"The Wit of a Duck and Other Papers" is a collection of essays by American naturalist John Burroughs, first published in 1901. The titular paper, "The Wit of a Duck", is a fascinating essay on bird intelligence, while the rest deal with other bird-related subjects. Contents include: "The Wit Of A Duck", "An Astonished Porcupine", "Human Traits In The Animals", "The Downy Woodpecker", "A Barn-door Outlook", "Wild Life In Winter", "Bird Life In Winter", " A Birds' Free Lunch", "Bird-nesting Time", "A Breath Of April", "The Woodcock's Evening Hymn", "The Coming Of Summer", etc. John Burroughs (1837 - 1921) was an American naturalist, essayist, and active member of the U.S. conservation movement. Burroughs' work was incredibly popular during his lifetime, and his legacy has lived on in the form of twelve U.S. Schools named after him, Burroughs Mountain, and the John Burroughs Association-which publicly recognizes well-written and illustrated natural history publications. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.