WATER-FOWL 129 



fence-building should be taken, as recommended in the chap- 

 ter on pheasants. 



The enclosure should support a good supply of grass and 

 a portion, at least, must be thickly planted with hardy 

 shrubs. Rhododendrons, mountain laurels, willows, etc., 

 are excellent. Bottomless boxes, with holes large enough to 

 admit a duck, may be placed here and there on the ground 

 in the shrubbery, for it is here that the birds will choose to ^ 

 lay their eggs. Most ducks, however, will make their nests 

 in the shelter of the leaves, rather than in boxes. 



For Wood and Mandarin Ducks, which in the wild state 

 lay their eggs in hollow trees or in similar positions, special 

 nests are best. In the New York Zoological Park, we have 

 had excellent results with boxes placed about three feet 

 above the water, a few feet from the shore. These boxes 

 are about eighteen inches in each dimension, with a hole 

 four inches in diameter, which is large enough to admit a 

 Wood Duck, but not an intrusive Mallard. It is necessary 

 to provide a runway for the bird and nesting material of 

 some sort, as of course the duck will not carry any. 



At the latitude and altitude of New York City, the hardier 

 ducks do not require shelter in winter. During very severe 

 weather, it may sometimes be necessary to erect a windbreak 

 of straw or brush, attached to a wooden frame. It is very 

 difficult to persuade water-fowl to enter a covered building 

 or shelter. In localities where the cold becomes extreme, 

 protection of some sort may be needed, and is best pro- 

 vided by means of low brush fences, floored with leaves or 

 straw. Constant feeding will accustom the birds to the 

 place, and soon they will learn to use it regularly. If the 

 pond is small, or the birds can be withdrawn into a smaller 

 portion, it is not difficult to drive them into an unheated 

 shed, where the nights can be passed. But it should be 

 borne in mind that any driving of diving ducks when the 



