CHAPTER, Ix: 
PROPAGATING NEW GROUNDS AND REPLENISHING 
OLD: WITH SEEDS, BULBS, ROOTLETS 
AND FLOWERS. 
It may be taken, as a general rule, that divers feed 
upon those aquatic plants whose seeds, roots and 
bulbs are entirely submerged; whereas, non-divers 
feed upon those which float upon the top or are only 
partially below the surface. This, however, is open 
to many exceptions, for the high or low state of the 
water governs to a great extent; for we frequently see 
non-divers feeding in the fall, when the water is low, 
in places they would avoid in the spring. Non-divers 
feed in shallow water inshore, upon the land in grain 
and corn fields. Naturally their food is more varied 
from the amount of grasses which abound there, 
whereas the divers rarely go ashore to feed far from 
the water’s edge. 
To procure the food for our divers involves much 
labor and experience. As wild celery is by far the most 
favorite food of our best table divers, such as canvas- 
backs, redheads, both the scaups, ring-bills, with the 
bald-pates of the non-divers, a few points upon the 
subject may be of value. To gather it upon our lakes, 
watch carefully about the latter part of the summer 
and you will observe long eel-like leaves resembling 
narrow ribbons floating upon the surface of the water 
near to a small flower which belongs to the frogbit 
5 65 
