A POT-HUNTER'S DEFIANCE 57 



''Dabbling ducks are always better eating than 

 diving ducks, aren 't they ? ' ' 



''Reckon not," said the old hunter. "Canvas- 

 back is a divin' duck, with a web on the hind-toe, 

 an' it gets the biggest price in the market. It's a 

 bit hard to tell a Redhead from a Canvasback, when 

 flyin', though the Canvasback is bigger. A Scaup 

 Duck's got a body like a float an' the line markin' 

 off his greenish or purplish-black neck an' white 

 belly is right sharp. The Golden-Eye makes a lot 

 o' noise with his wings when flyin', an Old Squaw 

 drake has long tail-feathers an' the Scoters mostly 

 stay by the sea, feedin' on clams, mussels, an' 

 scallops." 



"But scallops lie in deep water!" exclaimed 

 Shan. 



"That don't hinder a Scoter none," the old man 

 answered, "nor any other o' the divin' ducks. 

 I've seen 'em go after scallop on shoals that I know 

 was fifty or sixty feet deep. They don't dive 

 down like Terns, but swim 'way down. I 've heard 

 say they can get down a hundred an' fifty feet, 

 which is deep swimmin' for a duck. Scoters use 

 their wings an' feet under water, Canvasback an' 

 Redhead use only their feet. ' ' 



"Do Geese go down deep?" asked Shan. 



