/«) 



THE IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



A few Duck's nests of down make 



a beautiful addition to a collect- 

 ion, being- of much more interest 

 than sets of the plainly colored 

 eggs. 



On the 3rd of June, 1894, some 

 boYS offered to show me a nest of 

 the Blue wing-ed Teal. Though 

 almost the exact location of the 

 nest was known, we walked over 

 the small area of ground several 

 times before finding it, as the 

 grass was about eight inches 

 high, and the dark gray down was 

 pulled snugly over the ten eg-gs, 

 which were thus kept warm and 

 rendered entirely invisible. The 

 nest was on dry ground in a 

 meadow, a few rods from a slough, 

 and composed of fine dried grass 

 and soft little bunches of gray 

 down placed in a small hollow in 

 the ground. As no Duck could 

 be seen around, we concluded to 

 leave the eggs for further refer- 

 ence. The Duck was probal)ly 

 off recuperating, .as it was the 

 middle of a warm afternoon, and 

 the sun was hot«encugh to keep 

 the eggs warm. Early next 

 morning I went after the ne»t. 

 After walking around the mead- 

 ow quite a while trying to find 

 it, the female Teal flew 

 up from the nest right in 

 front of my feet. She fluttered 

 awkwardly along-, just skimming 

 the top of the grass, until she 

 was about ten rods away, when 

 she rose up and flew out of sight. 

 The eggs were advanced in incu- 



bation. They were of an elong- 

 ated oval shape and pale buffy or 

 creamy in color. June 12th, 1894 

 I purchased a set of ten eggs 

 which were taken the day before 

 in Madison township, Hancock 

 Co., Iowa. This must have been 

 a second set of the season, as the 



eggs were fresh. 



R. M. Anderson. 



Our Boyhood Days. 



"Oh! for the good old days of 

 yore". How often we hear this 

 quoted, and many imagine that it 

 means when times were better, 

 when men were better, and when 

 the world was better. Now I am 

 happy to say I am no Pessimist, 

 but an Optimist, believing that 

 the v.'orld or the inhabitants 

 thereof are grov/ing- better daily. 

 Yet, that people should look 

 back to those "Good old days" 

 (our hoyiiood days) and imagfine 

 they were better days than now, 

 when the stern realities of life 

 have settled down upon us, is not 

 to be wondered at, for I think 

 the happiest time of man's existence 

 is when he has arrived at that ag-e 

 when he is old enongh to romp 

 and play, to visit the grand old 

 woods and meadows and study 

 Nature in all its beauties, a rollick- 

 ing romping boy without a care 

 to trouble or restrain him. How 



