Wild-Fowl of Wild-Fowl 



tion. Even from the car-window, on a branch rail- 

 road in North Dakota, as I neared my destination I 

 saw the Ducks flying out from a series of shallow 

 sloughs, alarmed at the approach of the tri-weekly 

 train. It was the tenth of May, and there were 

 scores of them just settling down to the annual task 

 of nest-building. So near were they to the train 

 that without the field-glass I could easily distinguish 

 Mallards, Shovellers, Pintails and Blue-winged Teal. 



Not many miles beyond this favored spot my 

 friend and I disembarked, and soon were driving 

 out from the little town along a level prairie road, 

 bordered by dark fields, some of which were already 

 delicately greened with the sprouting wheat. Close 

 by the humble home of a settler, on the right, was 

 a little pond covering less than an acre of ground, 

 convenient for his cattle. And there were evidently 

 his barnyard fowl, a flock of Ducks, enjoying their 

 favorite element. But what did it mean ? Just as 

 we drove by, there was a sudden whistling of wings, 

 and away they went, wild Ducks, — the same kinds 

 we had seen from the train, — feeding within a few 

 rods of the barn ! 



About six miles further on we approached- the 

 house where we were to stay over night. Here, too, 

 a pond was prominent, right by the turn of the 

 driveway, and it, likewise, had its Ducks, twenty or 

 more of them. A Willet standing on the shore 

 uttered his customary note of alarm, and they were 

 of? ; but by the time we looked back from the 

 house, there they were again, having circled back 

 and alit. From the parlor-window I could see 

 them so clearly with the glass as to be able to iden- 



171 



