598 THE WOOD DUCK. 



General Range. — Northern hemisphere. In North America breeds from 

 Iowa and Illinois northward; migrates south to Panama and Cuba. 



Range in Ohio. — Common spring and fall migrant. Common winter resi- 

 dent in southern portion. 



A bunch of ducks has been marked down in the old 'slough,' and the sight 

 has aroused for the moment feelings which flourish in the youthful breast at 

 the expense of all others. The instinct of the chase, inconsistent, indefensible, 

 perennial, self-sufficient, vital, impels the farmer boy to seize the old shotgun 

 and slip down the lane into cover of the fringing willows, which lead along a 

 tiny sluggish stream to the edge of the swamp. First on hands and knees, then 

 snake fashion, with a scowl for every time the muzzle of the gun scoops mud, 

 and a sinking of heart when a dry twig breaks, the lad works up cautiously to a 

 well-known bush clump which overlooks the pond. There they are, seven beau- 

 ties, "Sprig-tails," riding high upon the water, graceful, quick and a little rest- 

 less. Some faint presentiment of danger has overtaken the group, and they 

 have edged over to the other side of the open stretch of water, but one more 

 reckless than the rest is 'tipping' for some hidden roots, leaving his tail to stick 

 straight up in the air like a waving tuft of young bulrushes. 



It is a long shot, but there is nothing else for it this time. One barrel 

 for the birds 'on the set' — Bang ! And again as the remaining birds rise and 

 crowd together in the first moment of confusion. Bang ! goes the other barrel. 

 Seven birds in two shots ! Hooray ! Luck enough to satisfy the king ! 



Pintails are very wary, and when mingling on the water with other species 

 are usually the first to give the alarm. Their flesh is excellent, and they are 

 eagerly sought for, but they are still among the common ducks. In spring 

 they move early, passing northward in immense flocks. Their flight is 

 extremely swift, perhaps the most rapid of any of the ducks, so that even with 

 smokeless powder and a repeater, the man behind the gun has a good deal to 

 do. In the fall the flocks are not so large, and they are much more numerous, 

 an indication, perhaps, that their breeding range covers a much larger stretch 

 of country than that allowed them for a winter home. 



No. 292. 



WOOD DUCK. 



A. O. U. No. 144. Aix sponsa (L,inn.). 



Synonyms. — Summer Duck; "The Bride." 



Description. — Adult male: Of almost indescribable elegance; head, crested, 

 metallic and iridescent green, purple, violet, and black; a white line from angle 

 of upper mandible along crown, and another backward from behind eye, both 

 continued in the feathers of the large occipital crest ; throat white, sending up 

 two transverse bars on either side on cheek and hind-neck ; fore-neck and breast 



