CHANGES OF PLUMAGE. 7 



under water, holding by the bill to aquatic plants or 

 sea-weed till drowned. They cannot, they say, 

 otherwise account for losing 1 sight of their wounded 

 birds, as they often do. This idea is a fallacy, and 

 is to be accounted for by the fact of the cripple 

 having risen and dived at some spot towards which 

 their eyes were not at the moment directed, and so 

 crept away out of shot, or stolen to shore. Once near 

 the land, they have the cunning to remain motion- 

 less, with but the bill and eye above water ; at 

 such times every shelter is taken advantage of, 

 be it only a lump of floating weed, or tiny creek. 

 This cunning is of great service to a duck when with 

 young brood or eggs. At such times she will glide 

 softly from the nest, and remain with only the bill 

 above water in the neighbouring reeds and aquatic 

 plants ; or else, by diving and reappearing at a 

 distance, endeavour to decoy the intruder from her 

 precious charge. She will also drag along the water 

 as if wounded, and thus court a misleading pursuit. 



Nearly every mallard of the duck tribe assumes, 

 more or less, the modest colour of the female for a 

 short time before and during the breeding season, 

 does not regain his coloured plumage till September, 

 and is not finely clad till the .beginning of October. 



Even at a short distance, it is hard to tell the sex 

 of waterfowl during the summer months (in July 

 especially so), excepting the Wigeon and Gadwall, 

 which retain a patch of white or brown, as the case 

 may be, always more or less visible on the wing. 

 Some adult birds assume a more perfect plumage 

 than others in the winter. Duck and Wigeon do not 

 show much difference when once in mature feather ; 



