Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-08-07

such an extent that 1 sent a man down
the we'll to see what gave the water
this peculiar flavor. After pulling out
% barrels of water we came to a small
duck in the cold embrace of death
own white drake, called Sin Fran
els, named for Sir Francis Drake. This
beast discovered that the cistcrn at the
barn could bc entered safely. and so he
had for the past year bCen i'll the habit
Of taking n plunge there and enjoying
himself. trusting to the hired man to
como and hail him out when the horses
were waterUd at cvcntide. In June a
new brood of little yellow ducklings
came forth under the management of a
plain and comparatively unknown hen
These duClslings seemed to inherit
some of the pcCuliariticS of Sir Francis,
for one of them, seeing glimmer of
water lO3 feet below him one day while
strolling around the we'll, took n notion
to cool his little red feet in the dark
tide. He found large knothOlc in the
well curb and descended deity to the
bottom.
As he went down his whole life doubt
less, covering n period of three weeks, was
unrollcd before him like n panorama,
and when he reached the water his soul
had quilted its little tenement of clay.
When we took him out, his still fcath-
ers showed no signs of pain, but he lay
peacefully in the old oaken bucket, for
ever ut rest.
1t was almost pathetic to know how
even i'll death he had called our atten
ton to the fact that he was down there
all by himself. Instinct perhaps, You
will say. Int does it not almost approach
actual intelligence?
The hen turkey il doubtless for her
| size the most successful archaeological
ass known to science. She Is poorly fit
ted for a parent. Is every one knows who
has studied her She becomes thought
full and prcOCcupiCd in the month of
May, and You may see her strolling of
by herself at times rs if studying ma
turr She soon after becomes a nonres-
idcnt. and just As you decide that she
has been yielded up as a sacrifice to the
colored revival near by she suddenly ap-
pears on the scene with nine small edi-
tions of herself. each with n little Wa
tcrbury tick of its own.
She exhibits these specimens of her
handiwurk about twice and then dis
appears. She takes Offense at any at
tention, though sometimes she prefers
to go up tree for the night. leaving
her little ones i'll wide eyed wOnderment
to put in the night in the grass
At early dawn she comes down and
starts off through the wet, icy weeds in
search of food The little chaps, broken
If their rest and heavy eyed with loss
If sleep, arc dragged IS or 20 miles
through the tall wet grass till they are
soaked and chilled to the heart. Then
they are given each hard. indigestible
grasShOpper or hunting case beetle for
breakfast Then the hot sun comes Polr-
ing down upon them, and when You
meet the old idiot two weeks later she
has one little bobtail. moth eaten tur
klct for whom Thanksgiving could have
no horrurs.
The hen turkeys morbid desire to in
cubatc Is peculiar and powerful She pre-
fers for this purpose the primeval forest
There she selects the dead tree top of a
prime giant oak and deposits a hatful
Of freckled eggs. To see her on her nest
ut such n time one would think she was
ureparing an article ON the tariff. but
rs one approaches her dangerous light
seems to come into the gentle eyes. and
one passes by ON the other side.
\ hen turkey Is no more fitted for &
mother, however. than the soubrette Of
n road company. She is great pedes.
trian, and of course after her long sed-
entary spell naturally wants to exercise.
so she starts of the day after her fami'
" has broken the shell. and stepping
about two feet Mt n time expects her Lit.
tic folks to keep up with her. When
they fail to do 20. she curses them bit.
terly and shows no patience whatever.
When she overtakes large grasshopper
she eats it and gives her little ones tn
drumsticks- Is that any kind of n wa,
to win the love of the young.
Not by any means whatever.