Norwich bulletin., 1921-11-21
JEWETT CRY

Mrs. Patrick Cakes is very i'll at her
home on Green avenue.
St Mary's school building and the
rectory of Rev. j. J. McCabe are in pro-
cess of painting
In the post office window is to be seen
the handsome Thanksgiving thrift card
issued by the post office department, the
first of its kind ever distributed.
The Harmony club were entertained
by Mrs. John Whalley Friday, at her
home in Lisbon.
Moosup Lodge. No. 113, F. i. NJ,
entertained royalty at the Plainfield
Community house Friday evening. Twen-
ty-ffve from Jewett City, as guests, hear
tfly enjoyed the program, luncheon and
the community bal.
Joseph H. Mccarthy, Jr, Of tho U.
S. merchant marine IS at home for an
lndeterminate leave. He has been gone
since last March, assigned to the U. s.
| s. Ogontz and has visited 9frica. Medi-
terranean ports, The Calsaries and
points in France and Germany.
The attention of sportsmen and bird
observers in this section is being called
! to three inquiries. with view to post
| tive confirmation. which have been sent
| to Jewett City during the past week by
| Edward Homo Forbush, director of the
division Of ornithology for the state Of
! Massachusetts. The questions are:
| DO you know of any creditabIe evi-
/ dence to sustain the ancient belief that
wood ducks or any other ducks that nest
! In hollow trees sometimes carry their
young from nest to water And if so
how were the young birds carried?
| The second question:
| Have Won known any s1rface-feeding
duck, swan, or goose to dive; if So
/ " ,
stances?
! The third question:
Have you known any diving duck tc
cling, when wounded, to an object on
the bottom until death ensued. If 50
when, where and what species?
| The first and last questions have re.
| ceiyed positive answers. The following
note sent to Mr.. Forbush by a Jewett
City man applies to the latter:
Dear Sir Relative to your question
about a wounded diving duck, I am ab't
to give you positive inforrla ton. Ter
Years ago, quite large f1ocks Of black
ducks. Anas Ruripes, used to come int
Tadpole pond, a mile above the town
just as dusk was coming on, to feed
| One. evening two OTHER hunters and
myself We're there in a fat-bottorne6
! skitf. My friend Bennett shot at a Ion,
!
TIE duck dove and failed to come up
| We padded to the spot, the water was
! not above three feet deep and the duel
could be seen distinctly clinging 10 tI1t
| bottom. ! took an oar and pushed II
| free The duck then foated to the sur
face, dead, with the lily stems still in its
mouth"
| The first question also gets an answe,
from an ardent bird lover whose observ.
atoms have extended over a period o.
more than fifty years. He viii say il
his letter that he has personally beer
q witness to the CARRYING Of the voof
ducks fedglings by the mother from
the nest in the broken top OF a hollow
stub to the water, twelve feet below
and that she carried each little ducklins
in her mouth; but this is the only triI
Of the sort that they make. when once il
the water they have said good bye Il
the nest for good
| G. W. Burleigh tells of a brood 0,
nine wood ducks that, in this case has
! futtered or dropped to the water from
their nest In partly submerged scrub
by cedar. The first night they sat, viii
i their mother, all clustered together be
i meath the cedar bouglls. After sunris
next morning they started for the opel
water.
4 Mr.. Burleigh says, 81 saw. them sal
out through the weeds toward the chan
mel. The old one seemed to be feediu.
them on some. sort OF water buys On
Of them, not quite as strong as the. 9th
ers, was carried & considerable distanc
down the channel. The old duck, bein,
busy with the other eight did not seer
to notice his trouble. When he was per
haDs fifty feet away from the rest 0
the brood. there was a great splash, an