56 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



grubs an' worms an' tadpoles as well as vegetable 

 stuff. When he closes his bill, the act o' shuttin' 

 it jest forces out the mud an' water, through this 

 strainer, like. When yo' see a duck doin' that 

 'round here, yo' can reckon it's either a Mallard, 

 a Teal, a Shoveler, or a Pintail." 



* ' But how can you tell which is which ? ' ' 



'*Yo' can't make no mistake over a Shoveler," 

 was the reply, " 'cause his bill is bigger at the 

 tip, ends right smart like a shovel, an' he's the 

 only duck 'round here built that way. A flock o' 

 Pintails will always have some drakes in it an' they 

 can be told a ways off by their long necks an' 

 spindlin ' tail-feathers. When yo ' see a Wild Duck 

 that looks like a tame duck flyin', yo' can be right 

 sure it's a Mallard, or if the feathers are a bit 

 dark, a Black Duck. Any swift-flyin' small duck, 

 with a white face, aims to be a Blue-Winged 

 Teal." 



"What's that fancy duck that Widow Gray has 

 up at her place ? " the lad asked. * ' That 's a tip-up 

 duck of some sort." 



'Tt's a Wood Duck," the other answered. 

 ' ' There used to be thousands of 'em 'round here. 

 They say it 's bad luck to shoot 'em, an ' yo ' can 't 

 sell any. They're mighty good eatin', too." 



