Slvei and Pond Ducks 



to the extra molt his plumage undergoes at the end of June, 

 when he actually loses the power of flight for a time and does 

 not regain his beautiful full plumage until the autumn. But cer- 

 tainly the character of the domesticated mallard must have sadly 

 deteriorated, if this is so, for in the barn-yard, at least, he is a 

 veritable Mormon. 



In a nest lined vi^ith dovi^n from her breast, and made of hay, 

 leaves, or any material that can be scraped together on the ground, 

 near the v^^ater or in a bushy field back from it, the mother con- 

 fines herself for tM^enty-eight days. It is then her gay cavalier 

 goes oflF to his club, or its equivalent, with other like-minded 

 pleasure-seekers, while she bears the full burden of the house- 

 hold. Very seldom does she leave the pale bluish or greenish 

 gray eggs — six to a dozen — to get food and a brief swim in the 

 lake ; and she is careful to pull the down coverlet well over the 

 eggs to retain their heat during her outings. As her incubating 

 duties near their end, she usually does not stir from the nest at 

 all. There are some few records of nests made in trees. If the 

 nest is near the water, on the ground, the young ones instantly 

 make for it when they leave the shell ; but being unable to walk 

 well at first, the overworked mother must carry them to it in her 

 bill, it is said, if the nest is far back on a bank. Many pathetic 

 stories are in circulation, showing the mother's total self-forgetful- ■ 

 ness and voluntary offering of her own life to protect the downy 

 brood. Water-rats and large pike, that eat her babies when they 

 make their earliest dives, are the worst enemies she has to fear 

 until they are able to fly, some six weeks or more after hatching, 

 and the duck-hawk finds them easy prey. 



The mallard is by far the most important species we have, 

 as it is the most plentiful, the most widely distributed, and the 

 best known, being the ancestor of the common domestic duck ; 

 and although many of its habits have undergone a change in the 

 poultry-yards, others may still be profitably studied there by 

 those unable to reach the inaccessible sloughs, bayous, and la- 

 goons where the wild ducks hide. 



96 



