TWO TEAL 229 



whether poacher or keeper, is immediately on their track. 

 And since these men know their breeding habits to be exactly 

 those of the mallard, his nest is the more easily found. The 

 situation of the nest varies a little ; for the gargle prefers 

 an inside grass-marsh or a wheat-marsh, preferring some 

 quiet spot by a water-dike, where she lays her nine or ten 

 eggs, and hatches off her young brood, which resemble 

 ordinary teal, taking them down to the ronds and reeds 

 by the water's edge as soon as they are hatched, decoying 

 them as does a mallard. Nor will you be likely to catch 

 sight of the youngsters until they are strong on the wing, 

 for they rarely venture out of the shadowy palisades of reed 

 before they have attained the dignity of " full flappers." 

 But when that day shall have arrived, you may see the 

 clutch feeding on the brackish broads, and the gunners 

 about sometimes shoot eight or nine out of the ten or twelve 

 that constitute the family. 



And when the herring-fleet begins to put to sea, the few 

 remaining gargles go away again, full of reminiscences of 

 eggers and gunners ; and the students of birds are left with 

 memories of rare visions of birds or nest. 



NESTING-PLACE OF TEAL AND SHOVELLER. 



