20 



IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



when perched on one's hand, he 

 always maintained his head on 

 the same level if possible. Lower 

 the hand, and the neck and legs 

 would gradually lengthen until he 

 stood ten or twelve inches high; 

 raise the hand and they short- 

 ened until he was almost a little 

 ball of feathers. Little plover 

 chicks, a few days old, w^hich I 

 have occasionally picked up in 

 Dakota, would not do this. 



His musical whistle, never too 

 loud, was given very frequently 

 at times, and certainly was as 

 sweet a note as is ever uttered by 

 any bird. 



November approached, and as 

 he would eat no meat, no matter 

 how juicy, or how finel}' shredded 

 or chopped, and as "anglers" 

 could not be obtained in the 

 winter, we finally took him out 

 on the prairie and gave him his 

 liberty, hoping that in a warmer 

 clime he might live on the fat of 

 the land, and knowing that he 

 had ample reason to be thankful 

 for having so "wormed" himself 

 into the affections of the amateur 

 taxidermist. 



The accompanying illustration 

 was taken in a photograph gal- 

 lery where the large sky-light and 

 and strange faces and surround^ 

 ings made him more than usually 

 timid and, though his head and 



breast were slightly out of focus, 

 we were fortunate in doing so 

 well. The picture speaks vol- 

 umes for his extreme tameness; 

 the dark corners of the room or 

 the bright sky-light above would 

 have been too much for its suc- 

 cess had he been even a shade 

 less confiding. 



God's Wisdom in Concealing. 



TpHE idea that God displays 

 His wisdom in revealing is a 

 familiar one, but we are less ac- 

 customed to think of His wisdom 

 as manifested in what he con- 

 ceals. Yet, if we reflect upon it. 

 we must see that there is great 

 truth in the proverb, "It is the 

 glory of God to conceal a thing. '' 

 We may apply this principle to 

 the method of God in nature. 

 Suppose the secrets of nature had 

 all been revealed to mail at the 

 outset. Who can doubt that it 

 would be a great misfortune.'' One 

 of the greatest povvers for the 

 progress of the human race is 

 found in the skill and acumen 

 which the study of nature's se- 

 crets has developed. In making 

 enough of nature plain to tempt 

 investigation, and in concealing 

 enough to challenge and train 

 the intellect of man in the search, 

 and to impress the imagination, 



