CANVASS-BACK DUCK. fe) 
indefatigability and ambition of these animals are remarkable, and a 
gentleman informed me he had known his dog bring, in the space of 
one hour, twenty Canvass-backs and three Swans from the water, when 
the weather was so severe that the animal was covered with icicles, 
and to prevent his freezing he took his great-coat to envelope him. 
Some dogs will dive a considerable distance after a duck, but a crippled 
Canvass-back or Black-head, will swim so far under the water, that they 
can rarely be caught by the dog; and it often has been observed, that 
the moment one of these ducks, if merely winged, reaches the surface, 
he passes under, and however calm, cannot be seen again. To give 
an idea of the extreme rapidity with which a duck can dive, I will re- 
late an occurrence which was noticed by myself, and a similar one was _ 
observed by another of the party the same day. A male South-souther- ( 
ly was shot at in the water by a percussion-gun, and after escaping the ( 
shot by diving, commenced his flight. When about forty yards from 
the boat, he had acquired an elevation of a foot or more from the sur- 
face. A second percussion-gun was discharged, and he dived from the 
wing at the flash, and though the spot of entrance was covered by the 
shot, soon rose unharmed and flew. 
‘“* Canvass-backs, when wounded on the streams near the bay, instantly 
direct their course for it, and there nestle among the grass on the shores 
till cured, or destroyed by eagles, hawks, gulls, foxes, or other vermin, 
that are constantly on the search. If adead Canvass-back be not soon 
secured, it becomes a prey to the gulls, which rarely touch any other 
kind. I have seen severe contests take place between crippled Can- 
vass-backs and Gulls ; and although a pounce or two generally prevents 
further resistance, sometimes they are driven off. If the bird is re- 
markably savoury, the gull makes such a noise, that others are soon 
collected, when possession is determined by courage or strength. 
“ Another mode of taking Ducks consistsin placing gilling-nets under 
water on the feeding-grounds, and when they dive for food, their head 
and wings become entangled in the meshes, and they are drowned. 
This plan, though successful at first, soon drives the bird from these 
places; and in some cases, a few applications have entirely prevented 
their return for some weeks. Paddling upon them in the night or day 
produces the same effect, and although practised to some extent on 
Bush River is highly disapproved of by persons shooting from points. 
For the last three years a man has been occupied on this stream with 
