222 WILD-FOWL 



come as readily to the decoys. It is a wild and wary 

 bird, one of the most suspicious of all the water-fowl, 

 always on the look-out for an enemy and said to have 

 a keen scent which warns it from the danger lurking 

 in the blind. If ducks detect an enemy by means 

 of the sense of smell, smoking in the blinds should be 

 given up. The dusky duck may be said to resemble 

 the female mallard, but is darker. 



Black-ducks are somewhat nocturnal in their habits, 

 and often when disturbed in the morning fly far out on 

 the open water, where they spend the day and return 

 again at night to feed. 



One evening, after an unsuccessful day with the 

 scaups and red-heads, my bayman at Shinnecock asked 

 if I would remain out on the beach at night and shoot 

 the black-ducks as they came in to feed. The bay had 

 been full of them in the morning, but they all took 

 wing when far out of range and retired to the ocean. 

 The moon was full. As it arose it seemed light enough 

 to shoot by. We sailed away for the outer beach and 

 concealed ourselves without difficulty. Shortly the 

 ducks began to come. We heard the nasal quack — 

 quack — quack at intervals as they ilew in from the 

 ocean long before we could see them. As they passed 

 swiftly over the beach they were in sight for a moment 

 and again disappeared in the half-light on the bay. 

 The shooting was extremely difficult. I could only 

 see the birds as they passed between me and the moon. 

 After several misses a snap-shot caught a single bird 

 just as he passed en silhouette before the silver orb, 

 and down he fell upon the beach. A few more birds 

 were shot, but many shells were wasted in the dark. 



