CANVAS-BACK 127 



to the great flocks of wooden decoys and simply go boring along on their appointed 

 road. There come days at any season when Canvas and Red-heads will not stool to 

 decoys; why, nobody seems able to explain. 



To sum up, I cannot agree with many of the older accounts which describe this 

 duck as so extremely wild, for it is not wild when compared to our wintering New 

 England Black Ducks for instance. 



In hard, freezing weather accompanied by strong wind, Canvas forget their fear 

 of points of marsh and let the wind drive them against these places in their flight, so 

 that enormous bags may occasionally be made. 



In common with the Red-head and other diving ducks, the Canvas-back is pos- 

 sessed of a strong sense of curiosity, which in the old days was taken advantage of on 

 the waters of the upper Chesapeake. Large flocks were worked in toward the shore 

 by means of a tolling dog and even by waving a red flag, but this method was long 

 since abandoned. On their breeding grounds both C. B. Horsbrugh (1915) and Harper 

 (MS.) found them very inquisitive and easily enticed by movements of a partially 

 concealed observer, waving a hand to and fro. You can often attract them to a bat- 

 tery by kicking a foot in the air. 



Daily Movements. Canvas-backs are active during the early morning and late 

 afternoon on their autumn and wintering grounds. When much disturbed during the 

 day they are one of the first of the wild-fowl to leave for the sea, getting up high in 

 the air and bedding beyond the breakers in places like Currituck. They can stand 

 a very choppy sea and consequently nowadays large shoots at Canvas-backs are 

 only to be had in such places in very rough weather when they cannot stay on the 

 ocean. Like the Red-head and the Pochard this species will feed at night, particu- 

 larly on bright nights. But all diving ducks should have some period of the day to 

 feed in, even if only a half -hour in the morning and another in the evening. Night 

 shooting should, of course, be wholly prohibited, and the best results are obtained 

 where there are several rest days every week or where the shooting stops every day 

 by noon. 



Posture, Diving. One of the finest sights in the water-fowl world is a great 

 flock of male Canvas-backs on the water, with their upright richly colored necks and 

 heads and gleaming white backs, which make them appear to sit very lightly on the 

 surface. At other times they swim low, like a Pochard, the tail dragging in the water 

 and only the curve of the back, neck and head showing above the surface. 



They feed in water of moderate depth, from two or three up to eight or ten feet, 

 possibly more at times. They are often found in deeper waters than those frequented 

 by the Red-head, but it is very questionable whether they can feed at 25 feet as held 

 by some writers. Although the habit of using the wings under water is commonly 



