108 
MALLARD. 
posed, in its usual situation, of dried grass or the 
vegetable substances near, and is always warmly 
lined with the down from the parent bird. 
After the young have received complete first 
plumage, the whole again begin to congregate and 
to frequent at the time of rest some chosen piece of 
water or large morass, where they remain during 
the whole day, making excursions morning and 
evening to various feeding grounds. These differ 
according to the season ; a river, if near and at all 
secluded, is much frequented ; in autumn the fields 
of grain are flocked to at dark, and where the crop 
has been laid is selected for a spot to alight upon. 
Extensive holms or valleys are much frequented, 
particularly if water be in the vicinity, to which 
for a time they can retire after feeding. As twilight 
approaches they may be seen by the watcher, early 
in the night, coming from the points where he 
knows the daily resting-places are situate. They 
at first fly round in circles, gradually lowering and 
surveying the ground around ; but as the night 
advances, they fly straight to the spot and alight at 
once ; many years since, when wild ducks were 
much more abundant, we have shot them by watch- 
ing among the ripe grain. As the season advances, 
the stubble-fields arc selected, and more particularly 
if the ground is at all moist, or is liable to bo occa- 
sionally flooded and the water continues standing 
in the furrows ; in these situations they are able to 
find the grain, and by the sensibility of their bill- 
apparatus to separate it from the water and foreign 
