266 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 
an idea of their numbers when they are engaged in their 
annual migratory tours from north to south and back 
again. Portions of the country are actually thronged 
with them at such times, so that they present the appear- 
ance of enormous clouds of feathers. There are also a 
greater number of species on the Western Continent than 
in any other quarter of the globe, if I remember rightly, 
for of the two sub-families into which the Anatide are 
divided, twenty-three species belong to the Fuliguline, 
or sea ducks, and twelve species and varieties to the An- 
ating, or fresh water ducks, or about forty-five in all. 
Both these sub-families are so distinctly marked that 
they may be readily distinguished apart, even if their 
habits were not so different. The legs of the sea ducks 
are, in the first instance, placed farther back than they 
are in their fresh water congeners, in order to give them 
greater swimming power; the hind toe, instead of being 
simple, has a small piece of skin on its lower side; the 
body is more densely feathered; and a thick covering of 
down protects the flesh from the chilling effects of very 
cold water. These live principally on animal matter, 
although some species devour both fish and vegetables; 
they dive for their food, which their fresh water kindred 
never do; they are largely maritime in their habitat, yet 
the majority nest near lakes and streams; and they are, 
as a rule, much inferior in flesh to their congeners, the 
exceptions being the red-head, broad-bill, canvas-back, 
and a few others. 
The Anatine live on insects, slugs, grasses, seeds, wild 
rice, and other palatable vegetation; but in searching for 
these they never submerge the whole body, and rarely 
little more than the head and neck. They are fond of 
frequenting tide-waters sometimes, yet they seldom re- 
main any length of time at sea, their favorite haunts 
being fresh water which produces a generous supply of 
their favorite kinds of food. They are exceedingly abun- 
