame Duck, but with a 

 superior caution, cunning, and watchful vigilance, peculiar to 

 her situation. 



" The male attaches himself to one female, as among other 

 birds in their native state, and is the guardian and protector 

 of her and her feeble brood. The Mallard is numerous in the 

 rice fields of the Southern States during winter ; many of the 

 fields being covered with a few inches of water, and the 

 soattered grains of the former harvest lying in abundance, the 

 Ducks swim about and feed at pleasure. The flesh of the common 

 Wild Duck is in general and high estimation, and the ingenuity 

 of man, in every country where it frequents, has been employed 

 in inventing stratagems to overreach these wary birds, and pro- 

 cure a delicacy for the table. To enumerate all these various 

 contrivances would far exceed our limits ; a few, however, of 

 the most simple and effective may be mentioned. In some 

 ponds frequented by these birds, five or six wooden figures 

 are painted so as to represent ducks, and sunk by pieces of lead 

 nailed on the bottoms, so as to float at the usual depth on the 

 surface, are anchored in a favorable position for being raked 

 from a concealment of brush, etc., on shore. The appearance 

 of these usually attracts passing flocks, which alight, and are 

 shot down. Sometimes eight or ten of these painted wooden 



