16 DUSKY DUCK.
Lawrence, and is of not ïèss fréquent occurrence along the margins of
all our great lakes. It is even found on the Columbia River, ami 011
the streams of: the ttocky Mountain* ; but as l)r Hicharhsox hâ's not
mentioned Ms having tfbsorved it in Hudson's Bay or farther north, we
may suppose that it does not visit those Countries-. 1
On arriving in Labrador, on the 17 th June 1133, We found the Dusky
Ducks in the act of incubation, but for nearly a month after, met with
no young birds, which induced me to supposé that this species does
not'roach that country at so early a period as many others, but lingers
behind so aS'to he nearly four weeks later than some of them. At the
end iif' four w'eok's ¡ïffer oui- arrival, all the1 femaloif wo met with had
young'broods, Which they led about thé fresh-water ponds, and along
their rmirgiri's, ¡either in search of food, or to secure them from danger.
None of those broods cxWftlod seven oF'oight in number, and. at this
early period of their life, W© found them covered with long soft down
of a deep brown colour. When alarmed they would dive with great
celerity several times in succession, but soon'boeanie fatigued, made
for the shore, ran a few foot from the water, and squatted among the
grass, where they were easily caught either by sormw'wnr party, or by
the Gulls, which aïSW&antly on the look-out for: such dainty food.
At other timés, as sOO'n as thé mother apprehends diinger, she calls her
young around her, when the little' l!iings:'foriri themseBfési into a line
in lier wake, and carefully follow lier in all her movements;:-' If a Hawk
or a Gull make a plunge towards them, she utters a loud cry of alarm,
and then runs as it wèrifalong the surface of the water, when the young
diVe as quick as lightning, and do not rise 'again until they find themselves
among the weeds or the rocks along the shores. Whett they
thus dive, they "separate and pursue different directions, and on reaching
t i e land I f « close among the licrbago until assured, l>y the wellknown
volMr of their parent, that the danger is over. If they have
often been disturbed in one pond, 'their anxious mother leads them
overland to another : but she never, I believe, conducts thorn ft®! the
open sea, mil il they are able to fly. The young grow with remarkable
rapidity, for, by the middle of August, they almost equal their parents
in size ; and their apprehension of danger keeps pace with their growth,
for''at"the period of their southward migration, which t i e s place in
the beginning of September, they are às wild and as cunning as the
oldest and most experienced of their .species. Each brood migrates
DUSKY DUCK. 17
separately; and the old males, which abandoned the females when incubation
commenced, sot out in groups of eight or ten. Indeed, it is
not common to see birds of this species assemble in such flocks as their
relatives the Mallards, although they at times associate with almost
all the fresh-water Ducts.
The males, on leaving the females, join together in small bands,
and retire int«. the interior of the marshes, where they remain until
their moult is'itompleted. My':yotmg friend CooLfcooft brought me a
pair shot on the 4tli of July, in Labrador, in -so ragged a state that
very few feathers remained even on the wings. On his approaching
them, they .skimmed over the surface of the water with such rapidity,
that when shot at they-seemed as if Hying away. On examining
these individuals I found them to be steriley and I am of opinion that
those which are prolific moult at a later period, nature, thus giving
more protracted vigour to those which have charge of a young brood.
I think, Header, you will be of the same opinion, when I have told you,
that on the 5th of July I found some: • which had young, and which
were still in full plumage, and others, that were broodless, almost destitute
of feathers.
As many of- the nests found in Labrador differed from the one
mentioned abo^ey. j will give you an account of them. In several instances;
we found them imbedded in the deep moss, at the distance of
a few feet or yards from the water. They were composed of a great
quantity of dry grass and other vegetable substances; and the eggs were
always placed directly on this bed without the intervention of the
down and feathers,, which, however, surrounded-them, and which, as I
observed, the bird always uses to cover them when she is about to leave
the nest .for a time, Should she be deprived of her eggs, she goes in
search of a male, and lays another set; but unless a robbery of this
kind happens, she raises only a single brood in tho season. But although
this is the ease in Labrador, I was. assured that this species rears two
broods yearly in Texas, although, having been but a short time in that
country, I cannot vouch for the truth of this assertion. The eggs are
two inches and a quarter in length, one inch and five-eighths in
breadth, shaped like those of the domestic fowl, with a smooth surface,
and of a uniform yellowish-white colour, like that of ivory tarnished
by long exposure. The young, like those of the Mallard, acquire the
full beauty of their spring plumage: before the- season of reproduction
vbt. IV, "V B,