294 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 



of the head, the hue of the iris, and the longth and color 

 of tlie bill. The male of the red-head has a puffy head, 

 which slopes abruptly to the base of the bill, its hue be- 

 ing a chestnut-red, with bronzy reflections. The bill, 

 which is a pale, grayish-blue, with a dark tip, is broad, 

 depressed, and shorter than the head; the nostrils are 

 within the basal half, and the iris is orange-yellow, not 

 red, as in the canvas-back. The forepart of the body, the 

 rump, the tail, and the wings, are black; the under parts 

 are white; the scapulars and sides are whitish, undulated 

 with black, and the speculum is bluish-black. It has a 

 length of about twenty inches, and weighs two and a half 

 pounds, whereas the adult canvas-back is about twenty- 

 two inches long, and ranges in weight from three to nearly 

 four pounds. The female is duller in hue than the male, 

 and both sexes may be readily distinguished from the 

 other ducks by the form of the bill. The feet are a dull, 

 grayish-blue; the webs are dusky, and the claws black. 



The red-heads rank next to the canvas-backs in dainti- 

 ness of flesh, and command a high price in the market. 

 Few, except epicures, could distinguish the meat of one 

 from that of the other, however, as both species live on 

 the same class of food. They dive for this in the most 

 dexterous manner, when it is under water; and a pleasant 

 sight they present when thousands of them are bobbing 

 up and down in search of it. The red-heads are easily 

 told, their inquisitlveness being exceeded only by the 

 black-heads, and approached by the canvas-backs. They 

 tole readily to a red or black handkerchief by day, and 

 a white one by night, and become so maniacally excited 

 about the antics of a dog or a fox that they sometimes 

 come within fifteen or twenty feet of the shore, if the 

 water is deep enough to permit them to swim. When 

 they wheel sideways is the proper time to give them a 

 volley, for thirty or forty, if not more, may then be 

 bagged in one round. Some persons tie a handkerchief 



