Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-03-18


No doubt many a dweiltr in these hxo..,
oorean ref1ons, curing This long and c,is
wintfr. has exclaimed. ssOa FOR the wings az
lands where the orange traeS are in ei,o.,
and the air Is laden with t'.s perfume OF tee
spec groves" Now. what shall we say of
those foolish biris. which. knowing OF the
green groves Ar warm waters az the tar
scuth, righesdeiIy refuse 10 take fiighf and
STcnd The entire winter where the Streams
arr t,,,nd sld nc mercury tr'fnsling AZ
and large numbers OF migratory waterfowl,
usually accustomed to Nv south uDln tue
approach % the frSt cold weather in tlle nali.
have pcrsissently Stsid ont ne entire winter
IN This section In utter diSySgard OF all the
instincts and habits OF the natatorial trfbe
INC quincy Herald notices the fact that two
large Hooks Of mailard ducks have made
heir winter quarters in one nj the lakes last
above That city. The maiiari duck Is a6oat
sns "a, Nater-io 81 one would expect "a ma
IN This latitude I'm mid-winter and vet dar-
ing the coolest dsys OF January large fio,ss
OF the ',oble inafeTd could be seen in
werc fonnd ~ Doi De &C., n,, river OF they
Wild geese were also abundant AMI their
raids, together with the ducks, upOa the
corn and wheat fields came % be hooked
upon rs nuiSance Among the farmers
When the snow fell and covered up their
winter wheat, they gave their un.liNiied
attention To ! ,e corn fields. and the farmers
were assisted i'm gathering the outstanding
crop In way that WAS calc slated 70 greatly
decrease the profits OF corn growing. Th-
sharp Mtalher produced a frcalthy appetite
among the water fowl. and an ordinary corn
shock would just about make q square meal
Tor lock at geese ufallariS. one
granger. who farms over on Sny island,
tells story To the effect that one day IA.
went out into hts corn field aud .'shuckei-
out shocks of corn. throwing the ears ia
PileS on The ground, intending % haul 10 10
next morning. This was good a thing "a
the spoon bills desired, and as soon a. the
ElarEer retired, the ducks and geese
which always have a sharp eve for
anything good TO eat, made a descent on
That shucked corn, and had a regular ban
quot that evening. and next morning when
the granger went out with his Wagon
tohaUl In The corn he found nothing brit
begearly account OF naked corn cobs. while
the ducks and geese were OF Ia some air -hol.
I'm the river gabhling over their good fnrturne
I'm stealing the farmers corn. The Granger
has bought him an old Harper's Ferry mas
ket, charged 10 with b drachms OF powder
and about two ounces OF No. 3 shot, and 10
laying for them cOnfounded ducks" Along
the Illinois river and in the salt Creek and
Saneamon districts ducks and geese have
been quite numerous all winter. In January
three Chicago sIsortSmcn KILLED ninety NAL
lards on Salt Creek in one day, and n Ger
man ts said to have ''crawled mp" on a lot OF
''greenheadS" hacked i'm a small sheet OF opes
water in pond, and slaugh tered thirty-two
OF them with the two barrels OF a dackins-
gun.
This strange conduct OF the water fowl dur
ing the winter Is quite unaccountable, and
viii furnish an opportunity for some orni-
thologist torise and explain.