320 GOLDKN-KYK DUCK.
i«e, all the individuals of a flock immersed at once. Sometimes,, when
suddenly surprised, they immediately divfe and da, not, rise again until
quite out. of gun-shot. Whigl. wounded, it is next to impossible to
catch them; for their power of remaining under water is, most surprisr
nig, and the sooner, otxe give? up the chase the better.
The Golden-.ey.o Ducks manifest, a propensity to adhere to a place
whiclijiihey find productive, and that to a most extraordinary degree.
One day, while approaching the shallow fording-place of Canoe Greek,
near Henderson, in Kentucky, I observed five Whistlers fishing and
swimming about. They allowed me to advance to within a few yards
of the shore, when, swimming close: together, and shaking their necks,
they emitted their rough croaking notes- Not being desirous; of shooting
them, I slapped my hands smartly together* when in an instant
they all went down:, but suddenly rose again, and running as .-it-. wore
over the water for about ton van-is, took flight, passed and repassed
several times, over the ford, and alighted, on,: the. large branches of a
sycamore that hung over the creek, at no; greater distance from where
I stood than about twenty yards. This was the first time, in . my life
that X had seen Golden-jgp^fialight on a tree. I Waded to the opposite
side, and gazed upon them with amazement for several minutes- When
on the eve of pursuing my course* one of them, gliding downwards with
nearly closed wings,, launched upon the water, and at once dived. The
other tour followed one. sifter another, Somewhat in the manner of
Pigeons or Starlings* as if to ascertain whether some danger might not
still exist. 1 left them at their avocations, and soon after met a family
of country people going to Henderson, one of whom asked me respecting
the: depth of the ford, to which I replied that the water was low,
and added that they should be careful lest some ducks that I had left
there might: frighten the horses; on which the women were. The good
folks, with whom I was acquainted, laughed, and we parted.
About four o'clock, as I was returning, with a fine Turkeyicoc-k
slung to my back,, I met the same, party, who told uie that, " sure
enough," the ducks were at the ford, and I was likely to have " a good
crack at them.?'. There they were, when I went up, and I forced them
to fly off; but as I was proceeding, and not more than fifty yards beyond
the creek, I heard their- splashings as they again, alighted. In the
course of a fortnight I visited the place several times, hut never missed
finding these five ducks there. This led me to inquire as to the cause,
GOLDEN-EYE DUCK. 321
and, having undressed, I waded «til barefooted, and examined the-bottom,*.
»-hicb I found to be composed of rather hard blue clay, full of
hob's bored by cray-feh. But to make myself quite ¡sure that these
creatures formed the attraction to the Ducks, I watched an; opportunity,
and shot two of tlu- latter, the examination if which satisfied me
I had long before this been convinced, that an abundant supply of
food afforded a powerful attraction to migrating birds, and .m this subjot,
t you may -remember my remarks in the articles of the Wild Turkey,
and'Passenger Pigeon, hi the first volume of this work; but X had not
then, nor have I since, seen so. stroiif-ian instance of pertinacity in attachment
i « a particular spot..
The: flight ol' this species is powerful, extremely rapid, and wonderfully
protracted. -Sfc passe» along with a speed eqjial to that of any of
the Duck tribe* and 1 believe can easih traverse-'-thd space of ninety
miles in an hour. The whistling of Its wings may be distinctly heard
whvn it is more than half a mile distant. This statement, may be found
to be in contradiction to thofe of probably every previous writer, for it
has been-a general opinion, that the.-gnSiter the. extent, of wing the
more rapid is the flight, wMeh is anything but correct. On flying from
t h e they proceed for a considerable distance very low, not rising
to any height until they have advanced several hundred yards.
The only nest of the Golden eye which I have examined, 1 disco -
v e r , , „ „ the 15th of June, on the margin of a -small creek about eight
miles from Green Bay. The female®^ it, probably to go in search.'
(if food, whilst 1 was sitting under the tree in which it was, thinking
more of my peculiar situation than of birds of any kind, for I was almo'st:
destitute s.f ammunition, and bent on returning to my family,
then in I.ouisiana. 1 How exciting are such moments to the ardent observer
of Nature ! In an instant, hunger, fatigue, e ven the thoughts
of my beloved wife and children, vanished; and in a few minutes I was
safely lodged on the tree, and thrusting my arm into the cavity of a large
broken branch. Nine beautiful, greenish, smooth eggs, almost equally
rounded at both ends, Were at my disposal. They were laid on some
dry. grass of the kind that, grew on the edges of the creek, and were
deeply imbedded in the down of the bird. Not being then aware of
the necessity of measuring or keeping eggs, I roasted them on some
embers, and finding them truly delicious, soon satisfied my hunger,
vol.. XV. x