WILD DUCK. NATATORES. ANAS. 307 



which more than two-thirds were of the present species. 

 WILSON, in his North American Ornithology, has described 

 several other modes of taking these birds that are in use in 

 that country, and mentions also that singular and ingenious 

 method adopted in India and China, where the sportsman, 

 covering his head with a calabash or wooden vessel, wades 

 into the water, and, keeping only his head thus masked above 

 it, advances towards and mixes with the flock, who feel no 

 alarm at what they look upon to be a mere floating calabash. 

 He is thus enabled to select his victims, whom he seizes by 

 the legs, and pulling them under water, fastens them to a girdle 

 with which he is equipped, thus carrying off as many as he 

 can stow away, without exciting distrust and alarm amongst 

 the survivors. The Wild Duck is widely distributed through 

 most of the temperate and arctic regions of the globe ; in 

 the former of which it is only a winter visitant, as the great 

 body of these birds retire even beyond our parallel of lati- 

 tude for the purposes of reproduction. In all the coun- 

 tries where it has been met with, its qualities for domestica- 

 tion seem to have been recognised and turned to advantage ; 

 and, though from long continuance of the breed in a state of 

 confinement, great variety in colour, size, &c. has been pro- 

 duced, the male bird constantly retains the peculiar specific 

 distinction of the curled feathers of the tail. In China and 

 other eastern countries, great numbers of ducks are hatched 

 by artificial means, by the eggs being placed in tiers in 

 boxes filled with sand, and subjected to the necessary de- 

 gree of heat, upon a floor of bricks. The ducklings are 

 fed at first with a mess composed of boiled craw-fish, or 

 crabs, cut in small pieces, and mixed with rice. In about a 

 fortnight they are able to shift for themselves, when they 

 are placed under the guidance of an old stepmother, who 

 leads them at stated times to feed, to and from the sampane 

 (or boat) in which they are kept, and which is moved about 

 by the owner to places likely to afford a plentiful supply of 

 food. In a natural state. Wild Ducks always pair, though 



