272 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN/ 



far down the bay, where the valisineria is thinly distributed and the 

 shallows are more generally covered with a different variety of 

 marine plant, known as eel-grass. At such times, the canvas- 

 backs, being driven to partake of this rank grass, as well as small 

 fish and many other less dainty articles of food, soon lose a great 

 deal of that delicacy of flavor which alone seems to be imparted to 

 their flesh by the use of this water-celery. If they should be con- 

 fined to a different diet for any considerable time, their flesh be- 

 comes sedgy and savorless, and is not much superior to many 

 other varieties of sea-coast fowl. 



The fact of the fondness of the canvas-back for this bulbous 

 root, and the knowledge of the peculiar savor imparted to their 

 flesh by partaking of it, has been turned to useful account by 

 some of our intelligent agriculturists, who coop and feed the com- 

 mon domestic duck upon the tops and roots of the garden celery 

 for a few days previous to killing them, which plan is said to 

 much improve their flavor and altogether destroy that rankness 

 which is often observable in the barnyard fowl. A friend of the 

 author, who has fattened ducks in this way, assures him that it was 

 almost impossible to distinguish some of them from wild ones, 

 their taste being so much improved. 



The canvas-back extends its migrations as far south as Florida, 

 and is known at New Orleans under the somewhat singular appella- 

 tion of "canard cheval." They are much esteemed in that city 

 for their delicacy, but are said to be far inferior to those killed on 

 the Chesapeake. Canvas-backs are often met with in the markets 

 of Charleston and Savannah ; but they are commonly very poor, 

 insipid, and at times fishy, and not as much esteemed late in the 

 season as either mallards or teal. We are informed by a friend that 

 these ducks are very numerous in Galveston Bay, and at times are 

 most excellent eating. 



In the neighborhood of New Orleans the canvas-backs resort 

 to wet prairies and fresh-water ponds, where they feed upon the 

 seeds of various plants, more particularly those of the wild oats 

 and water-lily. This kind of food being somewhat analogous to 



