OF A RANCHMAN 99 



rise c a good distance off, on a high 



ridge, across which we had noticed that the 



s flew in crossing from one set of lakes 

 to another. The flight had already begun, 

 and our arrival scared off the birds for the 

 time being; but in a little while, after we 

 had hidden among the sheaves, stacking the 

 straw up around us, the ducks began to come 

 back, either flying over in their passage from 

 the water, or else intending to light and feed. 

 They were for the most part mallards, which 

 are the commonest of the Western ducks, 

 and the only species customarily killed in this 



of shooting. They are especially fond 

 of the corn, of which there was a small patch 

 in the grain field. To this flocks came again 

 and again, and fast though they flew we 

 got many before they left the place, scared 

 by the shooting. Those that were merely 

 passing from one point to another flew low, 

 and among them we shot a couple of gad- 

 wall, and also knocked over a red-head from 

 a little bunch that went by, their squat, 

 chunky forms giving them a very different 



