216 
THE TWO-SPOTTED DUCK. 
When feeding, they are silent ; but when satiated, they often amuse 
themselves with various jabberings, swim about, approach each other, 
move their heads backward and forward, 'duck' in the water, 
tlirowing it up over their heads, shoot along its surface, half flying 
half running, and, in short, are quite playful v/hen in good humour 
On being surprised or alarmed, whether on shore or in the water, 
they spring up at once with a bound, rise obliquely to a considerable 
height, and fly off with speed, their hard-quilled wings whistling 
against the air. A¥hen in full flight their velocity is very great, 
being probably a hundred miles in the hour. Like other Ducks, they 
impel themselves by quickly-repeated flaps, without sailings or 
undulations. 
Soutliey, in his ^Doctor,' quotes a nursery book, in wliich 
the Duck, being asked whether it was better to be a wild 
creature, or to live under the protection and care and regu- 
lar government of man, thus very sensibly replies : — 
I was created to be one of the most privileged of God's creatures, 
born to the free enjoyment of three elements. My wings were to 
bear me whither I would through the sky, as change of season 
required change of climate for my well-being ; the waters were to 
aflford me pastime and food ; the earth repose and shelter. No bird 
more joyous, more active, more clever, or more delighting in clean- 
liness than I should be, if the society of man had not corrupted my 
instincts. Under your regular government my wings are rendered 
useless to me ; I waddle about the miserable precincts to which I am 
confined, and dabble in the dirt, and grope for garbage in your 
gutters. And see there are gi'een peas in the garden. 
True, O Duck ! and what a triumphant result of all that 
gutter-groping and garbage- eating is arrived at "when your 
delicious body, stuffed with sage and onions, is served up 
for the delectation of us unfeathered bipeds ! Surely the 
thought of this ought to reconcile you to the deprivation of 
liberty, and the enjoyment of your natural instincts. 
The Bimaculated, or Two-spotted Duck, which belongs 
to the same genus as the Mallard, is a bird of which only 
three specimens are recorded to have been taken in this 
country. It is said to reside principally in the northern 
parts of Asia ; a male, which was figured by Pennant, was 
taken in a decoy in 1771, and in 1812 a male and female 
were captured in the same manner near Maldon, in Essex, 
We need not particularly describe this bird ; the male has 
