THE MALLARD. 199 
quest of food, though once or twice, in moist and 
heavy weather, I have seen them waddle through 
the pasture ; but I marked the fact down as one of 
rare occurrence. When undisturbed, they are seen 
to pass much of their time asleep on the ground. 
At intervals they will take to the water ; and while 
some float on it, with the head reclined on the 
shoulder, others will sport and dive into the deep, and 
then return to land, and there arrange and preen their 
feathers, though not with oil from the gland on the 
rump, as is generally supposed. At the close of 
day they become exceedingly vociferous, the voice 
of the female being much louder and more frequent 
than that of the male ; a circumstance too notorious 
in the human species. After this uproar of tongues 
has continued for a certain time, they rise on rapid 
wing in detached flocks, and, to a bird, they go away 
for the night. At early dawn they return in com- 
panies, consisting of fifteen or twenty birds, and 
stay here, to pass the day in peace and quiet. When 
the water is frozen over, they sometimes huddle to- 
gether on the ice^ and at other times collect in one 
large flock in the adjacent pasture. Every now and 
then a peregrine falcon makes his appearance, and 
perches on a neighbouring sycamore tree. We know 
of his approach by the singular agitation which takes 
place amongst the ducks ; they shake their wings 
with a tremulous noise, and get into a compact 
group. After this they all rise in the air ; and then 
you may see the falcon dash at an outside duck with 
an almost inconceivable velocity, 
o 4? 
