GREEN-WINGED TBAL. 



198 



thcr gets very cold. In flight and upon the feeding- 

 grounds the two associate together promiscuously. 

 Unlike the blue-wings, the green-wings are quite 

 tenacious of life, and are more expert in diving. 

 Their call-notes, too, are entirely different, being 

 a succession of short, sharp whistles (pitched 

 about " high F " on a piano), by imitation of 

 which they may frequently be decoyed within 

 gun-shot, as they may also be by means of 

 stools, or wooden decoys. 



In the spring, though often quite abundant, 

 they are seldom made the special objects of 

 pursuit by the hunters, the larger and more 

 profitable species of wild fowl then claiming their 

 attention. If the sportsman is desirous of shooting 

 them, however, he should visit the low, overflowed 

 bottom-lands, where, amongst the low willows and 

 buck brush, they are almost certain to be found, 

 the tender buds of the willow and other trees 

 being their principal food at this season. They 

 frequently resort, too, to overflowed grassy prai- 

 ries, and feed upon the seeds of the grass which 

 float upon the surface of the water. In no other 

 branch of wild-fowling is a breech-loader of more 

 advantage than in teal-shooting, in consequence 

 of the large number of cripples often to be 



