68 ONTARIO. 



the edges of the lakes and swamps the sportsman seated 

 in ihp bow, and the Indian paddling with that skill and 

 total absence of splash and noise for which the Indians 

 are unrivalled. The black duck, when taken on the rise, 

 is a very easy shot ; when in the full swing of its flight, it 

 is a very difficult one. It is the shyest bird that I know. 

 Even in remote lakes, where it has never been disturbed, 

 and where one might expect to find it pretty tame, I have 

 never caught the black duck napping, though they decoy 

 well, particularly in the spring. Shooting out of a canoe 

 requires a great deal of practice, and it is a much more 

 difficult matter than when on one's legs, owing to the 

 cramped position of the shooter and the corky motion 

 of his craft. Putting pot-shots out of the question, 

 the sportsman who can show ten black ducks for twenty 

 empty cartridges has done well. 



The mallard (A. Bosclias) is identical with our English 

 wild duck in every respect. It has not nearly so wide a 

 range on the American continent as the black duck. The 

 mallard goes no farther east than the great lakes, neither 

 is it found in the far north. When it leaves- Upper 

 Canada at the commencement of winter it migrates to 

 the Southern and South-western States. 



The wood duck (A. Sponsa) is the most beautiful of all 

 ducks. To describe the plumage of an old drake would 

 simply be impossible ; it must be seen. Fishermen know 

 the value of its feathers. They make their appearance 

 in April, and leave early in the fall ; for, unlike most other 

 wild fowl, they cannot stand the cold. In spring they 

 may be seen in pairs, swimming about the most sheltered 

 lakes and rivers, or else roosting like crows on the trees. 



