POUNCED ON THE BIRD NEAREST THEM. 



that is, 2 of our ducks would go up to a 

 wild one and after salutation go on to 

 another. Joe was also watching and I saw 

 him pucker his lips for a whistle. With 

 a motion of his hand to me to look, he gave 

 the whistle and instantly the 5 pairs of our 

 birds each pounced on the bird nearest 

 them and made him captive. The others 

 flew away, but our birds held on like grim 

 death, seizing their prey at the butt of the 

 wing on either side and holding them until 

 we poled the boat along and took them in. 

 As Joe wrung the neck of the last one, he 

 said, 



"That's what you might call benevolent 

 assimilation." 



He then took in the decoys, and we went 

 home to breakfast, leaving the game and 

 the box to be brought up by the wagon. 

 Joe told me of the time it had taken and 

 the patience required to train the ducks as 

 he had, but he had certainly succeeded. I 

 should have as much expected to make a 

 hunting dog of a pet sheep as of a wild 

 duck, but ocular demonstration con- 

 vinced me it could be done. 



They seated themselves on a grassy little 



mound, 

 And they passed their picnic provender 



around. 

 "Yes, it's queer," they chuckled, "but what 



is the odds?" 

 We're eating devilled ham in the Garden 



of the Gods." 



— Chicago Tribune. 

 192 



