FULVOUS TREE DUCK. 



\A7TTH a much greater general dispersion than the 

 last species, this Duck extends its range consider- 

 ably farther north within our limits, and has bred in the 

 marshes near Sacramento, California, and has also been 

 found in Nevada, Louisiana, and Texas. In the latter 

 State it is called the Rufous Long-legged Duck, and in 

 Louisiana the Yellow-bellied Fiddler Duck, and Long- 

 legged Duck, and it is abundant at times near Galveston. 

 It is a summer visitor, like its relative, and frequents 

 similar places. At the mouth of the Rio Grande this 

 species is not uncommon and, it has been stated, it is 

 also abundant at the entrance of the Nueces River. The 

 Fulvous Tree Duck also breeds in trees, though the 

 natives at Mazatlan affirm that it nests amid the grass. 

 The eggs are pure white, and the female lays from ten to 

 fifteen. This species resorts to fresh-water ponds or 

 lakes, feeding principally upon seeds of grasses, and like 

 its relative visits the corn-fields at night to obtain the 

 grain. It is not wild, and affords much sport to the 

 hunter, and its flesh being as tender and delicate as that 

 of the Black-bellied Tree Duck, it is highly esteemed as 

 an article of food. When wounded it exhibits such 

 agility, running and dodging with so much speed, that 

 it is very difficult to capture, and in deep water it dives 

 and skulks with no little skill, and generally effects its 

 escape. The plumage is not so attractive as that of the 

 previous species, and it is a much plainer bird. 



