1 62 DUCK SHOOTING. 



wonted, and act as decoys to their relatives migrating 

 from the North, calHng them down and giving them 

 confidence that here, at least, is a place where they 

 may be free from persecution. 



In winter the redhead is found as far south as Mex- 

 ico and Southern Texas, but is more common further to 

 the northward, and, indeed, goes but little south of the 

 region where open water is found. It is abundant dur- 

 ing the migrations on Long Island, but is not common 

 on the New England coast. Each autumn and winter, 

 however, redheads are shot in great numbers on Great 

 South Bay, but rarely or not at all on Long Island 

 Sound. On the eastern shore of Virginia, in Chesa- 

 peake Bay, and on the sounds along the coasts of North 

 and South Carolina the redhead is very abundant, and 

 it spends the winter in great numbers in these waters, 

 leaving them only when, as usually happens once or 

 twice each winter, it is driven further south by the oc- 

 currence of cold weather, which freezes the sounds. In 

 such places, in all sorts of weather, they may be seen, 

 high in air, trading, as it is termed ; that is to say, flying 

 long distances far above the water, as if examining the 

 ground before they determined to alight. The great 

 flocks of birds that do this trading are usually canvas- 

 backs and redheads. 



The redhead is said by northern explorers to breed 

 throughout the fur countries, and they have also been 

 found breeding near Calais, Me. The nests are usu- 

 ally built close together, in colonies, generally near the 

 water, and are somewhat more substantial than ducks' 



