CANVAS-BACK DUCK. 251 



discover the ducks approaching them, make their 

 jumps less high, till they almost crawl on the 

 ground to prevent the birds discovering what the 

 object of their curiosity may be. This disposition 

 to examine rarieties has been taken advantage of 

 by using a red or black handkerchief by day and 

 a white one by night in toling, or even by gently 

 plashing the water on the shore. The nearest 

 ducks soon notice the strange appearance, raise 

 their heads, gaze intently for a moment, and then 

 start for the shore, followed by the rest. On 

 many occasions I have seen thousands of them 

 swimming in a solid mass direct to the object; 

 and by removing the dog further into the grass 

 they have been brought within fifteen feet of the 

 bank. When they have approached to about 

 thirty or forty yards, their curiosity is generally 

 satisfied, and, after swimming up and down for a 

 few seconds, they retrograde to their former sta- 

 tion. The moment to shoot is while they present 

 their sides, and forty or fifty ducks have often 

 been killed by a small gun. The black-heads tole 

 the most readily, then the red-heads, next the can- 

 vas-backs, and the bald-pates rarely. To prevent 

 the dogs, whilst toling, from running in, they 

 are not allowed to go into the water to bring out 



