THE MALLARD. t>M7 



southern states during winter, many of the fields being covered 

 with a few inches of water, and the scattered grains of the for- 

 mer harvest lying in abundance, the ducks swim about and feed 

 at pleasure. 



The flesh of the common Wild Duck is in general and high 

 estimation; and the ingenuity of man, in every country where 

 it frequents, has been employed in inventing stratagems to 

 overreach these wary birds, and procure a delicacy for the ta- 

 ble. To enumerate all these various contrivances would far ex- 

 ceed our limits; a few, however, of the most simple and effec- 

 tive may be mentioned. 



In some ponds frequented by these birds, five or six wooden 

 figures, cut and painted so as to represent ducks, and sunk, by 

 pieces of lead nailed on their bottoms, so as to float at the usu- 

 al depth on the surface, are anchored in a favourable position 

 for being raked from a concealment of brush, &c. on shore. 

 The appearance of these usually attracts passing flocks, which 

 alight, and are shot down. Sometimes eight or ten of these 

 painted wooden ducks are fixed on a frame in various swimming 

 postures, and secured to the bow of the gunner's skiff, project- 

 ing before it in such a manner that the weight of the frame sinks 

 the figures to their proper depth; the skiff is then drest with 

 sedge or coarse grass in an artful manner, as low as the water's 

 edge; and under cover of this, which appears like a party of 

 ducks swimming by a small island, the gunner floats down 

 sometimes to the very skirts of a whole congregated multitude, 

 and pours in a destructive and repeated fire of shot among them. 

 In winter, when detached pieces of ice are occasionally floating 

 in the river, some of the gunners on the Delaware paint their 

 whole skiff or canoe white, and laying themselves flat at the 

 bottom, with their hand over the side silently managing a small 

 paddle, direct it imperceptibly into or near a flock, before the 

 Ducks have distinguished it from a floating mass of ice, and ge- 

 nerally do great execution among them. A whole flock has 

 sometimes been thus surprised asleep, with their heads under their 

 wings. On land, another stratagem is sometimes practised with 



VOL. in. Q q 



