PIN-TIAL DUCK. 



It was my cousin the Teal 

 who said he was not born to 

 sing and look pretty flitting 

 among the trees, but was a 

 useful bird, born to be "done 

 brown" and look pretty in a dish. 

 Well, I am one of that kind, too. 



Pin-tail^ Sprig-tail, Sharp-tail, 

 Wafer Pheasant. I am known by 

 all of these names, though people 

 only use one at a time, I believe. 



You will find us Pin-tails 

 generally in fresh water. We 

 move in very large flocks, in 

 company with our cousins the 

 Mallards, feeding and traveling 

 with them for days. But when 

 it comes to flying we distance 

 them every time. Our flight is 

 rapid and graceful, the most 

 graceful, they say, of all the 

 Duck tribe. 



Instead of a song we have a 

 call note, a low plaintive whistle 

 which we repeat two or three 

 times. It is easily imitated, and 

 often, thinking a companion 

 calls us, we swim in the direction 

 of the sound, when '^bang" goes 

 a gun and over flops one or more 

 Pin- tails. 



We have other enemies beside 

 man, and have to keep a sharp 

 lookout all the time. Way up 

 north one day, a Fox stood on 

 the borders of a lake and 

 watched a flock of Ducks feeding 

 among the rushes. He was very 



hungry and the sight of them 

 made his mouth water. 



''How can I get one of those 

 fine, fat fellows for my dinner," 

 he muttered, and Mr. Fox, who 

 is very cunning, you know, 

 remained very quiet, while 

 he thought, and thought, and 

 thought. 



''Oh, I have it ! " he presently 

 exclaimed, and going to the 

 windward of the Ducks, set afloat 

 a lot of dead rushes or grass, 

 which drifted among the flock, 

 causing no alarm or suspicion 

 whatever. 



Then Mr. Fox, taking a bunch 

 of grass in his mouth, slipped 

 into the lake, and with nothing 

 but the tips of his ears and nose 

 above the water, drifted down 

 among the rushes and the Ducks, 

 too. 



Such a squawking as there 

 was, when Mr. Fox opened his 

 red mouth, seized the largest of 

 the flock, and with a chuckle 

 put back for the shore. 



"Hm ! " said he, after enjoying 

 his dinner, "what stupid things 

 Ducks are to be sure." 



A mean trick, wasn't it ? 

 Nobody but a Fox — or a man — 

 would have thought of such a 

 thing. I'd rather be an innocent 

 Duck than either of them though 

 my name is Pin-tail. Wouldn't 

 you ? 



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