XVI WILD AND LONG-TAILED DUCKS 149 



straw laid on the grass at a convenient distance from the nest, 

 which the old bird soon carries off, and makes use of. The 

 drakes, though they take no portion of the nesting labours, 

 appear to keep a careful watch near at hand during the time 

 the duck is sitting. The half-bred birds have a peculiarity in 

 common with the wild duck — which is, that they always pair, 

 each drake taking charge of only one duck — not, as is the case 

 with the tame ducks, taking to himself half a dozen wives. 

 The young, too, when first hatched, have a great deal of the 

 shyness of wild ducks, showing itself in a propensity to run off 

 and hide in any hole or corner that is at hand. When in full 

 plumage my drakes also have the beautifully-mottled feathers 

 above the wing which are so much used in fly-dressing. With 

 regard to the larder, the half-wild ducks are an improvement on 

 both the tame and wild, being superior to either in delicacy and 

 flavour. Their active and neat appearance, too, makes them a 

 much more ornamental object (as they walk about in search of 

 worms on the lawn or field) than a waddling, corpulent barn- 

 yard duck. 



There is a very pretty and elegant little duck, which is 

 common on our coast — the L:ng-tailed duck,^ Anas glacialis. 

 Its movements and actions are peculiarly graceful and amusing, 

 while its musical cry is quite unlike that of any other bird, 

 unless a slight resemblance to the trumpeting of the wild swan 

 may be traced in it. Lying concealed on the shore, I have often 

 watched these birds, as they swim along in small companies 

 within twenty yards of me ; the drake, with his gay plumage, 

 playing quaint antics round the more sad-coloured female — - 

 sometimes jerking himself half out of the water, at others diving 

 under her, and coming up on the other side. Sometimes, by a 

 common impulse, they all set off swimming in a circle after each 

 other with great rapidity, and uttering their curious cry, which 

 is peculiarly wild and pleasing. When feeding, these birds dive 

 constantly, remaining under water for a considerable time. 

 Turning up their tails, they dip under with a curious kind of 

 motion, one after the other, till the whole flock is under water. 

 They are not nearly so wild or shy as many other kinds of wild- 

 fowl, and are easily sh..t, though if only winged it is almost 

 impossible to catch them, even with the best retriever, so quickly 

 * Known in some places as the " Calloo," from the cry they utter. 



