The Wit of a Duck and Other Papers

Born in a modest Catskill farmhouse, the author spent his youth laboring on the land and wandering the woods, a upbringing that forged a lifelong reverence for the natural world. A chance encounter with Audubon’s plates sparked a fervent curiosity that later carried him from a Treasury clerk’s desk to a quiet Hudson River cottage, where he could observe birds, insects, and the changing seasons firsthand. His essays blend precise observation with personal reflection, inviting listeners to see each creature not as a mere specimen but as a living character intertwined with human experience.

The collection opens with a charming vignette about a wayward mallard drake, whose instinctual yearning to return home reveals the mysterious “home sense” shared by many animals. Through gentle humor and keen insight, the narrator watches the drake’s futile attempts to integrate with unfamiliar ducks, illustrating how nature’s subtle cues can convey both wonder and melancholy. Listeners will feel as if they are strolling beside him, sharing the quiet moments that turn ordinary field trips into profound stories.