Birds Ducks 
them in her bill. Her devotion to her brood is full 
of self-sacrifice; it is fully six weeks before the young 
develop wings to fly, and meanwhile she has many 
enemies to fight. The mink, otter, large fish, like 
the pike, and hawks, all prey upon these ducklings. 
In August and September the families of a region 
unite and come southward in flocks, where they 
visit our grassy ponds and sluggish streams, or 
reedy marshes around lakes, where they feed on the 
seeds of wild rice and rushes. In the winter they 
stay from the Chesapeake Bay southward to Central 
America. 
The most beautiful of our wild ducks, which have 
been domesticated for parks and ponds, is the Wood- 
duck. Its colors are brilliant and-beautiful. It has 
a bonnet of irridescent purple and green, white 
throat and chestnut breast spotted with white. 
Its wings are glossed with purple and green and 
tipped with white. These birds nest in the United 
States, and have a most peculiar habit of building 
their nests in holes in trees, usually taking a hole 
already made by woodpecker or owl. They can 
also walk about on the branches of trees, although 
their feet are webbed. Their note is musical, and 
not. a “quack.” 
The Mandarin duck is a near relative to the 
Wood-duck. It lives in eastern. Asia. Both the 
Mandarin and Wood-duck have been domesticated 
and may be purchased of dealers; but with both of 
these species it is necessary to consult the tastes of 
the individuals in mating. It has to be a love-match 
with these birds, and the two remain paired for life; 
usually if one is lost the other remains single. Ifa 
pairis kept isolated the two will rear their own brcod; 
but they must have opportunity for perching, and 
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