18 DUSKY DUCK.
commenpes,. t u t exhibit none of the curipus changes which that species
undergoes.
Although the Dusky Duck is often seen on salt-water bays or
inlets, it resembles the Mallard in its habits, being fond of swampy
marshes, rice-fields, and the shady margins of our rivers, during the
whole qf its stay in such portions of the Southern State.- as it is
known to breed in. They are equally voracipus, and may sometimes
be seen wjth their crops so protruded aS: to destroy the natural elegance
of their form. They devour, with the gwoatc.st eagerness, water-lizards,
young frogs and toads, tadpoles, all sprts of insects, acorns, beech-nuts,
and every kind of grain that thoy can. obtain. They also, at times,
,Sj|ize on small quadrupeds, gobble up earth-wonus and leeches, and when
in salt water, Joed on shell-fish. When on the water, they of'tori procure
their food by immersing their head and neck, and, like the Mallard,
sift the produce of muddy pools. Like that species: also, they
will descend in a spiral manner from on high,;
to alight under an oak
or a beech, when they have discovered the mast to be abundant.
Shy and vigilant, they are with difficulty approached by the gunner,
unless under cover or on horsebaek, or in what sportsmen call floats, or
shallow boats made for the purpose of procuring water-fowl. They
are, however, easily caught in traps set on the margins of the waters
to which they resort, and baited with Indian corn, rice, or other grain.
Thpy may also be enticed to wheel round, and even alight, by Imitating
their notes, which, in both sexes, seem to me almost precisely to resemble
those of the Mallard, irom that species, indeed, they scarcely
difler in external form, excepting in wanting the curiously recurved
feathers of the tail, which Nature, as if clearly to distinguish the two
species, had purposely omitted in them.
The flight of this Duck, which, in as far as I know,"is peculiar to
America, is powerful, rapid, and as sustained as that of the Mallard.
V\rhi!e travelling by day they may be distinguished from that species by
the whiteness of their lower wing-coverts, which form a strong contrast
to the deep tints- of the, rest of their plumage, and which I have attempted
to represent in the figure of the female bird in my plate. Their progress
through the air, when at full speed, must, I think, be at the rate
of more than a mile in a minute, or about seventy miles in an hour.
When about to alight,, they descend with double rapidity, causing a
strong rustling sound by the weight of their compact body and the
DUSKY DUCK. 19
rapid movements of their pointed wings. When alarmed by a shot or •
otherwise, they rise.off (heir-feet by a single powerful spring, fly directly
upwards; for eight or ten yards, and then proceed in a straight
line. Now, if you are an expert hand, is the moment to touch your
trigger, and if you delay, he Sure p u r shot will fall short.
- As it is attached to particular feeding grounds, and returns to them
until greatly molested, you may, by secreting yourself within shooting
distance, anticipate a good result; for « e h although shot at, it will
reappear several times in succession in the course of a few hours, unless
it has been wounded. The gunners in the vicinity Pf Boston, in
Massachusetts, who kill great numbers of those birds, on account of
the high price -obtained for them in the fine market of that beautiful
and hospitable city, procure them in the following manner:—They
keep live decoy-ducks of the Mallard kind, which they take with them
in their floats or boats. On arriving at a place which they know to be
suitable, they push or haul their boat into some small nook, and conceal
it among the grass or rushes. Then they place their decoys, one
in front of their ambush, the rest on either side, each having a line attached
to one of its feet, with a stone at the other end, by whieh it is kept
as. if riding at anchor. One of the birds is retained in the boat, where
the gunner lies concealed, and in cold weather amply covered with
thick and heavy -clothing. No soofcer is all in order, than the decoyducks,
should some wild birds appear, sound their loud call-notes,
anxious as they feel to be delivered from their sad bondage. Should
this fail to produce the desired effect of drawing the wild ducks near,
the poor bird in the boat is pinched on the rump, when it immediately
calls aloud; those at. anchor respond, and the joint clamour attracts
the travellers, who now check their onward speed, wheel several times'
over the spot, and at last alight. The gunner seldom waits long for a
shot, and often kills fifteen or twenty of the Black Ducks at a single
discharge of his huge piece, which is not unfrequently charged with as
much as a quarter of a pound of powder and three quarters of a pound
of shot!
The Black Ducks generally appear in the sound of Long Island
in September or October, but in very cold weather proceed southward;
while those which breed in Texas, as I have been informed, remain
there all the year. At their first arrival they betake themselves to
the fresh-water ponds, and soon become fat, when they afford exceli
§'Mf\