68 BIRDS 



sionally be found in Cuba and South America in December 

 and January. 



Sportsmen do not look on this duck with the same jjride 

 that they feel for a "bag" of canvas-backs or teal; yet the 

 flesh of the spoonbill is considered delicious. 



The female's note bears a resemblance to that of the 

 maUard, an oft-repeated " quack." It retires in May and 

 June to the lakes and marshes, chiefly those of the interior, 

 to breed. 



PINTAIL 



The Pintail ranges throughout North America, breed- 

 ing from Iowa and Illinois to the Arctic Ocean; wintering 

 from Virginia southward to the Greater Antilles and Cen- 

 tral America. 



The gunner's sprig, or spike-tail, is not easily decoyed, 

 being always suspicious of men. The pintails arrive in the 

 JNIiddle States with the first spring thaw, often late in 

 February. They are strong fliers, frequently covering 

 eighty miles an hour. Fresh-water ducks and feeding in 

 shallow places by dipping or dabbling, their mode of feed- 

 ing would make them highly palatable were they inclined 

 to fatten, but one rarely finds a fat pintail. The female 

 has a distinct low quack. They move about with some 

 ease on land, appearing less awkward than most ducks. 



The pintail resorts to the prairies of INIinnesota, Dakota, 

 and western Canada to breed. The nest is on a dry spot, 

 sometimes a mile from water. The female scratches a 

 hole in the earth and the eggs are deposited on a lining of 

 dead grass, accompanied by a generous amount of down 



