Part 6

2. In shape she is like the hen, only her legs are shorter and her body flatter. Her feathers are very thick, and next her skin she has a coat of soft down, which helps to keep her warm.

3. The duck's wings are strong, and she can fly to a great distance without being tired. Wild ducks fly a great many miles without resting.

4. The duck has no comb or wattles on its head, and its long bill is broad and blunt at the end. Its tail is short and pointed, and it has no drooping tail feathers. The duck has the same number of toes as a chicken, but its foot is webbed by a strong skin, which binds the toes together.

5. The duck is formed for swimming. It pushes itself along in the water, using its webbed feet for paddles. The down on its breast is filled with oil, so that no water can get through to the skin.

6. When in the water we will see the duck often dive, and stay under so long that we begin to fear it will never come up, and we wonder what it does that for.

7. If we could watch it under the water, we would see that it thrusts its broad bill into the mud at the bottom, and brings out worms, water-bugs, and roots of plants, which it eats.

8. Should a frog or a tadpole come within reach, the duck would snap it up in an instant; and even fish are sometimes caught.

9. The old mother duck every morning leads her brood to the water. As she waddles along on the land, her gait is very awkward, but the moment she and her little ones get to the water they sail out in the most graceful way.

LESSON VI.

STORIES ABOUT DUCKS.

1. Dame Bridson had several families of ducklings, and one day as I watched her feeding them she told me this story:

2. "I once put a number of duck's eggs under a hen, and they all hatched out nicely. When the ducks were a few days old, the hen left them for a few minutes to pick up some food.

3. "When she came back I heard a furious cackling, and ran to see what was the matter. And what do you think I saw?

4. "There lay my old tabby cat, who had just lost her kittens, and there were the little ducklings all cuddled up around her.

5. "The old cat purred over them and licked them just as though she thought they were her own kittens.

6. "The poor hen was wild with fright and rage, and a little way back stood Toby, the old watch-dog, trying to find out what was the trouble.

7. "From that time, until they were big enough to take care of themselves, tabby came and slept with the ducklings every night.

8. "The old hen took her loss very much to heart, and I had to comfort her by giving her another batch of eggs to sit on."

9. Another story is told of an old dog who took a fancy to a brood of young ducks, who had lost their mother. They followed him about everywhere, and, when he lay down, the ducklings nestled all about him.

10. One duckling used to scramble upon the dog's head and sit down upon his eye; but the old dog never moved, though the pressure upon the eye must have hurt him. He seemed to think more of his little friends than of himself.

11. One day a young lady was sitting in a room close by a farm-yard, in which there were chickens, ducks, and geese feeding and playing together.

12. While busy with her sewing, a drake came into the room, took hold of her dress, and tried to pull her toward the door.

13. She was afraid at first, and pushed him away; but he came back again and again, and she soon saw that he was not angry, but was trying to get her to follow him.

14. She got up, and he led her to the side of a pond, where she found a duck with its head caught in a railing. She made haste to set the poor creature free, and the drake flapped his wings and gave a joyous quack of thanks.

LESSON VII.

HOW GEESE LOOK AND LIVE.

1. The goose and the duck are much alike in looks and ways. The legs of the goose are longer, so that it stands higher and can walk better on land.

2. The goose is larger than the duck, its neck longer, and its wings broader. Its feet are webbed, so that it can swim well in the water.