Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-08
DOWN OF THE Elder.
Nothing So Soft and Delicate in All
The Realm of Nature.
HOW THE DUCKS MAKE THE NESTS.
Systematic Robbery at the Hands of the
Natives of the North.
TEACHING Y0UNG TO SWIM AND DIVE
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH,

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the mother provides for certain little duck.
lings that are born away up in the cold re-
gion near the Arctic circle. Many future
king has first tested his voice while lying
on such stuff as the ducklings rest upon
when they first step out of their shells; but
the bed of the scion of royalty cost its
weight in gold. There is nothing else OF
natures work. and no product of mans
handicraft so soft, so delicate and so elastic
as the down that grows upon the breast of
the elder duck. 1t is said that one handful,
grasped from quantity of this down, will
make well-stuffed baby quilt five feet
square, although the weight of tine down is
less than half an ounce.
In building their nests the elder ducks use
lots of seagrass, twigs and whatever else is
available for the walls. This they plaster
on the inside with clay so as to make the
nest alright. A layer of the finest grasses,
feathers and other soft materials then covers
the clay, and, last Of all, the female plucks
from her own breast the delicate down with
which to finish the home for her ducklinrs.
This down is so valuable that the natives of
Labrador, Spitzbergen and other far north
ern countries derive a considerable part of
their income by stealing the down from the
nests of the elder duck
Robbing the Pretty Nests.
They watch the hoI building of the
ducks and note the lay ng # the eggs from
day to day. When abou. the com pIenent
| of eggs has been deposited these rascaIly
| pirates pounce down and steal both eggs
and down. Then the ducks proceed to re-
palr damages. The female is now Obliged
to denude her breast in order to get down
enough TO line the nest. Then when more
eggs are laid, the pirates make their cruel
visit again. The patient ducks try it once
more. but this time the drake has to supply
the down. When the pirates have for the
/ third time committed their robbery, the
poor ducks abandon the place and disap-
pear. Whether they at last comprehend
the tronble, or whether the vanity of
the drake leads him to draw
the line" at the loss of half
! his down, is something we have vet to
learn. 1t must be said for the elder drake,
however, that he Is good and faithful hus-
band, as nearly all brakes are in their wild
state. Instances are cited by naturaIists
wherein the same pair of ducks for 20 years
raised their broods in the same place. The
nesting habits of nearly all the other ducks
OF our country are similar to those of the
elders. The ducklings are born in the
spring, IN cold regions, and when the time
comes to migrate southwark, the young ones
are as good flyers as the parents. The young
ducks are taught to eat as soon as
they leave the she'll, and little later the
mother teaches them 10 swim and dive.
This is the way she gives the first swimming
lesson: She orders the little ones to get on
her back, as you may have seen young
chickens get on the back of the old hen.
Then she weddles into the water, swims out
10 Il 4
ducklings to paddle their own canoe" But
the mother doesn't go far away. She comes
to the surface quickly and anxiously watches
the result OF the first swimming lesson. As
ducks are natural swimmers the little
quackers at once become as fond of the water
as child is of candy.
Teaching the Ducklfngs to Dive,
The diving lesson comes next. The
mother will dive and try to induce the
youngsters to follow her. If they won't do
it she gets behind them and "tiIts them up,''
SO that their heads go under; then, like the
average boy, they are Just crazy to dive
when they find how easy it is. All ducks
are good divers, but when in focks In the
water, they always prefer to escape danger
by flying. But stray ducks that have been
detached from hocks will generally dive In
preference to flying IN order to escape the
gunners. Some of the ducks found in our
rivers and lakes are such expert divers
that they avoid the shots of the
best marksmen. 1t is thought that
they understand what the fash
of a gun means. and they are so quick
that they get under the surface OF the water
before the lead reaches them. The only waya
fire one shot to make the duck dive and then
be ready with another the instant that the
game shows above the surface.
The canvas back and the malard are the bese
known amOuO the edible duckS 0f oI1ro
and the mallard is recognized as the progenitor
OF our familiar domestic duck. The latter,
noble ancestors. While the wild duck lives
largely on roots and grains there is nothing too
filthy for the domestic descendant. Refuse
that a pig would diSdain to touch will be Qob-
bled by tame duck as If 1t were the most deli.
cate morsel In their family relations they are
extremely remiss. The drake is a faIthless
husband, puffed up with self-conceit and utters
ly Indifferent to his spouse IN nesting time and
to the ducklings when they appear. And the
wife is not much better than the husband. Sha
Will sometimes leave the nest when hatching.
go off on excursion. and let the eggs spoil.
Even if she successfully matches the eggs she
doesn't seem to care anything for the brood.
The Influence of the Moon.
A great many people. particularly tarmert
and villagers believe that everything from
wedding to a husking, should be timed accord,
Ing to certain phases OF the moon. The "mah
in the moon" must be consulted when it comes
to planting potatoes setting fence posts or
building chicken coop. The family Bible will
last for generations in some farming localities,
but when the 3lst of December comes the years
almanac always looks as if it had accidentally
been run through the threshing machine,
Still. there IS not nearly SO much belief now in
the moons potency in human affairs as tnerA
was in the days of our grandfathers. A huns
dred years ago the majority of people in Enpt
land, Germany, and in our own country con,
suited the moon not only in matters pertaining
to farming, but also in respect TO business END
terprises, taking medicines to prevent disease,
and SO
Well, is there any substantial ground for the
belief that the moon is really factor in the
concerns OF the human race To start with,
we know that the moons attraction causes the
tides, and that these tides are sometimes very
destructive to property. 1t admitted by
also, that the earth's atmosphere is
20 some extent affected by the attractive force
Of the moon and also of the sun. We know,
100. that decomposition of animal matter goes
IN more rapidly in moonlight than in the dark,
Ind there are authenticated cases of cerebral
injury to persons as consequence OF sleeping
n the moonlight. Our word lunacy, or moon
,raze, came from the belief that the moon ex,
,rts an influence on the human mind
Science Doesn't Enlighten Us.
But science gives. us very little help in the
fort to solve the problem. Some scientists
lave tried to demonstrate that the moon exerts
marked influence upon the metorology of the
arth, and there is probably ground for belief
hat this is measurably true. But the fact as
compared with the fiction. in regard to lunar
influence on mankind is about the proportion
If a bushcl of cbaf to one grain of wheat. It
: not strange that these traditions should still
ind many believers for they date back to the
beginning of written history, and much of the