212 AMERICAN GAME. 
monly in pairs, or singly. The common note of the 
drake is peet, peet ; but when, standing sentinel, he sees 
danger, he makes a noise not unlike the crowing of a 
young cock, oe eek-/ oe eek! Their food consists princi- 
pally of acorns, seeds of the wild oats, and insects.” 
Mr. Wilson states, as his opinion, that the flesh of this 
lovely little duck is inferior in excellence to that of the 
blue-winged teal. But therein I can by no means coin- 
cide with him, as I consider it, in the Atlantic states, 
inferior to no duck except the canvas-back, which is ad- 
mitted facile princeps of all the duck tribe. The Sum- 
mer Duck is in these districts probably the most grami- 
nivorous and granivorous of the family, not affecting fish, 
tadpoles, frogs or field-mice, all of which are swallowed 
with great alacrity and rejoicing by the mallards, pin- 
tails, and other haunters of fresh water streams and 
lakes. 
On the great lakes of the west and north, where all 
the duck tribe feed to fattening on the wild rice and wild 
celery, zizania aquatica and balisnertia Americana, no 
one species is better than another, all being admirable ; 
but in the course of an autumn spent on the northern 
shores of Lake Huron and the rivers debouching into it, 
and thence north-westward to Lake Superior, I do not 
remember seeing any specimens of this beautiful bird, 
though I feel sure that it cannot but exist in those waters, 
which are in all respects so congenial to its habits. 
Another peculiarity of this species, which I have 
