II 



DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS 



^T'HERE are sixty-four species of ducks, geese and 

 * swans in North America north of Mexico. All of these 

 birds are described and pictured in my book, "Our Fea- 

 thered Game." Twenty-four species breed in the United 

 States. Aside from the aesthetic value of the birds many 

 of them are valuable as food and are accordingly legiti- 

 mate objects of pursuit. The ducks are classified by the 

 ornithologists as sea ducks, or divers, and fresh water 

 ducks, or dabblers. Many species of the sea ducks are not 

 very desirable as food on account of the fishy, or sedgy, 

 character of their flesh, but all of the fresh water ducks 

 are palatable and nutritious and well worth preserving. 



Among the sea ducks, the famous canvas back, the 

 redhead, the two scaups (black heads or bluebills), the 

 golden-eye, bufHe head and ruddy duck are the most 

 valuable. The fresh water ducks are the mallard, dusky 

 or black duck, the blue-winged, green-winged and cin- 

 namon teal, the shoveller, widgeon, sprig-tail, gadwall, 

 and wood-duck. 



Although the sea ducks nest in some of the Northern 

 States and much can be done in the way of protecting 

 them when breeding wild in places where their natural 



