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their quaint ways in the courting season, make them very

interesting pets. The drakes go into a very complete eclipse as

soon as the ducks begin to sit. The pistachio green patch on the

nape, the cream white breast, and the snowy neck and scapulars

all being exchanged for a suit of sables. But almost as soon as

the summer plumage is completed the change begins again, and

white feathers begin to show here and there, and the complete

black dress is worn for a very short period. Of course the above

moults only affect the body feathers ; the flights and tail being

shed in the autumn only. It is wonderful how rapidly these

feathers are thrown. If the birds are in good condition, they will

cast all their flights in twenty-four hours, and they are very

quickly regained.


Unlike the other Diving Ducks, Eiders use their wings

vigorously when diving, to force themselves under, and to guide

themselves when beneath the surface.


All my Eider Ducks, while incubating, have sat steadily

through the whole twenty-eight days without coming off. I used

to be much concerned about my first old duck, when she

remained on her nest so long ; and I used to provide her with

food and water within her reach, until I was satisfied that she

never touched them. She became quite grown over by a mass

of chickweed in the bed of pampas grass in which she annually

made her nest.


I do not know if in the wild state Eiders are an exception

to the rule prevailing amongst other incubating ducks, of coming

off once in the twenty-four hours to wash and feed. It might

easily be ascertained at the Fame Islands for instance. If it is

so, it seems hard to account for the habit.



MIMICRY BY BIRDS IN A WILD STATE.


By O. E. Cressweee.


It has often seemed to me an interesting question how far

birds, which in captivity become imitative, are so in a wild state.

Probably some members of the Society have sojourned in the

lands of Parrots and Parrakeets, and might give us instances of

their exercising their powers of mimicry without being induced

to do so by the associations of captivity. There are, however,

enough potential mimics among our own birds for it to be worth

while noting instances, and I fancy that far more species of

British birds have these imitative powers than are generally

credited with them. Two undoubted instances are within my



