. Hours in my garden, and other nature-sketches. With 138 illus. Natural history. if the weather is severe, seeks the sea-shore, where it is to be seen foraging industriously for small molluscs, insects, and little fishes. The extension of draining, and the taking in of wet heaths and waste lands, has somewhat curtailed its numbers, but in some favourable dis- tricts it is still quite common. It is well worth notice, were it only for the fact that it is the bird from which all our common domesticated ducks are derived; and when we contrast it with them, we see once more how man, when he tames
. Hours in my garden, and other nature-sketches. With 138 illus. Natural history. if the weather is severe, seeks the sea-shore, where it is to be seen foraging industriously for small molluscs, insects, and little fishes. The extension of draining, and the taking in of wet heaths and waste lands, has somewhat curtailed its numbers, but in some favourable dis- tricts it is still quite common. It is well worth notice, were it only for the fact that it is the bird from which all our common domesticated ducks are derived; and when we contrast it with them, we see once more how man, when he tames and subdues the lower creatures to his own uses, at once improves and injures. The mallard is perhaps the swiftest in flight of all the ducks, making a peculiar whistling sound with its strong wing feathers as it goes, and, if suddenly dis- turbed, it rises up into the air, recovers itself suddenly, and is off. The common teal is one of the smallest of the ducks, very nimble and light in the water, and also very pretty, though hardly so hand- some as the pintail, but, unlike it, is very far from shy,. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Japp, Alexander H. (Alexander Hay), 1839-1905. New York, Macmillan & Co.
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Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookp, booksubjectnaturalhistory
