222 



DUCK SHOOTING, 



sought after by market gunners. Great numbers are 

 therefore killed each season now, where formerly they 

 were almost unmolested, and the result has been a very 

 noticeable reduction in the numbers of these little birds. 

 The ruddy duck has a great number of common 

 names, most of which refer to its physical peculiarities 

 or to its great gentleness. Thus it is called sleepy 

 broad-bill, sleepy-head, sleepy duck, sleepy coot, sleepy 

 brother, fool duck, deaf duck, booby and booby coot, 

 paddy and noddy. From its tail it is called stiff-tail, 

 spine-tail, quill-tail coot, pin-tail, bristle-tail, heavy- 

 tailed duck, stick-tail and dip-tail diver. From its sup- 

 posed toughness, or the difficulty with which it is 

 killed, come such names as hard-headed broad-bill, 

 shot-pouch, stub and twist, hard-head, tough-head, 

 hickory-head, greaser, steel-head, light-wood knot and 

 perhaps hard tack. There are a great number of other 

 names, for which the reader must be referred to Mr. 

 Trumbull's excellent volume. 





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