WiLD-FoWL OF WILD-FOWL 



ing our camp in a grove of timber on the shore, 

 for several days found many interesting things to 

 investigate. A few miles back from the lake was 

 a rushy, grass-grown slough that supported a mar- 

 vellous variety of Ducks. It was a mile and a 

 half long, and, as we put up the horses in a sod 

 barn near the shore, and saw some Gadwalls, Bald- 

 pates, Blue-winged Teals, Shovellers, Mallards, and 

 Pintails feeding near-by, down where the cows 

 drank, I realized what a wonderful place it was. 

 The water was too deep to wade, except at the 

 lower end of the slough, and the only boat had 

 been burned in a prairie fire. For all that, I saw 

 enough birds. Pairs of Ruddy Ducks were swim- 

 ming among the reeds, holding their tails erect, as 

 is their unique fashion. By this habit they can be 

 distinguished from any of the other Ducks. The 

 male, at this season, is very striking in his bright 

 reddish coat and pale -blue bill. Eared, Horned 

 and Pied - billed Grebes, and Coots, were every- 

 where near neighbors of the Ruddies. Farther 

 out there were the Greater and Lesser Scaups, in 

 pairs, also very many pairs of Redheads, and, most 

 conspicuous of all, Canvasback couples that were 

 floating about in the more open lanes and areas of 

 water. In one place where I stood I counted 

 eleven pairs of Canvasbacks, and one solitary male, 

 whose mate had doubtless already begun her month- 

 long vigil somewhere in one of the reedy clumps. 

 A pair of Pintails were busy on the prairie, near 

 the margin, and I found they were scratching a 

 hollow that was to be their nest. Wherever I went 

 pairs or parties of all these species of Ducks that 



177 



