108 
FRANK FORESTER'S FIELD SPORTS. 
u The young acquire the full plumage in the course of the 
first winter.’’— Audubon’s Birds of America. 
“ The common Wild Duck is found in every fresh water 
lake and river of the United States, in winter, spring, or au¬ 
tumn, but seldom frequents the sea shore or salt marshes. Their 
summer residence is the North, the great nursery of this nume¬ 
rous genus. Instances have been known of some solitary pairs 
breeding here in autumn ; in England these instances are more 
common. The nest is usually placed in the most solitary 
recesses of the marsh or bog, amidst coarse grass, reeds, and 
rushes; and generally contains from twelve to sixteen eggs, of 
a dull greenish-white. The young are led about by the mother 
in the same manner as those of the tame Duck, but with a 
superior caution, cunning, and watchful vigilance, peculiar to 
her situation. 
“ The male attaches himself to one female, as among other 
birds in their native state, and is the guardian and protector 
of her and her feeble brood. The Mallard is numerous in the 
rice fields of the Southern States during winter; many of the 
fields being covered with a few inches of water, and the 
soattered grains of the former harvest lying in abundance, the 
Ducks swim about and feed at pleasure. The flesh of the common 
Wild Duck is in general and high estimation, and the ingenuity 
of man, in every country where it frequents, has been employed 
in inventing stratagems to overreach these wary birds, and pro¬ 
cure a delicacy for the table. To enumerate all these various 
contrivances would far exceed our limits; a few, however, of 
the most simple and effective may be mentioned. In some 
ponds frequented by these birds, five or six wooden figures 
are painted so as to represent ducks, and sunk by pieces of lead 
nailed on the bottoms, so as to float at the usual depth on the 
surface, are anchored in a favorable position for being raked 
from a concealment of brush, etc., on shore. The appearance 
of these usually attracts passing flocks, which alight, and are 
shot down. Sometimes eight or ten of these painted wooden 
