Sea and Bay Ducks 



air, for an hour after a severe fright, rather than expose its fat little 

 body, that it prizes more highly than do those who know its worth. 

 In any case a shot is more likely to stun than to kill a buffle- 

 head, that, like most other diving birds, is armored with a thick, 

 well-nigh impenetrable suit of feathers. It may fall as if mortally 

 wounded, but the cold water usually revives it at once, and the 

 expectant gunner looks for his victim many yards from where it 

 is safely recovering from its recent excitement. 



Because it can so illy protect itself on land, for it is a 

 wretched walker, and doubtless also because it chooses to nest in 

 countries where the fox and other appreciative eaters of its flesh 

 abound, the bufflehead enters a hollow tree to lay her light buff 

 or olive eggs. Here she sits, often in the dark, for four weary 

 weeks, quite ignored by the mate that in February almost bobbed 

 his head off in his frantic efforts to woo her. It is she that must 

 carry the large brood of ducklings in her bill to the water, teach 

 them all she knows on it, and count herself well rewarded if her 

 plumpest babies do not fall into the jaws of a pike ready to 

 swallow the little divers, but are spared to migrate with her to 

 open waters when the ice locks up their food at the north. 



Old Squaw 



(Clangula hyemalis) 



Called also: OLD WIFE; SOUTH-SOUTHERLY; LONG-TAILED 

 DUCK; OLD INJUN; SCOLDER; OLD MOLLY; OLD 

 BILLY; COCKAWEE 



Length — Variable, according to development of tail — 18 to 23 

 inches. 



Male — In winter : Blackish on back, breast, and tail, whose four 

 middle feathers are long and narrow; sides of the head 

 grayish brown; rest of head, neck all around, upper back, 

 shoulders, and underneath, white; no speculum on grayish 

 wings. Bill with large orange-colored patch; feet dusky 

 blue; In summer: Sides of head white; top of head, throat, 

 breast above and below, back and shoulders, black; white 

 underneath. Tail longer than in winter. 



Female — No elongated feathers in tail, which consists of four- 

 teen feathers coming to a point; head, neck, and upper 

 parts, dusky brown, with grayish patch around the eye and 

 one on side of neck; breast grayish, shading to white below; 



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