The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1900-04-07

The wild duck is apt t. be rather
quaint as a mother. She often seems
to have the most peculiar idea about
sites appropriate for The nursery. j.
IS practically an essential for the we'll
nelhg Of her babies th@t TIL nuvacgy
should be close to the waters side, for
the little ones like to take to the water
as soon as Matched. They have small
u3e for the land except to rest on, and
they are rather restless. The water
Is their element. and yet the old mother
duck will sometimes choose for her
nesting place a spot remote by more
lhan 100 yards from any water. some
times she will ever choose the humble,
but yet considerable, height OF a pollard
WiIIow,a how she conveys her young
brood from these situations to the wat
or IS one OF those problems OF natural
history which, like the cuckoo's way OF
conveying her 2 into a wren's nest,
Will probably so on veXing till the end
0f time. There are theories in plenty.
put no certainty. And often she will
make her nest or lay her eggs (for her
notions of nest architecture are Drimi-
tlVe) In a spot that seems specially Sc
lected Tor its absence OF covert. And
yet no one can say that she Is not an
atfectionate. even an over-anxious.
mother. When you come near her
nest and startle her off It. she does
not so away. as a wise woman would,
stealthily, secretly, so as not to reveal
to you its existence, but with a 1utter
ana a commOtiOn and often with an
alLectation Of a broken wing Gas If to
lead you off in pursuit OF her, rather
than leave you looking for her eggsl,
that tells you as plainly as If she had
qlacked it out; II have a nest there;
please do not go looking for it; but
come and catch me; | have a broken
wing. She has a charming Idea of
human simplicity. She has only too
many reasons for her o~yer-anxiety. 1t
is quite pitiful. She is a pitiful OBJ
ject herself, as she goes about in her
lame and incompetent fashion. But
the real dangers that menace her
young family are many and terrible.
On shore, as soon as Matched, or even
while still in the shell, they are the
most attractive prey Of rats, both gray
rats and water moles, and no sooner
DO they take to the water than a hun
cry pike is looking out to gobble them
up, or a heron, ostensibly bent on fish
ing, is not at all above skewering one
of them on his bayonet beak, il it
should come his way. So all these ade-
quate causes for most poignant anxiety
more than excuse Mother Duck for her
fussiness, even if there be no excuse
for her habit of pitching her nursery
tent in sites hat really are not very
eligible. But this mother has chosen
a fairly secluded spot. For the most
part she will be found sitting closely,
if she be approached with caution, or
else will move just a foot or SO from
her nest, and remain watching jeal-
ously, lest her eggs take any harm.
And close beside her in the same o V
ert is Mother Pheasant on her nest less
suspicious and more trustful, for she
is something of a domesticated person,
having been brought up under a barn
door hen. and so learned the way Of
civilization. If the wild duck mother
could learn only a portion Of her trust
f~ulness, she would be a more contented
woman.-Country Life.