Green-Winged Teal 181 



that greatly interested me. I was too young to carry a gun but trailed along 

 behind a hunter who graciously allowed me to wade into the marsh or pond to 

 secure an occasional bird that he shot. A small flock of Green-winged Teal came 

 along. He fired into it. A handsome male dropped out and fell into a pond 

 thickly grown with vegetation, which from the bottom came close to the surface 

 of the water. The moment the Teal struck it disappeared. It was easy to 

 determine the exact spot so I waded out and looking down into the water saw 

 it holding to the stem of a submerged plant, its tail pointing upward toward the 

 surface. Lifting it in my hands, the plant came up, still tightly clasped in 

 the bird's beak. I have been told by hunters that they have known wounded 

 Teal to dive and hold on in this manner until they perished for lack of air. 



As already intimated, the Green-winged Teal is an inhabitant of fresh- 

 water ponds and small lakes. Swift-running streams, so much beloved by 

 Mergansers, have little attraction for them, nor do we often meet with them 

 on the open waters of large lakes, except when in an effort to escape persecution 

 from hunters the birds will sometimes seek open reaches to rest during the 

 hours of daylight. Here, at such times, they will remain until the friendly 

 cover of darkness again invites them to return to their feeding-grounds. Some- 

 times they are seen in coastwise bodies of water, but not often, for the Teal 

 can in no sense be truthfully considered as salt-water Ducks. 



By no stretch of the imagination can the notes of our wild water-fowl be 

 considered musical, and the Teal is no exception to this general statement. 

 Eaton states that the male has a "mellow whistle," but frankly admits that 

 the call of the female is merely the conventional quack of the typical Duck. 



The Green-winged Teal is one of the earliest Ducks to arrive, in autumn, on 

 the southern feeding-grounds, and, on the other hand, is one of the last to 

 retire north in spring. The flight is rapid and is usually direct in passing 

 between two given points. This statement, however, will not hold true when 

 a flock is flying about a marsh for exercise or because it has been disturbed by 

 gunners. On such occasions the birds will turn and twist in a most bewilder- 

 ing manner. 



This species is very numerous, and although the bird is constantly perse- 

 cuted by hunters, there is little reason to doubt that with the protection 

 it is now afforded by state and Federal laws, and by an awakened public 

 conscience, it will long continue to grace our inland waters. 



