Water Fowl 
serious and absorbed, often distinctly reminis- 
cent, and even melancholy. 
Yet melody and merriment are not the only 
traits that make a bird commendable ; for there 
are times when the oriole’s song of triumph 
would be very incongruous with our own mood; 
and, as is often found in individuals far higher 
in the scale of life, reserve is not synonymous 
with apathy, and the most permanently attrac- 
tive aspects are not always those that lie upon 
the surface. And so, without the slightest fear 
of invalidating their peculiar claims to admira- 
tion, but with the conviction that the striking 
difference of the two groups will only serve to 
enlarge the scope of our enjoyment, we will 
readily admit that water fowl in general are lack- 
ing in the most conspicuous charms of our fa- 
vorite land birds. We would hardly think of 
making a pet of one of them, except, indeed, a 
piping plover, a sandpiper, or a tern. For, 
without the slightest trace of fierceness in their 
temper — barring a few species —their mood 
appears as wild and untamable as that of the 
birds of prey. In a word, our interest in them 
is quite unlike our interest in thrushes, warblers, 
and the like. And we should be thankful for 
_ this difference in their nature and effect upon 
47 
