60 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



perhaps because he not only had his body feathers plucked, 

 but the quills were pulled out of one of his wings. This 

 latter was to prevent his being able to disappear as had his 

 fellows. Picking ceased, however, about the first of Octo- 

 ber, for fowls must have an abundance of warm feathers 

 during the cold Iowa winters. 



When the wild ducks came trooping southward from the 

 nesting grounds of northern Iowa and Minnesota, Johnnie 

 often flopped his wings and tried in vain to join them ; but 

 it was of no avail, for no bird can fly with one full wing 

 and the other plucked. 



By the time he had grown wing feathers the ducks had 

 long since ceased passing over, so he settled down with more 

 or less content for the winter. By spring every one took 

 it for granted that Johnnie was fully domesticated, and he 

 seemed to share the general opinion. At least he seemed 

 contented to stay with the flock that spring and summer, 

 and for that matter the next fall and winter. No one 

 thought of keeping his wings plucked any more. But 

 Johnnie brooded over his troubles every time he was picked, 

 and finally he began to lead the flock to the brook that ran 

 past the wild grape arbor and the crabapple thicket. No 

 one thought much of this, for it was the custom of the 

 farmstead to pen the ducks every night during laying sea- 

 son and not to give them their liberty until eight- or nine- 

 o'clock the next morning, by which time all the eggs were 

 laid. The rest of the day they were allowed to run at will, 

 for the mistress believed that ducks always do better if 

 they are allowed to swim and feed in the water at least a 

 part of the day, especially during the breeding season. 

 Johnnie became still more resentful when one day, as 

 a result of his leading the flock to Wymore's Branch, a 



