apparently guards and sings to her. I 

 have known a pair of these birds to fin- 

 ish a nest in one day. This was placed 

 in a knothole in a mesquite stump, about 

 eight feet from the ground, and com- 

 posed entirely of deer hair." 



Not unlike the other flycatchers the 

 Ash-throated species is a songless bird. 

 Yet it has a voice. "Its notes are few, 

 loud and harsh, little varied and uttered 

 from time to time as they fly after an in- 

 sect from their accustomed perch." 



WHAT THE CHILDREN FOUND OUT ABOUT DUCKS. 



The children were all in their places 

 very promptly for dinner that day. 

 Father had been hunting, and they were 

 expecting to have ducks and jelly, with 

 Martha's good dressing, potatoes, and 

 peas in a first course. Martha brought in 

 the largest platter with three good-sized 

 ducks on it, fat, brown and done to a 

 turn. 



"What kind of ducks are these, 

 Father?" asked Ted. 



"Pin-tail. {Dalfila acuta.) You should 

 see them feeding in mud flats and 

 marshes near fresh water. When the 

 gunner comes near they give the alarm 

 in a noisy clattering note. They don't 

 disperse when frightened, as many ducks 

 do, but cluster together. They never 

 dive except when winged." 



"The wings are lovely. Mother is 

 going to put them on my hat" ; said 

 Edith. "The pale blue and brown, with 

 green edge is so odd and pretty." 



"Where do they live? I mean, what 

 parts of this country, and are they found 

 in others?" asked Dick. 



"They live in the whole northern part 

 of this continent and in similar latitudes 

 in Asia and Europe," said his father. 

 "What did you notice about the tail, 

 Ted ?" 



"It was dark brown, spotted with 

 white," said Ted. 



"Did you notice anything peculiar 

 about the feathers?" 



"Oh, I believe I did see two in the 

 middle longer than the others, and 

 ' slimmer too." 



"Yes," said his father. "Last April 

 I shot some Blue-winged Teal ducks 

 and sent to those invalids at cousin 

 Tom's, you remember. They're more 

 delicate than the 'Pin-tails,' and at the 

 first frost they hurry to the south. They 

 breed in the north and come to the cen- 

 tral states in September, and from the 

 south in April. But then they don't 

 stay long; they're on their way north." 



"What do they live on'?' asked Dick. 



"Mostly on vegetables ; the seeds of 

 reeds or wild oats." 



"Oh, they're the kind Don Alger told 

 me he saw so often down South. The 

 rice-fields were often under water, and 

 they feed on the rice. They're caught 

 in traps, hollow, and called 'Figure 

 four.' (Perhaps it's from the shape;)" 

 said Ted. "He saw colored boys stew- 

 ing them with rice, and putting them in 

 dry spots. Is their flesh better than 

 these ?" 



"Yes, it's considered so," said his 

 father, "but I would have to bring home 

 a number of them, for I find these going 

 so fast. Three ducks are hardly enough 

 for my family." his father said laughing, 

 as the waitress carried out the ermty 

 platter. 



"They're certainly fine," the boys said 

 in a hearty duet. 



Mrs. Rhodes Campbell. 



