388 



GAME OF THE UNITED STATES. 



goose," " gray goose" North America at large, 

 and extremely abundant in several localities. 



The shoal-water ducks (Anatince) include 

 the mallard (Anas boscas. Linn.), known as 

 the " green head," very abundant in the 

 United States, especially in Wisconsin and Illi- 

 nois ; the duskv duck (Anas obscura, Gmelin), 

 the "black duck" of the East and "black 

 mallard " of the West, a very common variety 

 on the Atlantic seaboard ; the gadwall 

 (Ghaulelasmus streperus, Gray), commonly 

 called the "gray duck," a bird chiefly con- 

 fined to the interior ; the American widgeon 

 ( Mareca Americanus, Steph.), sometimes called 

 the " bald pate," abundant throughout North 

 America, especially in Chesapeake Bay and the 

 Western States; the green- winged teal (Quer- 

 quedula Carolinensis, Steph.), scattered all over 

 this country a delicious table bird ; the blue- 

 winged teal (Querquedula discors, Steph.) ; the 

 shoveler (Spatula clypeata, Boie.), known 

 everywhere as the " spoonbill," abundant in 

 the Middle and Southern States, Illinois, and 

 Missouri; the wood duck (Aix spon&a, Boie.). 

 This beautiful bird is sometimes called the 

 " summer duck " ; it is met with on all the fresh 

 waters of North America. 



The sea ducks are distinguished by natural- 

 ists as the Fuligulince, and differ from the fresh- 

 water ducks by diving for their food. Usually 

 the FuligulincB are fishy in taste, but the genus 

 Fuligula, which includes the canvas back, the 

 red head, and the broad bill, are considered as 

 among the most delicious of all water fowl. 

 The canvas back (Fuligula vallisneria, Steph.) 

 is distributed throughout North America ; its 

 favorite grounds are the wild celery beds in 

 Chesapeake Bay ; of late years it has become 

 less abundant, owing to the depredations of 

 "night shooters"; the red head (Fuligula 

 ferina, var. Americana, Coues), sometimes 

 called pochard abundant in Chesapeake Bay 

 and Currituck Sound, North Carolina, and in 

 the Western States in spring and autumn ; the 

 greater scaup duck (Fuligula marila, Steph.), 

 called the "big black head," "broad bill," 

 " blue bill," " raft duck," and " flocking fowl," 

 very abundant throughout the United States ; 

 the lesser scaup duck (Fuligula qffinis, Eyton), 

 "little broad bill," etc., differs only in its 

 size from the greater scaup duck; the ring- 

 necked duck (Fuligula collaris, Bon.), found 

 in Western marsh-lands ; the golden-eye (Bu- 

 cephala clangula, Coues), called the "whist- 

 ler" habitat, the whole of North America; 

 the buffle head (Bucephala albcola, Baird) ; 

 this little dnck is known everywhere either as 

 the "dipper," "butter ball," "spirit duck," 

 "devil diver," or "salt-water teal " ; the long- 

 tailed duck (Harelda glacialis, Leach); this 

 duck is shot more for sport than for food it 

 is known as "old wife," "old squaw," and 

 " south-southerly," and found everywhere, even 

 on inland waters; the eider duck (Somateria 

 mollissima, Bon.), shot principally off the Massa- 

 chusetts coast; king duck (Somateria specta- 



lilis, Boie.), found on the north Atlantic coast 

 in winter; the black scoter ((Edemia Ameri- 

 cana, Swain), " copper nose " male, " gray 

 coat " female, northern United States in win- 

 ter; the surf duck ((Edemia perspicillata, 

 Steph.), "sea coot," "skunk head" Atlantic 

 coast 'in winter : in Long Island Sound it is 

 shot, from boats anchored in rows, by persons 

 who consider the slaughter of worthless fowl 

 sport; the ruddy duck (Erismatura rubida, 

 Bon.), abundant in North America, and some- 

 times called " the greaser." 



Grouse. The grouse family of the United 

 States embrace eight varieties, the most com- 

 mon of which are the raffed grouse (par- 

 tridge and pheasant) and pinnated grouse 

 (prairie chicken). The Canada grouse, " spruce 

 partridge " (Canace Canademis, Reich), has its 

 haunts in Canada, northern Maine, and the 

 Adirondack region ; and is usually treed by 

 cur dogs and shot. The dusky grouse (Ca- 

 nace obscura, Bon.), with its aliases, " blue 

 grouse," "gray grouse," "pine grouse," "mount- 

 ain grouse," and "fool hen," has its habitat in 

 Alaska, the Rocky mountain and Sierra Neva- 

 da country only. These birds are shot over 

 setters and pointers in the usual way. The 

 sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, S \vain- 

 son) is known as an inhabitant of the high, 

 dry plains of the interior, which are covered 

 with sage-brush. It is also called the "cock of 

 the plains." It usually lies well to a dog, and 

 sometimes affords fine sport. At the approach 

 of cold weather the sage grouse congregates in 

 packs numbering several hundred. The sharp- 

 tailed grouse (Pedicecetes phasianellus, var. Co- 

 lumbianus, Coues), vulgo the " sprig tail," 

 " pin tail," and " white belly," is found from 

 Alaska on the north to Kansas on the south, 

 and from Michigan to the Cascade range. It 

 is the variety Columbianus that is found in 

 the United States. It lies splendidly to a dog, 

 is fast of wing, and its flesh is extremely deli- 

 cate. This bird seems to retire before civili- 

 zation, while its place is taken by the prairie- 

 chicken. Another peculiarity of the sharp-tail 

 is that it goes on wing, instead of running, to 

 its feeding-ground. The pinnated grouse ( Cu~ 

 pidonia cupido, Baird), commonly known as 

 the prairie chicken of the Western States, has 

 greatly increased in Nebraska and Dakota dur- 

 ing the past fifteen years, owing to the im- 

 mense sowing of wheat. But it is becoming 

 very scarce in Indiana and Illinois, where it 

 was once abundant. It is an admirable bird to 

 work dogs upon, and affords great sport. In 

 the Northern and Middle States the bird has 

 been extinct for many years, and those who 

 desire good shooting must go for it west of 

 the Mississippi river. The ruffed grouse (Bo- 

 nasa umbellw, Stephens) is the "partridge" 

 of the East and North and " pheasant " of the 

 South and Southwest. The whole continent 

 is the range of this bird. It is very wary, and 

 does not afford certain sport. Its favorite 

 haunts are in the mountains, or in the impene- 



