570 SPATULA CLYPEATA, SHOVELLER. 



appear never so careless, they are quick to catch the sound of coming 

 danger and take alarm ; they are alert in an instant ; the next incau- 

 tious movement, or snapping of a twig, startles them ; a chorus of 

 quacks, a splashing of feet, a whistling of wings, and the whole com- 

 pany is off. He is a good sportsman who stops them then, for the 

 stream twists about, the reeds confuse, and the birds are out of sight 

 almost as soon as seen. 



Much as elsewhere, 1 presume, the Duck hunter has to keep his wits 

 about him, and be ready to act at very short notice ; but there is double 

 necessity on the Verde. The only passages along the stream are Indian 

 trails, here always war paths. In retaliation for real or fancied wrongs — 

 or partly, at least, from inherent disposition — these savages spend most 

 of their time in wandering about, in hopes of plunder and murder ; this, 

 too, against each other, so long as the tribes are not leagued in common 

 cause against a common enemy. On the day I have in mind more par- 

 ticularly, we passed a spot where lay the bodies of several Apaches; 

 from the arrows still sticking in them we judged, afterwards, that they 

 had been killed by a stray band of Navajos. But this was not what we 

 thought most about at the time ; we were only four together, and this 

 was close by the place we designed to spend the day in hunting and 

 fishing. Contemplation of the decaying Indians was not calculated to 

 raise our spirits ; for though, of course, we knew the danger beforehand, 

 and meant to take our chances, it was not pleasant to have the thing 

 brought up in such a way. We kept on through the canon a little more 

 cautiously, talked a little more seriously, and concluded to look for 

 game in places where there was the least likelihood of an ambuscade. 

 I confess that the day's sport was rather too highly spiced to be alto- 

 gether enjoyable, and suspect that others shared my uncomfortable con- 

 viction of foolhardiness. However, the day passed without further in- 

 timation of danger ; game was plenty, and the shooting good. Out of 

 the woods, and with a good bag, we were disposed, and could better 

 afford, to laugh at each other's fears. 



SPATULA CLYPEATA, (Linn.) Boie. 

 Shoveller; Spoonbill Duck. 



Anas clypeata, Linn., Svst. Nat. i, 1766, 200. — Scopoli, Bemerk. Naturg. 1770, 63. — Gm., 

 Svst. Nat. i, 1788, 518.— Lath , Ind. Orn. ii, 1790, 856.— III., Prod. 1^11, 276.— 

 Pall., Zoog. ii, 1811, 282.— Vieill., Enc. Meth. 1823, 150.— Bkehm., Eur. Vog. 

 1823, 788.— Licht., Verz. 1823, 84.— WiM., Am. Orn. viii, 1814, 65, pi. 67, f. 7.— 

 Temm., Man. Orn. 1815, .544.— Bp., Obs. Wils. 1825, No. 255; Syn. 1828, 382.— 

 Wagl., Isis, 1831, 531.— Sw. & Rich., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 439.— Nltt., Man. ii, 

 1834, 375.— Jen., Man. 18.35, 230.— Temm., Man. ii, 1835,842; iv, 1840,540.— 

 Sw., Classif. B. ii. 1837, 367.— AuD., Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 241, pi. 337; Syn. 283; 

 B. Am. vi, 1843, 293, pi. 394.— Naum., Vog. Deutschl. xi, 1842, 747, pi. 306.— GiR., 

 B. L. 1. 1844, 317.— Dekay, N. Y. Zool. ii, 1844, 342.— Schl.. Rev. Grit. 1844, 115; 

 JIus. Pays-Bas, 1865, 33.— Degl., Orn. Eur. ii, 1849, 423.— Lbmh., Av. Cub. 

 1830, 115.— SwJ^■H., P. Z. S. 1863, 324.— Wright, Ibis, 1864, l.W; and of earlier 

 authors generally. 



Spatula clypeata, Boie, Isis, 1822, 564; 1826, 980.— Gray., List B. Br. Mus. 1844, 139; 

 Gen. of B. iii, 1849, 618 ; List Br. B. 1863, 197.— Woodh., Sitgr. Rep. 1853, 

 104.— Cass., Orn. U. S. X. Astr. Exp. 343.— Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 781 ; Mox. B. 

 Sui-v. 1859, 27.— HEER5I., P. R. R. Rep. x, 1859, pt. vi, 69.— ScL., Ibis, i, 1859, 231 

 (Guatemala).— Cab., J. f. 0. v, 228 (Cuba).— ScL., P. Z. S. 1861, 82 (Jamaica).— 

 Coop. & Sock., X. H. Wash. Ter. 1860, 255.— Hayd., Rep. 1862, 176.— Lawr., 

 Apn. Lye. 1860, 28.— Swinh., Ibis, 1863, 434.— Blak., Ibis, 1862, 9 ; 1863, 146.— 

 Ross, Canad. Nat. 1862.— CuuES, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 99 (Arizona).— CoUES, 

 Pr. Ess. Inst, v, 1868, 299.— Vkhu., ihid. iii, 1862, 158.— Daxl & Bann., Tr. Chic. 

 Acad, i, 1869, 297 (Alaska).— Jerd., B. India, iii, 1864, 796.— Gundl.. Cat. Av. 

 Cub. 1866, 389.— DEGL.-GEiiBE, Orn. Eur. 1867, 503.— Stev., U. S. Geol. Surv. 



