WILD Dicks, 989 
the open season, and are therefore diligently sought for 
by market hunters. 
The green-winged teal (Querquedula cariolensis), which 
receives its name from the rich green hue of the specu- 
lum, has a black bill, light-bluish-gray feet, and a short, 
rounded tail of sixteen acuminate feathers of a brownish- 
gray color. The head and the upper part of the neck 
are chestnut-brown; a broad band of glossy-green, with 
whitish borders, is found on each side of the head; the un- 
der parts are whitish; the forebreast has black, circular 
spots; the upper parts and flanks are beautifully undulat- 
ed with black and white bars; and the wings are brown- 
ish-gray. An adult male has a length of about fifteen 
inches, and weighs from eight to eleven ounces. This 
species is remarkable for the beauty of its plumage, and 
its swift, graceful movements in flight. Its feathers, like 
those of the mallard, are in active demand for making 
artificial flies, and large quantities are shipped to Europe 
for that purpose. ‘The flesh is not considered equal to 
that of the blue-wing, yet the difference is very slight, for 
both live on the same class of food, and associate together 
in every part of the country where they are found. One 
reason for the epicurean distinction may be attributed to 
the habitat of the green-wing, for it is more maritime 
than its congener, and frequents tidewater and salt creeks 
near the coast, which the other never does. It is also 
hardier than the blue-wing, for it tarries longer in the 
north and returns from the south earlier in the spring. 
It is shot in the same manner as the others, and large 
bags can generally be made, as it flies in close order, de- 
coys with the utmost alacrity, and promptly returns to 
the call of the deceiver who sits with a loaded shotgun 
behind a blind, ready to assault it in the most cold-blood- 
ed manner. Its notes are short, sharp, and rapid. 
The wood, or summer duck (Aiz sponsa), is found all 
over the country, but I have not seen it so abundant any- 
