94 GAME BIRDS, WILD-FOWL AND SHORE BIRDS. 



partly that a gunner who can choose his time can rake them 

 terribly upon the water. They like to wade and paddle about 

 in the shallow water near the shore of some pond, and to 

 hunt insects in the grass. This bird feeds in daylight where 

 it is not much disturbed, but otherwise, like all other wild- 

 fowl, it feeds much at night, particularly on moonlit nights, 

 when all Ducks appear to be active and often noisy. In the 

 winter of 1877-78 I camped in a great marsh in Florida, 

 where Ducks of many species could be heard calling and 

 feeding throughout the night. Among them the notes of the 

 Teal could be heard. This species shows good diving powers 

 in times of danger, and it is almost as active on land as in 

 the water, for it can run well at need. 



This Teal, like the Blue-winged Teal, is of excellent flavor 

 when it has been feeding on wild rice, wild celery and various 

 pond weeds, but when it is driven to the seashore in winter 

 its flesh soon becomes inferior. 



It breeds across the entire northern part of the continent, 

 but few breed now in the United States east of the Rockies. 

 Its principal breeding grounds now are in west central Canada. 



It is fond of wild oats and rice and takes seeds of various 

 grasses and weeds, also chestnuts, acorns, wild grapes, berries, 

 insects, crustaceans, worms and small snails. Audubon states 

 that he never found water lizards, fish or even tadpoles in 

 stomachs of the Green-winged Teal. He regarded it, when 

 fed upon soaked rice or wild oats, as far superior to the 

 Canvas-back, and considered it the most luscious food of any 

 American Duck. Possibly it might be domesticated to ad- 

 vantage, as it has been bred in captivity in a small way. 



