THE CANVAS-BACK DUCK 187 



also appeared that those Ducks sought their food and became 

 entangled only at night. It takes a bold and energetic bird 

 to feed successfully at night in ninety feet of water! 



Naturally, this fine bird has ever been a prime favorite 

 with sportsmen and "market shooters," and during the past 

 thirty years its numbers have diminished to about one- 

 fiftieth of what they were prior to 1885. It is as easily de- 

 ceived by decoys as green hunters are; and in preparing to 

 alight the Redhead flock has a fatal habit of coming together 

 in a manner called "bunching," which is as deadly to the birds 

 as "close formation" is to soldiers in a modern battle. 



Much more might be noted regarding this interesting 

 bird, which must be left to the special works on birds. For 

 many reasons it is very desirable that the Redhead should be 

 semi-domesticated, and by protection and breeding in cap- 

 tivity saved from the final blotting out which otherwise may 

 be its fate. While it does not breed in captivity as bravely 

 as the mallard, it can be taught to do so, and the price at which 

 living birds can be procured ($5 each) is so very moderate 

 that experiments with it are not costly. 



The distribution of this bird is given as "North America, 

 , breeding from California, southern Michigan and Maine 

 northward"; but in North America there are to-day more 

 lands and waters without this duck than with it. In addition 

 to its best and most appropriate name it is also called Raft 

 Duck, and American Pochard. 



The Canvas-Back Duck^ had the misfortune, early in 

 its history, to attract the evil eye of the deadly epicure, 



1 Ay-thy'a val-lis-ne'ri-a. Average length, 22 inches. 



