220 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 



clothed with ivy, when a cheeping and rustling over- 

 head induced him to withdraw a few steps and stand 

 still. He had hardly done so when a wild duck flew out 

 of the ivy, some height up the tree, holding a young one 

 in her bill ; this she put down on the bank of the stream, 

 which was about a hundred yards from the tree, and 

 then, returning to the nest, conveyed the remainder, one 

 by one, in the same manner until thirteen were safely 

 placed on the bank. Here she brooded them for a 

 few minutes, and then with much apparent fondness led 

 them down the bank into the water, where they were 

 speedily darting about with the utmost liveliness. 



This incident clearly illustrates how the difficulty of 

 conveying the young from a height, or from a distance, 

 is overcome, and I have little doubt of its being the com- 

 mon practice. 



A large piece of water at Houghton, known as the 

 " Decoy," was many years ago used as such, and a great 

 number of wild ducks were annually captured there ; 

 but it has long fallen into disuse. 



In May, 1855, I accidentally met with the nest of the 

 Garganey (A. querquedula) in a small patch of furze, 

 at no great distance from water. I did not see the 

 birds, nor was I aware that they visited us. The nest 

 was formed of dry grass, with a thick lining of down, 

 and contained three addled eggs, and the broken shells 

 -of the others, which had been successfully hatched, their 

 buff colour and size rendering them readily distinguish- 

 able from any allied species. My identification of them 

 was confirmed by an experienced collector, who was with 

 me at the time. 



The Teal (A. crecca) is a constant winter visitor, 

 occurring rather numerously on Thoresby Lake. The 



