and prefer generally the shallow weed-covered ponds and edges of 

 creeks and lakes. Their food for the first two or three weeks con- 

 sists largely of the aquatic larvcz of insects or their developed im- 

 agoes, and this diet is shortly after abandoned in favor of the young 

 and tender shoots of water weeds. When fully grown they feed 

 in autumn upon beech nuts, acorns, etc., which they digest readily. 

 The old birds mate here already about the first part of March, and 

 commence to breed in captivity when they are one year old. During 

 the earlier part of that period, until the female commences to hatch, 

 they manifest many peculiarities by odd motions and curious calls, 

 in which they do not indulge at any other time. It is then a com- 

 mon occurrence to see the drake swimming about restlessly in open 

 water followed by the female, uttering all along a cackling noise 

 resembling that of a turkey-cock when strutting about the barn-yard. 

 The neck of the male is then stretched at its fullest length and the crest 

 of his head is well raised, while his wings make a grating noise, which 

 can be heard distinctly for several rods. All of these connubial 

 antics can however only be satisfactorily observed, when the birds 

 are without any suspicion of being watched. When domesticated 

 no change of these habits is noticed. 



Thus far Mr. Irwin details his own observations, taken in the 

 woods and in his breeding pen, and unbiased by any coloring from 

 accounts of any other writers. His experience in regard to the 

 Wood-Duck in particular is of value since he succeeded to raise suc- 

 cessive broods of that species for many years, amounting frequently 

 to thirty or more full-fledged young in one season. 



All of the various ducks he experimented with migrated south- 

 ward, if not maimed, each autumn, and returned infallibly with a male 

 mate, which remained until the female commenced to hatch, after 

 which he departed for parts unknown, never to return. The crosses 

 obtained with tame birds retained more or less their original plu- 

 mage, but excelled them in point of size and proclivity. 



It is to be regretted that the completion of a branch rail- 

 road from the main trunk of the Cross-Cut Railroad invaded this 

 secluded spot and ended these experiments, which had been con- 

 ducted so successfully for such a great length of time. They in- 

 dicate, in this instance, that the majority of our wild ducks are not 

 prone to change easily their former wild condition for that of per- 



