WATER FOWL. 421 



resembling an eye ; the Sheldrake, with the bill of 

 a bright red, and swelling into a knob ; the Mal- 

 lard, which is the stock from whence our tame 

 breed has probably been produced ; the Pintail, 

 with the two middle feathers of the tail three 

 inches longer than the rest; the Pochard, with 

 the head and neck of a bright bay ; the Widgeon, 

 with a lead-coloured bill, and the plumage of the 

 back marked with narrow black and white un- 

 dulated lines, but best known by its whistling 

 sound ; lastly, the Teal, which is the smallest of 

 this kind, with the bill black, the head and upper 

 part of the neck of a bright bay. These are the 

 most common birds of the duck kind among our- 

 selves ; but who can describe the amazing variety 

 of this tribe, if he extends his view to the differ- 

 ent quarters of the world? The most noted of 

 the foreign tribe are, the Muscovy Duck, or, 

 more properly speaking, the Musk Duck, so called 

 from a supposed musky smell, with naked skin 

 round the eyes, and which is a native of Africa. 

 The Brasilian Duck, that is of the size of a goose, 

 all over black, except the tips of the wings. The 

 American Wood Duck, with a variety of beautiful 

 colours, and a plume of feathers that falls from 

 the back of the head like a friar's cowl. These, 

 and twenty others, might be added, were increas- 

 ing the number of names the way to enlarge the 

 sphere of our comprehension. 



All these live in the manner of our domestic 

 ducks, keeping together in flocks in the winter, 

 and flying in pairs in summer, bringing up their 

 young by the water side, and leading them to 



