THE MALLARD. 
201 
October the same bird brought out a second brood 
of eleven. In an evil hour they strayed too far from 
the water. A tame raven met them on their travels, 
and killed every bird. 
At the close of the breeding season, the drake 
undergoes a very remarkable change of plumage : 
on viewing it, all speculation on the part of the 
ornithologist is utterly confounded ; for there is not 
the smallest clue afforded him, by which he may be 
enabled to trace out the cause of the strange phe- 
nomenon. To Him alone, who has ordered the 
ostrich to remain on the earth, and allowed the bat 
to range through the ethereal vault of heaven, is 
known why the drake, for a very short period of the 
year, should be so completely clothed in the raiment 
of the female, that it requires a keen and penetrating 
eye to distinguish the one from the other. About 
the 24?th of May, the breast and back of the drake 
exhibit the first appearance of a change of colour. 
In a few days after this, the curled feathers above 
the tail drop out, and grey feathers begin to appear 
amongst the lovely green plumage which surrounds 
the eyes. Every succeeding day now brings marks 
of rapid change. By the 23d of June scarcely one 
single green feather is to be seen on the head and 
neck of the bird. By the 6th of July every feather 
of the former brilliant plumage has made its disap- 
pearance, and the male has received a garb like that 
of the female, though of a somewhat darker tint* 
In the early part of August this new plumage begins 
to change gradually, and by the 10th of October 
the drake will appear again in all his rich magnifi- 
