THE CANVAS-BACK DUCK. 281 



characteristic by which they never can be mistaken, namely 

 a dip in the centre of the bill, while the upper portion of 

 it runs very far over the forehead. 



Rearing their young during summer upon the edge of 

 the arctic circle, no sooner do indications of approaching 

 winter occur, than on rapid and powerful wing they sweep 

 down the line of coast, seldom ceasing their flight till the 

 estuary of the Delaware or Chesapeake bay are reached ; 

 many continuing their course southward even to the 

 marshes of Louisiana, and the swamps on the sea-boundary 

 of Texas. 



On the Pacific coast they also, swarm within the same 

 degrees of latitude as on the Atlantic. Thus it may be 

 seen from their not being found in the interior of the 

 continent that they are essentially a sea-duck. A curious 

 circumstance connected with them is that until they have 

 fed on the vallisneria, familiarly known as water-celery, the 

 flesh of the canvas-back is insipid and fishy ; and as this 

 plant grows in the greatest abundance on the Chesapeake, 

 especially on a portion called the Susquehanna Flats, the 

 duck that are killed there are of far more value than when 

 shot elsewhere. 



As these birds are exceedingly strong, tremendous divers, 

 and covered with a very close coating of feathers, they 

 require a large-bore gun. My selection should be, after the 

 experiences of last season, a single barrel No. 6 with No. 3 

 shot for flight-shooting; a No. 10 or 8 double-barrel, with 

 5 shot for point-shooting. 



Immediately after their arrival from the north, they are 

 very easily decoyed, becoming more wary, however, when 



