i68 NATURE STUDY BY GRADES 



Is its color any protection? Describe its beak and the uses 

 made of it. Show how it strains its food from the mud in 

 which it is obtained. Consider the feathers and how they 

 are kept oiled; the strength of the wings and the rapid 

 flight; the food-getting habit; the nesting and rearing of 

 the young; its noisy flight and annual migrations; its dis- 

 position and gregarious habits, and the ease with which it 

 may be domesticated. 



Consider also the game law as related to the duck, and 

 account for the provisions it contains. Tell about hunting 

 ducks. How may they be reared in a profitable way? 

 Relate anecdotes about ducks. 



LESSON XLI 

 FOOD AREAS MARSH BIRDS 



What is a characteristic of most birds that get a living 

 in shallow waters? Why are they often called waders? 

 Make a list of all the waders that the pupils have seen or 

 can mention. Describe their feet. Their long and wide- 

 spread toes are adapted to what purpose? Compare the 

 length of their necks to those of water birds, or swimmers, 

 and harmonize each with the needs of their respective owners. 

 What do the long, sharp bills of most of them tell us about 

 the food that they subsist upon? 



The blue heron is found in our marshes and river bottoms, 

 and is a typical " wader," as is also the crane. Most of 

 the pupils will have seen these birds either on wing or in 

 water. They migrate and travel in large numbers, especially 

 the cranes, which are remarkable for the precision of their 

 lines of flight and peculiar cry. Herons are found in all 

 parts of the world, and are usually of large size. 



