INDIAN DUCKS AND THEIR ALLIES. 57& 



select a suitable spot, for choice a natural breeding place of the duck, 

 and construct neat burrows, slanting at the right angle and wide 

 and deep enough to please the bird, yet not deep enough to balk their 

 own desires. Left to itself the bird would as soon build in a 14-foot 

 as in a 4-foot burrow, but it would be impossible to tackle many of the 

 former and yet make money out of the collecting of the eggs and down? 

 so the artificial burrows are made of about the latter depth. As soon 

 as the eggs are laid the nests are rifled and the down and eggs taken 

 away, whereupon the ducks once more reline their nests, not so well or 

 thoroughly of course as they did their first, and lay a second clutch of 

 eggs which they are allowed to hatch and rear in peace. 



Normally they are said to lay from 8 to 16 eggs, but should the first 

 clutch be taken they lay another and in this way the number may reach 

 as much or more than thirty. 



Hume says: " The eggs vary a great deal in shape, some are very 

 round, some only moderately broad ovals. In texture the shell is very 

 close and smooth, very like that of the nukhta's egg. In colour they 

 vary from very nearly pure white to a pale cream-colour sometimes, 

 shewing the greenish tinge of the mallard's egg.^ 



" In length they vary from 2*45 to 2*75 and in breadth from 1*75 to 

 1-95." 



"The young are hatched in from twenty-eight to thirty days, and are 

 immediately led to the sea by the old ones." 



Morris ("British Birds and their Eggs," III, p. 73) writes : " The eggs- 

 are ten or twelve, or even more, it is said thirteen or fourteen or even 

 sixteen in number ; but these in such cases may have been the produce 

 of two birds. They are nearly perfectly white, having only a very faint 

 tinge of green, and are smooth and shining. They are equally rounded 

 at both ends." 



" The hen bird sits, as is believed, from abouty twenty-six to thirty 

 days, her mate keeping watch hard by and taking her place in the 

 morning and evening while she picks up some food." 



u The young, when hatched, are either carried by their parents in 

 their bills to the water, or soon make their way thither themselves. 

 They hide themselves away at the approach of danger, the old birds 

 conscious no doubt that they are able thus best to find security^ flying 

 off themselves." 



