Water Fowl 



serious and absorbed, often distinctly reminis- 

 cent, and even melancholy. 



Yet melody and merriment are not the only 

 traits that make a bird commendable ; for there 

 are times when the oriole's song of triumph 

 would be very incongruous with our own mood; 

 and, as is often found in individuals far higher 

 in the scale of life, reserve is not synonymous 

 with apathy, and the most permanently attrac- 

 tive aspects are not always those that lie upon 

 the surface. And so, without the slightest fear 

 of invalidating their peculiar claims to admira- 

 tion, but with the conviction that the striking 

 difference of the two groups will only serve to 

 enlarge the scope of our enjoyment, we will 

 readily admit that water fowl in general are lack- 

 ing in the most conspicuous charms of our fa- 

 vorite land birds. We would hardly think of 

 making a pet of one of them, except, indeed, a 

 piping plover, a sandpiper, or a tern. For, 

 without the slightest trace of fierceness in their 

 temper — barring a few species — their mood 

 appears as wild and untamable as that of the 

 birds of prey. In a word, our interest in them 

 is quite unlike our interest in thrushes, warblers, 

 and the like. And we should be thankful for 

 this difference in their nature and effect upon 



47 



