190 WILD-FOWL AND SEA-FOWL OF GREAT BRITAIN 



water, or from some of the lonely creeks, to feed 

 in the vicinity of fresh water, if it is within a few 

 miles of them. The only motive the Mallards have 

 for resting on open water, or in lonely bays and 

 creeks, is the wish for safety. If they can find a 

 secluded pool inland, they drop down and rest ; that 

 is why decoys are constructed. Ducks are keen- 

 eyed and keen-nosed, their smelling powers are as 

 keen as their eyesight. Some who have perhaps 

 scarcely seen a Wild Duck have questioned this, 

 but let that pass. 



The ducks having found out such a nice piece 

 of water, they frequent it ; and not only that, 

 they find food also, and of a delicious quality, 

 with ducks exactly like themselves to show them 

 where it is, and to make friends with them. How 

 very nice! When they "raise" from the 'coy 

 voluntarily in the evening, they tell others in their 

 duck language what a fine resting-place they have 

 found, and they bring these with them until a good 

 " lead " is established. That is in the day-time. The 

 pond is full of fowl, some of them swimming, some 

 on the gently-sloping turf-banks trimming their 

 feathers. Now is the time for what one of our old 

 marsh-trotting friends used to call " a little bit of 

 obfuscation " (deceit). The fowl have not for some 

 reason found the nice food, only little bits of it 

 left behind, what to them looks like from yesterday. 

 But their friends, the ducks whom they had found 

 on the water the first time they pitched, evidently 

 expect to find some, for they swim towards the 



