32 
FIRST BOOK. 
get insects and other food. There is a kind 
of fringe round my bill, and this lets the water 
drain out, but keeps the food in. 
8. I am a tame duck, and I have lived near 
this pond all my life. But some ducks are wild, 
and live in large flocks. Some of them even 
swim on the rough sea. 
9. " Perhaps you think that I am very wet. 
Head and Foot of Duck. 
Not at all! When I am tired of swimmings 
which will not be for a long time yet, I shall go 
on the bank and shake oft' the w^ater. 
10. " There is some oil on my feathers which 
keeps them from getting soaked, and I can dress 
them with fresh oil whenever I please. A thick 
coat of soft down covers my body, and protects ! 
it from the water. 
11. " I have plenty to make me happy^ you see. 
But one thing makes me sad. Sometimes one of 
my sisters is caught by the man who throws food 
CO us; and we never see her again. The old 
