68 Habit and Instinct. 



Cornish in his "Wild England of To-Day,"* states that 

 he saw one, " when the tide was low, and she was unable 

 to lead her brood to the sea, carry them on her back, each 

 duckling holding on by a feather, having, while she lay 

 down, climbed up and ensconced themselves with the 

 greatest care." The young are skilful swimmers. 



It would be interesting to know whether they take to 

 the water instinctively ; that is to say, whether the sight 

 of water is in itself a sufficient stimulus to cause them 

 to enter the water and swim. Mr. John Watson, on 

 the authority of a keeper of long experience, says f of 

 sheldrakes, that " the ducks, immediately they were 

 hatched, seemed to be able to smell the salt water, and 

 would cover miles to gain it." It would be of interest to 

 put this beyond question by direct observation. I have 

 not been able to experiment with ducks so fully as I 

 could wish. A brood of ducklings, hatched out under a 

 hen, which I watched some years ago, seemed to come to 

 the side of the pond by chance; they drank from the 

 water, and then some of them left it ; others waded further 

 in, dipping their breasts and head under, and then they 

 went further in and swam. Since the parent birds seem, 

 under natural conditions, to lead their young to the water, 

 it is not improbable that the instinctive tendency may not 

 have been ingrained in the congenital nature. But it is 

 a question which can only be answered by further direct 

 observation. 



The horned or Sclavonian grebe (Podicipes auritus) has 

 a protective habit or instinct which is worth noting. Mr. 

 Proctor, quoted by Yarrell,J shot one as it emerged after 

 diving, " and was surprised to see two young ones, which, 

 it seems, had been concealed beneath the wings of the 

 parent bird, drop upon the water. I afterwards shot 

 * P. 64. f "Nature and Woodcraft," p. 192. J Vol. iii. p. 414. 







