Duck-shooting 81 



tion. If disturbed under these circumstances, the 

 old duck remains perfectly quiet, only quacking 

 when she jumps into the air. Left alone, the 

 young ducks occasionally betray their presence 

 by a frightened peep. The brood rapidly grows 

 to full size on a diet of insects, grubs, and various 

 water-grasses, and by the latter part of August 

 are full grown and able to flap out of the long 

 grass. Now they are easily killed, and their flesh 

 is most tender and excellent. 



In localities where blueberries grow near the 

 water they are a favorite food. On the Magdalen 

 Islands the writer has frequently seen black duck 

 feeding high up on the hills among the blueberry 

 bushes, in company with Hudsonian curlew. The 

 families soon congregate, and in the early fall we 

 find them in flocks of more than fifty. By the 

 middle of October they appear in numbers along 

 our coast, frequenting the ponds and rivers a 

 short distance inland and the shallow bays, espe- 

 cially where there are marshes. They are a wel- 

 come sight to every duck-hunter. At first killed 

 in some numbers, they soon learn all the gunner's 

 craft, during the day keeping to the open water, 

 and if in any uncertain place, well guarded by sen- 

 tinels ; they spring into the air with loud quack- 

 ing at the first suspicion of danger. In places 

 where black duck are much hunted, and there are 

 few spots where they are not, the birds come to 



