294 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 
of the head, the hue of the iris, and the length and color 
of the bill. The male of the red-head has a puffy head, 
which slopes abruptly to the base of the bill, its hue be- 
ing a chestnut-red, with bronzy reflections. The bill, 
which is a pale, grayish-blue, with a dark tip, is broad, 
depressed, and shorter than the head; the nostrils are 
within the basal half, and the iris is orange-yellow, not 
red, as in the canvas-back. The forepart of the body, the 
rump, the tail, and the wings, are black; the under parts 
are white; the scapulars and sides are whitish, undulated 
with black, and the speculum is bluish-black. It has a 
length of about twenty inches, and weighs two and a half 
pounds, whereas the adult canvas-back is about twenty- 
two inches long, and ranges in weight from three to nearly 
four pounds. The female is duller in hue than the male, 
and both sexes may be readily distinguished from the 
other ducks by the form of the bill. The feet are a dull, 
grayish-blue; the webs are dusky, and the claws black. 
The red-heads rank next to the canyas-backs in dainti- 
ness of flesh, and command a high price in the market. 
Few, except epicures, could distinguish the meat of one 
from that of the other, however, as both species live on 
the same class of food. They dive for this in the most 
dexterous manner, when it is under water; and a pleasant 
sight they present when thousands of them are bobbing 
up and down in search of it. The red-heads are easily 
told, their inquisitiveness being exceeded only by the 
black-heads, and approached by the canvas-backs. They 
tole readily to a red or black handkerchief by day, and 
a white one by night, and become so maniacally excited 
about the antics of a dog or a fox that they sometimes 
come within fifteen or twenty feet of the shore, if the 
water is deep enough to permit them to swim. When 
they wheel sideways is the proper time to give them a 
volley, for thirty or forty, if not more, may then be 
bagged in one round. Some persons tie a handkerchief 
