160 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 



bly tear asunder bulbs and roots from the deep bottom 

 of the lake. Near them at this time we often notice 

 the sly widgeon, constantly showing its thievish pro- 

 pensities. As the canvas-back appears on the surface, 

 the widgeon rushes quickly upon it and snatches from 

 it the sweet roots it dived so deeply to obtain. 



The canvas-backs are frequently confounded with 

 red-heads, and I have witnessed discussions between 

 hunters who had certainly had experience enough not 

 to confound them. They are very similar, but the 

 similarity is more imaginary than real. The canvas- 

 back is larger, its head darker, and its bill a deep 

 black, while that of the red-head is deep blue or a 

 slatish color, The shape of the bill of the canvas-back 

 is wedged and long ; of the red-head moderately long 

 and concaved. These are simple distinctions to be re- 

 membered, and any hunter who fails to remember them 

 is injustinably ignorant. They are very tenacious of life, 

 their bump of stubbornness being fully developed, and 

 they will dive long distances, and prefer death by any 

 other means than by human agency. When one is crip- 

 pled, it will usually look around for perhaps a second, 

 to see where the danger lies, then down it goes, and if 

 rushes or cover are near, it is good-bye to that duck, it 

 will not be seen again. When one is crippled it should 

 be shot again, and at once. 



They will only decoy where they are accustomed to 

 feed, or think there i^food for them. At such places 

 they come in readily. Decoys of their own kind are best, 

 but red-head decoys are almost as good. To shoot 

 them from a blind, the hunter should be concealed near 

 where they are accustomed to feed, as far into the 

 water as possible from the edge of the shore. A low 



