Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1874 — Remarkable Ducks. [ARTICLE]

Remarkable Ducks.

A writer in Land and Water gives some curious instances of the sensibility of ducks to colors and musical sounds. He once had in his garden a border of China asters of the most brilliant colors. The ducks would congregate round these and lie there for hours. They never pecked at them as if they found snails or slugs among them. They appeared simply gazing at them as if attracted by the gay colors. Another time he had a large clump of very brilliant violet flowers, which by their brightness shone out from the rest of the border. This clump was like a magnet to the ducks; some of them were always around it. One evening the writer had a 1 party of friends. It was summer time, and the doors of the sitting-room were open to the lawn. One of the company com menced playing on the piano. No sooner was there a pause in the music than two docks, which had by some means got into the room, rose from under a chair and waddled all over the apartment, quackihg loudly. On the music commencing the ducks crouched down, perfectly silent while it continued. The experiment was made several times with the same result. That it was not Burprise or fear which induced this behavior was afterward proved, for on subsequent occasions the same ducks would, upon hearing the piano, leave the field and come into the room tp listen.