HEROIC MOTHER DUCK.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 272, 16 November 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

HEROIC MOTHER DUCK.

_ Someone in Scotland saw a strange I sight on one of the lochs in Argyllshire recently. A wild duck was swimming proudly at the head of her seven young ones, all in single file, when a black-back gull, known as the sea-hawk, suddenly swooped down and made off with one of the ducklings. .This it did five times. On its sjxtli swoop it found no babies, for the remaining two were tucked under their mother's wings, but it found something it did not at all expect; it found A Tartar, For the mother duck seized the inauraijding gull by the nepk and held the gull's .head under water until it was drowned. Then, with her two babies jn her wake, the mother duck swam away, wagging her tail, as we}} she might. A similar incident on a jmich less heroic scale happened by the Jake in Richmond Park, A wild duck and her brood were picking up food thrown to them by passers-by when some sparrows dashed in and seized }t, Two of them were seized by the mother duck and dragged into thg lake, where she held thejn down and drowned them oije by one. Soon afterwards a puppy came gambolling up, and th 9 resourceful mother had fresh tactics with wljich to meet this new danger* With a, great quacking she ran off, trailing one of her wings on the ground, Thinking her wounded, the puppy sprang after her, leaving the ducklings in safety. The mother duck titan turned upon him and gave hinj gopje sharp blows' on tlje nose wifih' sent him sQWttlipg hack _,tp his njajster. The chairman (finishing up eulogistic speech): Oijr dear old friend here h a 3 Uved amongst us for forty years, is living with us new, and, as he says, fiope§ to Jive amongst us for many years o eome. Gentlemen, I can only add «hat -we are all looking forward to burying hug. here. •