BIRDS HUNTED FOR FOOD OR SPORT. 137 



they have recently seen a slight increase, and one sees an 

 increase of ninety per cent.; fifty-three report a decrease. 

 As with all the water-fowl, the great majority of the reports 

 are from the coast counties, which shows that this Duck, like 

 many of the fresh-water fowl, has been driven from the in- 

 terior, where it was formerly common, to the coast, where it 

 is steadily decreasing in numbers. It is believed that this 

 species formerly bred in Washington County, Me., and it 

 may do so still, but there is no recent record of its nesting 

 within the United States. 



The male is a handsome bird; its bright contrasting tints 

 are highly ornamental, but, as is usual among Ducks, the 

 female is dull and inconspicuous in color and much smaller. 

 My youthful experience with the Dipper Duck convinced me 

 at the time that it could dive quickly enough to dodge a 

 charge of shot; but its immunity from danger probably was 

 due more to my inexperience and to the inferior quality of the 

 gun and ammunition used than to the quickness of the bird. 

 However, it dives like a flash, and is very likely to escape 

 unless the gunner, warned by experience, uses a close shooting 

 gun, judges well his distance and holds exactly right. When 

 a few are together one usually keeps watch when the others 

 are under water and warns them of danger by its short quack. 

 In flight it hurls itself through the air with tremendous speed, 

 its rapidly moving wings almost forming a haze about its 

 glancing form, which buzzes straight away as if bound for 

 the other end of the world. It alights on the water with a 

 tumultuous splash, sliding along for a little distance over the 

 surface. When it has once alighted it seems to prefer the 

 water to the air, and will often dive, rather than fly, to escape 

 danger. It is sometimes so fat that in the middle States it is 

 known as the Butter -box or Butter-ball, but the flesh is not 

 usually of a very good quality. Mr. F. A. Bates says that 

 he prefers to hunger rather than to eat a Dipper. Others 

 will agree with him, but I have never found any Duck that 

 was not fairly good if properly handled and prepared. As 

 with all Ducks the quality of its flesh depends largely on the 

 character of the food it has recently eaten, and this species. 



