over all the bank. You must be well hid- 



97 

 den to escape those bright eyes. The ducks 



understand crow and gull talk perfectly, ^ ZOild Duck 



and trust largely to these friendly sentinels. ^ 



The gulls scream and the crows caw all day 



long, and not a duck takes his head from 



under his wing ; but the instant either crow 



or gull utters his danger note, every duck is 



in the air and headed straight off shore. 



The constant watchfulness .of black ducks 



is perhaps the most remarkable thing about 



them. When feeding at night in some lonely 



marsh, or hidden away by day deep in the 



heart of the swamps, they never for a moment 



seem to lay aside their alertness, nor trust 



to their hiding places alone for protection. 



Even when lying fast asleep among the 



grasses with heads tucked under their wings, 



there is a nervous vigilance in their very 



attitudes, which suggests a sense of danger. 



Generally one has to content himself with 



studying them through a glass; but once I 



had a very good opportunity of watching 



them close at hand, of outwitting them, as it 



were, at their own game of hide-and-seek. It 



