RED-HEADED DUCK. 269 



to old ploughed fields — blades long, thin, and rather 

 narrower than the witch-grass, and its bulbs round, 

 about the size of a pea, of a bright reddish-brown 

 color on the outside, and on the inside a flaky 

 white. 



They assemble in large flocks on their feeding- 

 grounds, and associate indiscriminately with both 

 deep and shoal water ducks, but are rarely seen in 

 flight with other than their own kind. They fly 

 bunched closely together, but at regular rates of 

 speed and in good order, and seldom pitch or 

 dart about, as is the general habit of those shoal- 

 water ducks that fly clustered together. They 

 come in splendidly to decoys set out on their 

 feeding-grounds, but very many flocks will pass 

 them by closely without noticing them if on a 

 passway. When they are coming to your decoys 

 down-wind or with a side wind, rise just before 

 they get to you, and as they double back to 

 alight, " turn it loose " at the middle of the cluster. 

 They are not very tenacious of life, and fre- 

 quently six or eight may be killed at a shot in 

 this way. At times they appear uncommonly 

 foolish, returning to the decoys and lighting down 

 immediately after being shot at. An imitation 

 of their note, which much resembles the mewing 



