The Pintail 



Pholo by the Author 



bird was flushed, turned out to be addled on account of undue exposure 

 to the sun. It is as important, evidently, that the downy coverlet — 

 invariably drawn over the eggs by a careful mother upon leaving — should 

 shield the eggs from a too ardent sun, as that, on colder days, it should 

 retain the exact degree of heat imparted by the sitting bird. 



The discovery of a brood of ducklings is no end of fun ; for the ele- 

 mental boy in us will give chase upon the instant. If the brood is young, 

 some of them will freeze on the spot, some of them will dive, and some will 

 make frantic efforts to escape through weeds or reeds. It looks at first 

 as though we could corral the whole bunch, but one minute later we count 

 it lucky if we have a single bird. The mother, meanwhile, has been having 

 successive spasms, in the effort, not always unavailing, to distract our 

 attention. Her legs are useless; both her wings are manifestly broken; 

 and as for meat, — why bother with a mere mouthful, when a whole help- 

 less duck is at hand? If the flock is half-grown, or such a matter, they 

 will escape at a terrific speed, while the resourceful mother arranges more 

 elaborate pantomimics. On a windy day near Los Banos, as we ap- 

 proached a certain pond, a brood of young Pintails set out through a 



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