34 The Natural History of British Ducks 
succeeded. Shovelers, Pochards, Red-crested Whistling ducks and Eiders may 
sometimes be induced to breed ; but, as a rule, they require an enclosure to 
themselves, and even various kinds of wild geese, such as the White-fronted, 
the Bean and the Bernicle, have been bred by Mr. St. Quintin and Mr. Cecil 
Smith. Canada geese will do well almost anywhere, and certainly one of the 
most interesting sights I have witnessed in England was at Melbury, Lord 
Ilchester's beautiful home in Dorset. Here the Canadians breed well, and 
there is usually a ' herd ' of from forty to fifty on the lake in front of the 
house. On a bell being rung these grand birds all leave the waters and come 
flying round the house, every bird * honking ' and calling his loudest. 
For the benefit of the reader who may at one time have kept summer- 
ducks and mandarins, and found it impossible to get them to breed, it may 
be well to expose a trick of the trade in these creatures, as practised in one 
institution, at least, that one would have thought absolutely above suspicion. 
Some years ago a certain Zoological Society in Europe became famous for its 
supply of these lovely birds. They were bred by hundreds in its grounds, 
and were sold for a high price, veritably like hot cakes. But of the many in 
this country who purchased pairs in the hope of breeding them as freely, not 
one succeeded ! More than one naturalist sought the explanation of this 
extraordinary failure, but without result until, one day, our ' Zoo ' in London 
procured a pair of mandarins from Japan and a pair of Wood Ducks from 
North America. Then did an observant man, who told me these facts, go to 
our Gardens in Regent's Park, and there he watched the newcomers carrying 
on their courtship in the customary fashion. This set his mind at work, for 
he had seen nothing like it amongst his birds from the ' X ' Society, none of 
which had shown any disposition to pair. So he at once killed one of his 
Wood Ducks ; and the secret was a mystery no longer. A skilled operator 
had been at work on all his birds before they had left the 'X' Zoo, and fer- 
tility had been rendered impossible ! Of course there were people who laughed 
at this as a very smart trick to obtain a monopoly ; but amongst Naturalists 
' smart tricks ' are not commonly approved of. 
