370 
THE DUCK. 
In Derbyshire, a gentleman’s gamekeeper observed a 
Wild-Duck fly out of a large oak, in which the year pre- 
ceding had been a Hawk’s nest. On examination, she was 
found to have laid two eggs in the old nest, completely 
repaired. 
Another instance occurred at Madeley, in Staffordshire. 
In this case, the Wild-Duck took possession of a Rook’s nest 
at the top of an oak-tree. The Drake was also seen to perch 
on a bough near her, and occasionally in her absence sat 
on the nest. 
This is not a solitary instance of birds usually building on 
the ground, giving an accidental preference to another and 
apparently unnatural situation. At Caistor, in Norfolk, a 
Bantam Hen was observed to fly into the branches of a 
spruce-fir, and take possession of a Wood-Pigeon’s nest, 
about fourteen feet from the ground; there she laid five 
eggs, and no doubt would have hatched her brood, had 
not the nest been unfortunately destroyed; neither would 
there have been any danger to the young ones, as it is a 
well-known fact, that chickens, soon after they are hatched, 
may fall from a height of several feet without sustaining 
any injury. 
In the preserves of the Zoological Gardens, in the Regent’s 
Park, London, we saw the nest of a Wild- Duck on the roof 
of a thatched cottage by the water-side. The keeper was 
ordered to keep a good look-out, in order to see how the 
young ones would contrive to reach the ground ; but they 
eluded his watchfulness by disappearing one morning, when 
he and his family were absent at church. It is, indeed, 
difficult to account for the exceptions to the accustomed 
habits of Wild-Ducks : we should suppose, that naturally 
they would prefer a convenient spot close to the water, and 
in such places their nests are usually built. Once, indeed, to 
our surprise, a nest was found in a patch of high grass, 
within a few feet of the spot where a boat was drawn up ; 
and either so closely had the Duck sat, or so cleverly had 
she timed her visits to and fro, that it was not till after 
