388 THE MALLARD. 



trivial causes of alarm. In this group the naturalist may see the 

 milk-white duck, and the duck in the real wild plumage, and others 

 of every intermediate * colour, now sporting and diving before them, 

 now retiring to the stranger flocks at a distance, and now rising with 

 them in the air at the close of day, to pursue in congregated num- 

 bers their journey through the heavens to those favourite places 

 which afford them a regular supply of food. 



In 1827, two males and three females made their appearance here, 

 and took up their permanent quarters with the domestic ducks. 

 They resembled the original wild breed in everything except in size. 

 You could barely perceive that they were a trifle larger, and that 

 was all. Hence I conclude that there must have been a shade of 

 the reclaimed duck in their parentage. Though shy at first, in time 

 they became surprisingly tame. One of the ducks singled out the 

 cook as an object worthy of its attention, and would steal into the 

 kitchen whenever an opportunity offered. The number is now re- 

 duced to one, the other four having disappeared at intervals. Fear- 

 ing that this last remaining bird might give me " the slip for ever," 

 I have taken the precaution to pinion him. The curtailing of his 

 flight will probably be the means of prolonging his existence ; for I 

 always conjectured that his companions had been surprised and 

 killed in their aberrations down the neighbouring brooks, where pro- 

 tection was not extended to them. 



The wild ducks which frequent this place may be observed to 

 catch insects on the water in the day-time ; but they do not in gene- 

 ral rove on land in quest of food, though once or twice, in moist and 

 heavy weather, I have seen them waddle through the pasture ; but I 

 marked the fact down as one of rare occurrence. When undisturbed, 

 they are seen to pass much of their time asleep on the ground. At 

 intervals they will take to the water ; and while some float on it, 

 with the head reclined on the shoulder, others will sport and dive 

 into the deep, and then return to land, and there arrange and preen 

 their feathers, though not with oil from the gland on the rump, as is 

 generally supposed. At the close of day they become exceedingly 

 vociferous, the voice of the female being much louder and more fre- 

 quent than that of the male ; a circumstance too notorious in the 

 human species. After this uproar of tongues has continued for a 



