DAFILA. 491 



meet the caller. The sportsman, watching the approaching 

 flock, holds one of the other tame ducks ready to throw ; 

 and, as soon as the wild ones approach near enough to see 

 the others, he throws towards the anchored duck the one 

 held in his hand, which is secured from flying oif, by a 

 strong line fastened to its legs. The bird moored in the 

 water, seeing her mate flying towards her, immediately 

 redoubles her cries, when the Dusky Ducks, after flying back 

 and forth, alight beside her. As soon as they alight, they 

 gather together in a flock away from the decoy ; and it is 

 then that the sportsman pours in his first shot: he fires 

 when the birds are rising from the water, and is often 

 enabled to get four shots at the flock before it gets out of 

 gunshot. The excitement attending this shooting is better 

 appreciated when known. I have passed many days in 

 bowers of this description, and have had my share of the 

 excitement. It is only early in the morning and late in 

 the afternoon that these birds can be shot in this manner ; 

 and, if they are much hunted, they will hardly approach one 

 of these bowers without great caution. This duck remains 

 with us through nearly the whole year, and moves south- 

 ward only in very severe winters. When the fresh ponds 

 are not frozen, it prefers them to the salt water ; but in 

 winter it is most abundant in our bays and small creeks, 

 where it feeds on small shell-fish and other marine animals. 

 In autumn it is one of the best flavored of our water- 

 fowl, but in winter is not so good, having much of the 

 fishy taste of the sea-ducks. 



DAFILA, Leach. 



Dafila, "Leach," Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool., XIL (1824) 226. (Type .dn as 

 acuta.) 



Bill long, narrow; considerably longer than the foot; nearly linear, but widen- 

 iug a little to the end, which is truncate, rounded; nail small; nostrils small, in the 

 basal third of bill; tail pointed; the two middle feathers lengthened, so as nearly to 

 equal the wings. 



