THE PINTAIL DUCK. 267 



state of the weather, or the appearance of other species, with which it keeps 

 company. Their plumage is in fine condition when they arrive; their tail- 

 feathers are then as long as at any other period, and the whole apparel of the 

 adult birds is as perfect as in the breeding season. 



On the water, few birds exhibit more graceful motions than the Pintail 

 Duck. Its delicately slender neck, the beautiful form of its body, and its 

 pointed tail, which it always carries highly raised, distinguish it from the 

 other species with which it may associate. There seems also a kind of natu- 

 ral modesty in it which you do not find in other Ducks, and its notes, which 

 are often heard, are soft and pleasant. That these notes should ever have 

 been compared to those of the Mallard, appears to me very strange; — so 

 strange that I am tempted to believe that they who say so must have mis- 

 taken Mallards for Pintails. 



Whilst with us, the Pintail is found in company with the Baldpate or 

 American Widgeon, the Blue-winged Teal, and the Mallard, more frequent- 

 ly on ponds than on streams, although it sometimes resorts to the latter, 

 when their shores are overhung with beech-trees loaded with their nutritious 

 fruits, of which this species is extremely fond, and in search of which they 

 even ramble to a short distance into the woods. Were this Duck to feed 

 entirely on beech-nuts, I have no doubt that its flesh would be excellent. It 

 feeds on tadpoles in spring, and leeches in autumn, while, during winter, a 

 dead mouse, should it come in its way, is swallowed with as much avidity as 

 by a Mallard. To these articles of food it adds insects of all kinds, and, in 

 fact, it is by no means an inexpert fly-catcher. 



The Pintails are less shy in the Western Country than most species of 

 their family, and in this respect they resemble the Blue-winged Teals, which 

 in fact might be called stupid birds with as much propriety as many others. 

 They swim rather deeply, keep close together, and raise the hind part of the 

 body like the Mallards; and on the water, on land, or on the wing, several 

 may generally be killed at a shot. A friend of mine killed nineteen with 

 two shots of his double-barrelled gun. They are scarcely nocturnal, but rest 

 much in the middle of the day, basking in the sunshine whilst on the water, 

 whenever they can indulge in this luxury. While on ponds, they feed along 

 the most shallow parts, or by the edges; and if you take my advice, you will 

 never shoot at them while their heads are at the bottom, and their feet kick- 

 ing above water. I have several times, for diversion, done so, but in no 

 instance did I damage a single individual. But when they raise their heads, 

 you may commit great havoc among them. 



During heavy rains in winter, or after them, the Pintails are fond of 

 alighting on our broad prairies, corn-fields and meadows;, and in almost 

 every puddle you may then find them busily engaged. They move over 



