A First Glance at the Birds, 



purple, green, chestnut and white. Its 

 breeding habits are of unusual interest, 

 for whereas most ducks make their 

 nests on the ground in marsh-land, 

 the wood-duck repairs to a hollow 

 tree beside some stream to rear her 

 brood. 



I need only mention, in passing, some 

 of the more common species known to 

 every housewife and sportsman — the 

 red-head and the canvas-back, the blue- 

 and green-winged teal, the shoveller, the 

 pintail and the butterball. Then there 

 are the goldeneyes, the scaup ducks and 

 the scoters, these last being sea ducks, 

 which are seldom eaten. They feed 

 largely on mussels, swallowing them 

 whole, still I have never heard of one 

 dying of indigestion. 



During the migrating season flocks of 

 geese, flying in characteristic wedge- 

 shape lines, are familiar sights, and the 

 far-away, incessant calls of the birds may 

 be heard late into the night. Several 

 species are represented here, and also 

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