XXXVI 



OTHER RIVER DUCKS 



THE sprig-tail, often called the pin-tail or spike- 

 tail duck, is easily distinguished by the long 

 slender tail, which suggested the name. It is found 

 throughout North America, migrating like the others, 

 from the North to the Gulf of Mexico, and arriving in 

 the Northern States in September or October. It 

 may be looked for shortly after the appearance of the 

 wood-duck and the blue-winged teal. 



Like the other ducks this duck is not so abundant 

 as formerly, but many visit the Southern States each 

 winter, and it is a common duck in the middle West 

 and on the Pacific Coast. 



In the spring the pin-tail is said to drum like the 

 snipe,. arising high in the air and then falling suddenly 

 when a loud drumming noise is produced by the 

 wings. This is a most remarkable performance, and 

 the reader will find a further mention of it in the 

 •chapter on the snipe which I have seen when drum- 

 ming. 



The pin-tail is found in the same marshes with the 

 mallards, and is often shot over decoys when mallard- 

 shooting. It is one of the best table-ducks, its flesh 

 being uniformly in fine condition. 



Mr. Gumming, a San Francisco sportsman, writing 

 recently for a Western magazine, says the sprig-tail 



236 



