he size of the piece of water you own
and the amount of food it can supply to your birds. If your stock is too
large, your birds will do a lot of harm to the meadows adjoining the
water, and you must bear in mind that the possession of the goodwill of
the farmers round is the second secret of success. Ensure this, and you
don't get eggs stolen, and, better still, you are informed of the
whereabouts of any truant ducks that may be nesting away from home.

A present of a couple of fat wild ducks will cover a multitude of their
sins.

LAYING AND SITTING

[Illustration: _W.L. Colls. Ph. Sc._

"_On Guard._"]

CHAPTER II

LAYING AND SITTING

We now come to the time when the ducks, having paired, show an
inclination to look for suitable nesting places. The drake takes the
lead in this, and you may be sure that when you see birds peering about
in hedge bottoms, stick heaps, &c., that eggs will soon be laid.

At this time, too, they use a different note, and to quote a very apt
term used by a friend of mine, they "begin to talk." About the beginning
of February it is advisable to hint to the ducks where you want them to
lay. If you have any large trees in your paddock, place a number of
sticks up against the trees in the form of a circle, leaving one or two
clear spaces inside the heap. Then make some circular holes, one in each
of the spaces, and about five or six inches deep, and shelving gradually
from rim to centre. It is best to scatter some sand in these holes, so
that the birds can more easily work the nests to the dimensions that
suit them. Don't make the nests too small or too shallow, as they may
have to contain fourteen or fifteen eggs. It is advisable to put some
short dry grass or old hay near the nest, and a very little in it, so
that the duck can manipulate it at her pleasure.

The principal thing to remember is, that the nest must be sheltered as
much as possible from draughts, and be made well in the middle of the
cover, as ducks like darkness when they are sitting. Broom is about the
best cover you can use for sheltering a nest, and is most adaptable.
Practical experience, and one's early failures, teach one more than
anything else how a nest should be made, and yet often when you are
satisfied that you have selected a most suitable spot for nesting
purposes, you will find a duck occasionally preferring a miserably
draughty position for her nest within a yard of the snug retreat you
ha