Duck-sbooting 



127 



course. Once within sight of the decoys, one or 

 two ducks turn in on set wings; another instant 

 and the flock hover in front. When startled, 

 they often spring together, and the gunner of ex- 

 perience waits for this chance. Red-head come 

 to decoys with a grace few ducks possess, if only 

 they decide to come ; but many times in full sight 

 of the stool they turn neither to right nor left, 

 keeping the same aggravating course, just out of 

 range. 



These birds hail to a red flag almost as well as 

 the broadbill, but at the present time of more 

 gunners than ducks, tolling is seldom used. 



On Long Island the red-head is found in small 

 flocks. The eastern end of Great South Bay and 

 of Shinnecock Bay for the past two years have 

 been the resort of these birds. North of Long 

 Island, along the coast, this species is rare. In 

 Connecticut the red-head I have seen have usually 

 been in flocks of the large broadbill, and several 

 birds in my possession were shot under these cir- 

 cumstances. In March, 1900, five red-head were 

 killed on Lake Saltonstall, near New Haven. In 

 the spring of the year these birds are killed in 

 large numbers in certain places along the Missis- 

 sippi and its tributaries, when the woods are 

 flooded. The red-head is a high, fast flyer, a 

 gentle whistling marking the flight. Occasionally 

 a low quack is heard, but generally the bird is 



