The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-04-25
ABOUT SOME WILD DUCKS.
How the soft Down OF tho Elder Duck IL
Secured Away Up la tho North
lsnd--How Little Duckiings
Are First Taught.

~ WIG No"h htaA kIo"r upun INC uIthnN
OF the cider duck. IL Is said that one
handful. grasped from quantity OF
this down, will make well-stuffed
baby quilt five feet square. although
tho weight OF the down Is less than
half IN ounce.
In building their nests the elder
ducks use bits OF sea grass. twigs and
whatever else Is available for the walls.
This they plaster on the inside with
clay. so as 70 make the nest air-tight.
A layer Of the finest grasses. feathers
and other soft materials then covers
the clay and last the female plucks
from her own breast the delicate down
with which 10 finish the home for her
ducklings. This down Is so valuable
that the natives of Labrador. Splits
bergen and other far northern countries
make IA great part OF their income by
stealing the down from the nests OF
the elder ducks.
They watch the BODYBUILDING OF tho
ducks and note the laying OF the eggs
from day 10 day. When about the
compliment OF eggs has been deposited
these rascaily pirates pounee down and
steal both eggs and down. Then the
ducks proceed To repair damages. The
female Is now obliged "a denude her
breast In order Ia get down enough TO
line her nest Then when more eggs
are laid. the pirates make their cruel
visit again. The patient ducks try IL
once more. but this time the drake
has To supply the down.
When the pirates have for the third
time committed their robbery the poor
ducks abandon the place and disappear.
Whether they at last comprehend
the trouble. or whether the vanity OF
tho drake leads him To draw the liner
at the loss Of half his down. is some
thing We have yet 10 learn. IL must
be- said for the elder drake. however.
that he Is "a good and faithful husband.
~ nearly all brakes arc In their wild
state. Instances are cited by natural
lists wherein the same pair OF ducks
for twenty years raised their broods In
the same place.
The nesting habits Of nearly all the
other wild ducks OF our country are
similar 10 those OF the elder The
ducklings are born in the spring In
cold regions, and when the time comes
10 migrate southwark the young ones
lre as good flyers as the parents. The
Joung ducks are taught 10 eat as soon
As they leave the shell, and little
later the mother teaches them 10 swim
and dive.
This Is the way she gives the first
ones 10 get on her back as you may
have seen young chickens get ON the
back Of the old hen. Then she wad-
dies into the water, swims out little
way and suddenly dives leaving the
ducklings 20 paddle their own canoe.
But the mother does not go far away.
She comes 10 the surface quickly and
anxiously watches the result OF the first
swimming lesson. As ducks are natu-
raj swimmers the little quackers at
once become as fond OF the water az
child Of candy
The diving lesson comes next The
mother will dive and try 20 induce the
youngsters 20 follow her. II they
won't do II she gets behind them and
'tilts them up. so that their heads
60 under. then. like the average boy.
they are just crazy 20 dive when they
find how easy IL is
All ducks are good divers. but when
In hocks on the water they always pre-
fer TO escape danger by flying. But
stray ducks that have been detached
from hocks will generally dive In pref
erence 10 Aging. la order 10 escape the
gunner. Some OF the ducks found ON
our lakes and rivers are such expert
divers that they avoid the shots OF the
best marksmen. IL Is thought that
they understand what the flash of a
sun means, and they are so quick that
they get under the surface OF the water
before the lead reaches them. The
only way the gunner can get chance
at these divers Is 90 fire one shot 90
make the duck dive and then be ready
with another the instant that the game
shows above the surface.
The canvas-back and the mallards
are the best known among the edible
ducks OF our country and the mallard
IA recognized as the progenitor OF our
domestic duck. The latter. however
IL "a rather ignoble defendant Of noble
ancestors While the wild duck lives
largely on roots and grains. there Is
nothing too filthy for the domestic de-
scendnnt. Refuse that n pig would
disdain 20 touch will be gobbled by "A
tame duck as n Il were the most deli
cate morsel.
In their family rotations they are ex-
tremely remiss. Tho drake Is faith
less husband, pulled up with self-con-
ceit. and utterly indifferent 10 his
spouse Ia nesting thine and 10 the duck
lings when they appear. And the wife
u not much better than the husband.