The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-30


er ,arly and late he is enjoying sport.
He steals off in the morning and OBJ
tains a bag, often before his neighbors
are out of bed. Again, in the evening,
he is flight shooting sheltered if posi-
Bile from the keen wintry blast, until
silhouetted against the western sky he
sees a thin line which warns him of the
approach of fowl travelling at perhaps
sixty miles an hour. Maybe they will
pass near his hiding place, if it be well
chosen and he may have time for a
double-barreled salute before the adj
vance guard sweeps away into the
darkness. Then he reloads the gun and
puts it at ease to await the next
chance. The various species of wild
fowl sought by the gunner may be set
down: as legion.
THE WILD DUCK.
The remark that ducks will live any
where, upon anything, is almost cor
rect We might call him omnivorous.
This more especially applies to the do
meSticated variety, which has a predi- .
lection for refuse and a shamefaced
love for anything too high for other
inhabitants of the farmyard. His wild
cousin is in most cases far more par
ticular. Indeed, unless in a starving
,aLhndition he is epicurean in his tastes.
\ Even as the canyaS-back duck, beloved
Nj the gourmet, obtains his distinctive
flavor from a diet of the delicious wild
celery, so the mallard wants one quality
of food-the best-and nearly always
contrives to get it. Succulent heritage.
seakale, molluscs, crfustacea, grain
berries and pulse form part of his bill
of fare. He fattenS on the Stubble
fields inland, and then flies to the ooze
beside river and estuary to plunge his
sensitive bill in the soft mud and distil
nourishment therefrom in the shape of
amphibious insect life. Compared with
the domestic bird, it is an instance of
Hyperion to a satyr. Domesticity has
infected the tame duck with a wadde
and dimmed his Iustre. At mating time,
when the wild variety puts on his brav-
est attire we have few American birds
to vie with him. His helm is of brill
liant metallic green. white gorget
parts his morton from the ruddy choco-
late of the breast, chestnut brown is
his mantle, and brilliant orange his legs
and feet He walks erect and with none
of the awkwardness of his tame rela-
ton. His sex is indicated by the four
lyred-shaped middle feathers of the TAIL
which curl upward and outward. A
somewhat curious chapter can be fileh-
ed from the book of nature upon the
counting of duck and drake. We put
him IN the second place because the
maid makes the wooing. She is sombre
of hue. while he, clad in all the glories
of color, remains to be approached
She sails round him uttering cooling
notes of love; while he, to all appear
ances Indifferent. acts the part of CO.
quette, avoiding her advances She re-
doubles her efforts, swimming round
him and occasionally lowers herself in
the water until only the head and neck
are visible Reciprocal feelings event
ually being established, the pair go
through series of seemingly concealed
figures. advancing. retiring, bowling
their heads and uttering notes of en-
dearment This is preliminary to the
construction of a nest, which is usually
placed in the midst of a tuft of ruShes,
in the hollow of an old tree stump. or
occasionally in a pollard tree, twenty
or more feet from the ground. This is
more especially the case when there are
many four-footed enemies about. The
drake takes no part in the nest-mak-
ing; all these duties are performed by
his mate. When the nest is finished
she lays from ten to twenty eggs.
usually about a dozen; and as soon as
she begins to sit pluckS the down from
her breast to prevent the eggs from
getting cold while she is away from the
nest, which she never leaves until
forced to do so by the pangs of hunger.
Even then she carefully conceals her
treasures by putting heritage over
them, as she may have to fly many
miles in search of food. The drake
does not assist the incubation in any
way He goes to his club with other
brakes, only occasionally flying around
overhead and quacking loudly. This
seems to be done less with an idea of
cheering her long vigil than of assuring
his anxious mate that he is all right
After twenty-eight days close sitting
the brown. downy brood matches out
delishting the maternal heart Strange
10 say, after all her solicitude she is
strangely lacking in prudence. She will
march her brood over long distances,
never looking behind her. until some
drop from exhaustion. Then, again
furred and filmed enemies devour them
in the water, and cats and other enc
mics on the land: indeed. it is wonder
how any of them survive.
THE. BRENT GOOSE.
The brent goose is the most common
and a general object of interest to the
lONleE. lie cdIl easily De
from other geese at a distance. the
beak. head and neck, breast, tail and
feet being deep black The back is
slate-gray. and upon each side of the
neck he has white patch. The fe-
male has similar plumage. Unlike other
geese. the brent never feeds on dry land
nor have we seen him on land. He
gathers his sustenance from the sea-
shore and in the eStuaries frequenting
the oOze and shallow water and col
lecting floatings seaweed. and more
especially seagrass. This latter is their
-favorite food and the presence of brent,
cor black geese, as they are often term
ed can at once be recognized while
other wild geese bite off wet grass as
II cut with pair of shears, the brent
n tears 1t up, eating the white part of
the root and throwing the other away.
Brent appear at seasons in thousands,
ana no matter how vigorous the gun
ming may be, it only renders them the
more wary, but does not drive the