FWIW, here's a link from my favorite "Is this true?" site, about.com's Urban Legends site (OK, so it's a rural legend. Or is it? Decide for yourselves)

http://search.about.com/fullsearch.htm?terms="beating+the+bounds"&ch=science&Action.x=9&Action.y=12

I guess this is gonna make the window W-I-D-E (sorry, wow)

Why a duck?