BIRDS OF PEASEMARSH 



ready to leave the nest the young would have 

 to scramble up and fall over the edge, or else 

 be carried out in the mother's bill. The story 

 of an early settler here comes to mind. Work- 

 ing in the bush near a stream he sat down for 

 his noon-day lunch and presently discovered 

 that just in front of him was a Woodduck tree 

 and that the mother bird was carrying her off- 

 spring one after the other out of the tree to the 

 side of the stream beyond. This shows that 

 Woodduck nest boxes should be not far from 

 a pond or stream to be suitable, for the duck- 

 lings must be taken to the water while they 

 are still small. 



In writing of this bird Coues says, "The 

 spring shooting on its breeding ground has 

 made it rare in many places where it was once 



common." 



And Mcllwraith in his "Birds of Ontario," 

 says, "Owing to their great beauty these birds 

 are much sought after by all classes of sports- 

 men and are now seldom seen, except in re- 

 tired ponds and marshes where they breed." 



Wild Ducks have been frequently domesti- 

 cated. An instance is mentioned by Baird 

 where wild ducklings taken when young were 

 [144] 



