Dear David: Answering your letter in backward fashion, I first take up the item of the painting. Recently I have seemed to lack almost any time to go to my easel, but I have been fooling with one or two landscapes, neither of which is coming along as well as I could wish--but I have my promise in mind and one of these days I will turn up with one that I would be willing to send to you. Even at that it will be in the amateur class normally known as "rank."1
As for the geese, I think they did not produce any eggs this year, possibly because someone sent us two swans. These swans seem to have particularly bad dispositions and are constantly annoying all the other birds in the pond. At least we have noted that in recent weeks the geese have been visiting around in the area. They have not attempted to fly away, but simply sauntered over to a neighboring farm and camped there. I have been anxious to get them back but I have not succeeded so far. I am sure that at no place else do they get so much feed and are bothered so little.2
I have come to the conclusion that if we are to keep the swans--and I do not even know that they are a pair, because they look to be identical--we must build another small pond for them.
The additional quail that came from Indiana have been scattered around in lots of ten.3 Of the quail you brought down I know of one very large covey and have occasionally seen another. The large one ranges along the stream line on which the pond is located. This spring they have been scattered while mating, and Chief West saw one quail with seventeen little chicks following it.4
Some of the ducklings hatched out. Strangely enough, one of the ducks made her nest right up near the house, under a pine tree, well hidden and camouflaged. However, after nesting there about a week, she apparently got discouraged and deserted the nest. A few days back I saw altogether about nine young ducklings. One hen had one with her, another three, and another five. The hen with the five ducklings was in the creek and not in the pond. However, I saw the swans chasing the ducks, and Chief West tells me he knows the swans killed two of the ducklings so I have another peeve against these particular birds.
At least the season seems to be far enough advanced to show that we will scarcely have replacements for natural wastage this fall, so if you should hatch about a dozen for me and pinion them at the proper time, I would be very grateful. I think that some three or four in number have flown away, although it is possible I have just seen them take off and that they have later come back, but on two occasions I saw a pair start out like they were really going to the North Pole. Incidentally, would it not be possible, when a duckling is quite small--something like five or six weeks old--that one wing tip could be clipped, taking off, say, about a quarter of an inch. Then if on this tip were placed iodine or something of the sort, it would seem to me the scar would heal and the flying feathers on that wing tip would never again appear. This may be completely impractical, but it just occurred to me.5
I should think that we could watch the quail through the summer--and I am certain there should be some fair shooting this fall and if we can succeed in giving them sufficient water, feed and cover, I think we will have a good quail stand started.6 Even if I shoot this fall, it will be only for a day or two just to make sure that they don't get too tame.
I doubt that there is enough cover on the farm at present for pheasant, but I did see one the other day over at the farm we have across the road. It was a cock wandering around alone.7
I think this brings you up to date on the birds at the farm. Again my thanks for all the help you have given me.
With warm regard, Sincerely
P.S. My warm greetings to Mrs. Keefer.
