234 DUCK SHOOTING. 



"They are rather earlier in making their ap- 

 pearance abundantly. The variation is never great, 

 however, and the birds appear in the following 

 order : the wood-ducks first, being plentiful early in 

 September; the blue-winged teal begin to surpass 

 them about the 20th of that month, and soon after- 

 ward the mallards arrive; widgeons are abundant 

 by the middle of October, and canvas-backs and 

 red-heads are the latest." 



" Ah," burst forth the unlucky man, enthusiasti- 

 cally, " the wood-duck shooting is my favorite ; 

 when they rise from the liUes they are easier to 

 kill than when flying past at full speed ; and you 

 have a punter to pole the boat and help mark the 

 wounded birds." 



" October has my preference," responded the 

 President, with glowing eye; "the large ducks — 

 the mallards, canvas-backs, and red-heads — have 

 then arrived ; the blue-bills and teal are numerous ; 

 and, when a single teal flies past, a man has to 

 know how to handle his gun to keel him over 

 handsomely." 



" But mallards dodge, when you rise to shoot, at 

 the report of the first barrel; and red-heads and 

 canvas-backs, if not killed stone dead, dive and 

 swim off under water, or, catching the weeds in 

 their bills, hold on after death and never reappear. 

 Have you noticed the large teeth, or nicks, in the 

 bills, especially of red-heads ? " 



"Yes. Those long, recurved teeth aid them in 

 tearing up the wild celery, on which they feed. I 



