CHAPTER XXIV. 



PIN-TAIL DUCK — SPEIG-TAIL DTTCK. 



(^Anas Acuta.") 



The pin -tail, or as it is frequently called, the sprig-tail 

 or sharp-tail duc]|,, is one almost as familiar to Western 

 shooters as the mallard. They are a particularly hand- 

 some duck, and their graceful proportions are admired 

 more than any other of the duck species. They are 

 swift flyers, when inclined to be so, and their long, 

 rakish contour leads one to instantly decide that they 

 have the requisite embodiments of all that is necessary 

 for great speed. As they stand on some grassy knoll, 

 with their long necks stretched up, showing the per- 

 fect proportions of their long, oval-shaped bodies, 

 terminating at a sharp point at the end of their tails, 



