122 THE WILD FOWL AND GAME ANIMALS OF ALASKA 



frosty autumn da}^ approached he sallied out with his compan- 

 ions into the marshes to lay in a supply of ducks and geese for 

 winter. The question of cold storage cut no figure, for the two 

 or three hundred birds brought in were drawn and hung up in 

 an old warehouse and the climate did the rest, enabling us to 

 have roast duck or goose during the entire winter. 



HARLEQUIN DUCK 

 KING EIDER 



SPECTACLED EIDER 

 STELLER'S EIDEE 



Among the numerous berries growing wild on the treeless hills 

 of this coast, a kind of blueberry is very abundant in September, 

 and the } 7 oung ducks feed upon it until they become excessively 

 fat and so delicately flavored that they are delicious morsels. 

 We became tired of hung duck, however, before the winter ended, 

 and when the first solitary goose came flying over in spring, on 

 a reconnoitering trip, there was general rejoicing. I still remem- 

 ber the hearty zest with which we put an extra edge on our 

 knives and attacked the pioneer old gander that fell to our guns. 

 He was lean and tough after his long flight, but was thoroughly 

 enjoyed as an earnest of the coming season of plenty. 



Two kinds of ptarmigan are common on the mainland, and 

 will be considered dainty birds by man} 7 a hungry prospector, 



