THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL 307 



larger brethren can equal them in speed, and if 

 they chance to join a flock of larger ducks the 

 big fellows must keep moving or the Teal will 

 show them the road. Estimates of the speed 

 of ducks set the record for the teals at one hun- 

 dred miles an hour, — ^probably as liberal as 

 most estimates. 



About the time of the first frost or about the 

 full of the moon in September, the Blue-winged 

 Teal begins to migrate to the southland for the 

 winter. At this time the movement is general 

 and by October first scarcely a Blue-wing is 

 cleaving New England's skies. For a week or 

 ten days at most the flight is on and during the 

 early morning hours or just about sundown 

 those spots which present attractions to the 

 black duck are apt to receive a call from his 

 small cousins, the teals. They will mix with 

 any duck company they chance to meet, are less 

 suspicious than almost any others of the family, 

 come readily to wooden decoys, and a ''talking" 

 black duck toler is a sure enough winner with 

 them. They thus afltord great sport to the wild- 

 fowler and are very popular with all that 

 brotherhood whose favorite regalia are hip- 

 boots and old clothes, and whose chief joys in 



