346 BUCEPHALA ALBEOLA 



Food Value. Before they reach the coast I should rank these among the harm- 

 less class of ducks. They are fairly good if one cannot get anything better, and they 

 are often fat. As soon as they strike the coast, especially the old ones, I should 

 place them among the worthless birds for the table. Opinions vary. Some have 

 recorded them as "excellent eating," others as "fishy and unpalatable." Indeed one 

 can experience all degrees of rankness, according to the age and locality of the bird. 



Hunt. Buffle-heads are more inquisitive than sociable, but they are willing to 

 try anything once, hence they love to come whizzing over one's wooden decoys even 

 though they have no intention of stopping. They will come, especially the young of 

 the year, close to shore to look over a flock of live decoys. Single birds will, in fact, 

 hardly ever fail to do this in our New England ponds if they are given time enough 

 to explore the pond before they are frightened. As they fly low they have no fear of 

 a battery and they are constantly buzzing over one, but I do not think that I ever 

 saw one alight to a big stool of decoys. They want privacy, but they want to know 

 what is going on, too. 



Buffle-heads are distinctly foolish little birds and so a good many are stalked and 

 shot by boy shooters. Then, too, they love to follow close along a lake shore, al- 

 ternately diving and swimming, giving an easy chance to run down upon them while 

 they are under water. They fetched a very low price in the markets in the old days. 

 Nevertheless a good many were brought in to Boston with Golden-eyes and Scoters. 



Behavior in Captivity. Mr. Bendick, of Leduc, Alberta, writes me that he 

 has several times reared them from eggs, but has never kept them over winter. He 

 gets his eggs from wild nests in the vicinity, hatches the young under hens and feeds 

 them boiled eggs, boiled rice, lettuce and boiled potatoes and liver. He lets them 

 swim in a basin eight inches deep with a cement bottom. 



Hybrids . None are known. 



