THE MALLARD. at 
pushing their fortunes in the’ broad bay. As I advanced 
they took wing, which undeceived me, and I brought 
them down. They proved to be an adult male and 
female. From this circumstance I was led to suppose 
that they had bred in the neighborhood. I made a dili- 
gent search, and offered a sufficient bounty to induce 
others to search with me—but neither nest nor young 
could be found. Probably when migrating, they were 
shot at and so badly wounded as to be unable to perform 
their fatiguing journey, perhaps miles apart, and per- 
chance only found companions in each other a short 
time before I shot them.” 
When the young birds are about three-fourths grown, 
and not as yet fully fledged or able to fly strongly, at 
which age they are termed jlappers, they afford excellent 
sport over water-spaniels, when they are abundant in 
large reed beds along the brink of ponds and rivers. 
When full grown, moreover, when they frequent parts 
of the country where the streams are narrow and wind- 
ing, great sport can be had with them at times, by 
walking about twenty yards wide of the brink and as 
many in advance of an attendant, who should follow all 
the windings of the water and flush the birds, which 
springing wide of him will so be brought within easy 
range of the gun. 
The Mallard is wonderfully quick-sighted and sharp 
of hearing, so that it is exceedingly difficult to stalk him 
from the shore, especially by a person coming down 
