NATURAL HISTORY. 



THE GREEN-WING TEAL. 



A nas carolinesis. 



ALLAN BROOKS. 



{See page 348.) 



While the wood duck surpasses it in rich- 

 ness of color, few will not concede that 

 the green-wing teal is the daintiest of 

 American ducks. It is familiar to every 

 sportsman. Its range embraces the whole 

 continent, and it visits, occasionally, the 

 smallest and most isolated pools. 



Anyone seeing these tiny ducks in their 

 spring haunts will be charmed with their 

 grace and beauty. Watch the antics of the 

 drake as he endeavors to attract the admi- 

 ration of his more sombre mate. She seems 

 quite indifferent to his beauty, however, 

 and flies away; but the minute she alights 

 again he splashes down beside her, and 

 proudly swims around, uttering his soft 

 whistle again and again. 



In the fall they sometimes go in enor- 

 mous flocks. I have seen many thousands 

 of them gathered on the mud flats, black- 

 ening the ground for half a mile or more. 



In spite of its dainty appearance, the 

 green-wing is, in this country (British Co- 

 lumbia) almost as foul a feeder as the mal- 

 lard. 



In the late fall, when thousands of salmon 

 are rotting in every creek, the teal gorge 

 themselves on the putrid fish and on the 

 maggots they contain. I have even shot 

 these birds in September, on their flight to 

 the marshes, when their stench betrayed 

 their taste for high living. 



They also eat large quantities of salmon 

 ova; filling their gullets till they can hold 

 no more. 



When clean fed, however, there is no 

 better duck for the table. Nor is there one 

 that, when in full flight, more severely 

 taxes the sportman's skill. 



They answer readily to the mallard call 

 and are, perhaps, the easiest of all ducks to 

 decoy. 



They are early breeders and have full 

 fledged young in July, when the blue- 

 wing and cinnamon teal are still sitting. 



THE BLUE JAY. 



P. S. MOTTELAY. 



The blue jay, with his brilliant plumage 

 banded with black and white, and his gaudy 

 blue crest, is one of our best known birds. 



Although a beautiful bird, he is unpopu- 

 lar because he is supposed to eat the eggs 

 and young of other birds. 



The blue jay frequently manifests an in- 

 ordinate curiosity, and when he sees any- 

 thing moving about the bushes, rarely fails 



to institute an investigation. Should the 

 cause of his alarm happen to be a hunter, 

 the bird apparently becomes terrified and 

 at once gives forth a harsh, warning note. 

 Many a time, while stealthily creeping 

 along in pursuit of feathered game, I have 

 been observed by this meddling bird, who 

 would, instantly alarm everything nearby 

 with his loud " squawk." 



Blue jays nearly always go in pairs, or in 

 small flocks of 8 or 10; though sometimes 

 they band together in flocks of considerable 

 size. 



In their wild state they are difficult of ap- 

 proach, but in captivity they often become 

 very tame. They heartily hate the owl, and 

 when they find one, they assemble in the 

 neighborhood and harass the poor bird 

 until, to be rid of his persecutors, he flees 

 to a denser part of the wood. 



Besides feasting on young birds and 

 eggs, the blue jay eats caterpillars, moths, 

 beetles, fruits and berries. 



It makes great havoc in the cherry trees, 

 eating the finest fruit and even peeling off 

 the bark. 



Its nest is placed at a considerable dis- 

 tance from the ground and is loosely put 

 together. It is composed principally of 

 sticks and lined with roots and grasses. 

 The eggs generally number 5, and are of a 

 light green color, thickly spotted with 

 brown. 



DO QUAILS RAISE TWO BROODS? 



Haslin, N. C. 

 Editor Recreation: One of the errone- 

 ous statements often made, and I think gen- 

 erally believed, is that quails in the South 

 rear 2 broods each season. While I admit 

 that climatic conditions, food and cover 

 in the South make it an ideal home for 

 " Bob White"; yet I doubt if these birds 

 are equal to the production of 2 bevies in a 

 season. I state the following facts as the 

 result of my own observation. Mating or 

 pairing comes at any time, from March 20th 

 to April 15th, depending entirely on the 

 weather conditions. If warm and spring- 

 like, then early; if not, late. But this by 

 no means is an indication that nesting be- 

 gins at once. That is never begun until 

 insect life becomes abundant. As a rule, 

 from May 20th to June 1st, they enter on 

 the duty of reproduction. Then many days 

 are consumed in depositing the eggs, and 

 when the 13 days necessary for incubation 

 is taken into account, it places the time of 

 nidification near the first of July. During 

 the time of " sitting " the cock performs 

 his full share of duty, while his faithful 

 spouse is out foraging, and vice versa. The 

 fact that we often find very young birds in 

 September or October has doubtless given 



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