126 The Water-fowl Family 



Numbers remain in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri 

 until driven farther south by cold weather. In 

 November and December they are found in Texas 

 and in the bays and lagoons along the Mexican 

 coast. The red-head is numerous in California 

 and Colorado ; abundant in the valley of the Salt 

 Lake, passing into Mexico, where it winters on 

 the interior lakes and along the Pacific Coast. 

 These birds reach the Chesapeake early in Novem- 

 ber, crossing the interior and not following to any 

 extent the Atlantic coast-line. They winter off 

 the coast of North Carolina, remaining until 

 March, some passing as far south as Florida and 

 the Bahamas. On the Chesapeake they feed on the 

 vallisneria, and under these circumstances the 

 flesh equals that of the canvas-back. The red- 

 head has many of the habits of the canvas-back, 

 and is killed in the same way, — from blinds on 

 the points along the line of flight, batteries off- 

 shore, or brush blinds staked out in shallow bays on 

 their feeding-grounds. In Currituck and Pamlico 

 sounds the regular method of shooting is from 

 batteries and brush blinds. The brush is set out 

 and left unused for some time until the birds 

 become accustomed ; then, when the opportunity 

 offers, at the first streak of dawn the skiff is 

 pushed out of sight in the brush tops, well sur- 

 rounded by stool. The first small flocks of six 

 or eight soon appear, usually taking some certain 



