AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
253 
than those of a hen, the surface exceedingly fine grained, 
and of the highest polish and slightly yellowish, greatly 
resembling old polished ivory. The egg measured two 
inches and an eighth by one inch and a half. On breaking 
one of them, the young bird was found to be nearly hatched, 
but dead, as neither of the parents had been observed about 
the tree during the three or four days preceding; and were 
conjectured to have been shot. 
This tree had been occupied, probably by the same pair, 
for four successive years, in breeding time; the person who 
gave me the information, and whose house was within 
twenty or thirty yards of the tree, said that he had seen the 
female, the spring preceding, carry down thirteen young, 
one by one, in less than ten minutes. She caught them in 
her bill by the wing or back of the neck, and landed them 
safely at the foot of the tree, whence she afterwards led 
them to the water. Under this same tree, at the time I 
visited it, a large sloop lay on the stocks, nearly finished, 
the deck was not more than twelve feet distant from the 
nest, yet notwithstanding the presence and noise of the 
workmen, the ducks would not abandon their old breeding 
place, but continued to pass out and in as if no person had 
been near. The male usually perched on an adjoining limb, 
and kept watch while the female was laying; and also often 
while she was sitting. A tame goose had chosen a hollow 
space at the root of the same tree, to lay and hatch her 
young in. 
The Summer Duck seldom flies in flocks of more than 
three or four individuals together, and most commonly in 
pairs, or singly. The common note of the drake is peet, 
peet; but, when standing sentinel, he sees danger, he makes 
a noise not unlike the crowing of a young cock, oe eek! 
oe eek! Their food consists principally of acorns, chesnuts, 
seeds of the wild oats, and insects. Their flesh is inferior 
to that of the Blue-winged Teal. They are frequent in the 
markets of Philadelphia and New York. 
Among other gaudy feathers with which the Indians or- 
nament the calumet, or pipe of peace, the skin of the head 
and neck of the Summer Duck is frequently seen covering 
the stem. 
This beautiful bird has often been tamed, and soon be- 
comes so familiar as to permit one to stroke its back with 
the hand. I have seen individuals so tamed in various 
parts of the Union. Captain Boyce, collector of the port 
of Havre-de-Grace, informs me that about forty years ago, 
a Mr. Nathan Nicols, who lived on the west side of Gun- 
powder creek, had a whole yard swarming with Summer 
Ducks, which he had tamed and completely domesticated, 
so that they bred and were as familiar as any other tame 
fowls; that he (Capt. Boyce) himself saw them in that state, 
but does not know what became of them. Latham says 
3 S 
that they are often kept in European menageries, and will 
breed there. 
The Wood Duck is nineteen inches in length, and two 
feet four inches in extent, bill red, margined with black; a 
spot of black lies between the nostrils, reaching nearly to 
the tip, which is also of the same colour, and furnished with 
a large hooked nail; irides orange red; front, crown, and 
pendent crest rich glossy bronze green ending in violet, 
elegantly marked with a line of pure white running from 
the upper mandible over the eye, and with another band of 
white proceeding from behind the eye, both mingling their 
long pendent plumes with the green and violet ones, pro- 
ducing a rich effect ; cheeks and sides of the upper neck 
violet; chin, throat, and collar round the neck pure white, 
curving up in the form of a crescent nearly to the posterior 
part of the eye; the white collar is bounded below with 
black; breast dark violet brown, marked on the fore part 
with minute triangular spots of white, increasing in size 
until they spread into the white of the belly; each side of 
the breast is bounded by a large crescent of white, and that 
again by a broader one of deep black; sides under the wings 
thickly and beautifully marked with fine undulating parallel 
lines of black, on a ground of yellowish drab; the flanks are 
ornamented with broad alternate semicircular bands of black 
and white; sides of the vent rich light violet; tail-coverts 
long, of a hair-like texture at the sides, over which they 
descend, and of a deep black glossed with green; back 
dusky bronze, reflecting green; scapulars black; tail taper- 
ing, dark glossy green above, below dusky; primaries 
dusky, silvery hoary without, tipt with violet blue; secon- 
daries greenish blue, tipt with white; wing-coverts violet 
blue tipt with black; vent dusky; legs and feet yellowish 
red, claws strong and hooked. The above is an accurate 
description. 
The female has the head slightly crested, crown dark 
purple, behind the eye a bar of white; chin, and throat for 
two inches, also white; head and neck dark drab; breast 
dusky brown, marked with large triangular spots of white; 
back dark glossy bronze brown, with some gold and green- 
ish reflections. Speculum of the wings nearly the same as 
in the male, but the fine pencilling of the sides, and the long 
hair-like tail-coverts, are wanting; the tail is also shorter.” 
SHOOTING PARTIES. 
At an annual shooting match at St. Stephen, N. B. 30th 
ult. two parties of seven men each, returned 100 partridges, 
6 black ducks, 6 robins, 17 woodcocks, 70 squirrels, 2 yel- 
low hammers, 2 snipes, 2 blackbirds, 1 pigeon, 2 jays, 1 
rabbit, 1 bear — total 214. 
