14 
FOREST AND STREAM 
January, 1920 
The ruddy-duck ranges throughout 
North America at large and likes all 
waters, salt and fresh. It often breeds 
within the boundaries of our northern 
tier of states. The species is very pro- 
lific. Some authorities mention having 
found nests containing as many as twen- 
ty eggs, but ten, I believe, is the usual 
clutch. 
Ruddy-ducks fly in good size flocks, 
very swiftly, like the teal. They are in- 
veterate divers and often simply sink 
out of sight without diving, like the hell- 
diver or grebe. 
They can remain beneath the surface 
for a long time and can swim under 
water, using both wings and feet, for 
long distances. A wounded ruddy is 
exceedingly difficult to recover. This 
duck with its large feet and webs and 
short wings is adapted as well for 
swimming and diving as for flying, and 
often chooses the former methods of 
escape rather than the latter. 
One time I was hunting ruddies on a 
river, moving about in a row-boat and 
coming down wind on the floating 
flocks. I shot and wounded a ruddy fly- 
ing past and he fell into the water some 
distance off and immediately dove. I 
at once rowed over to where he had dis- 
appeared, keeping a sharp watch the 
while for his re-appearance on the sur- 
face. 
Although I watched closely on all 
sides, the minutes passed without the 
wounded bird showing up. The river 
was quite calm and I felt sure he could 
not have come to the surface without 
my detecting him. 
My boat was floating in about the 
same spot where the duck had disap- 
Ruddy Duck (male) Erismatura 
jamaicensis 
peared. Finally, when I was about to 
give it up, I happened to glance down 
by the side of the boat, and there in 
four or five feet of clear water was the 
ruddy, near the bottom and gripping in 
his bill a spray of water plant. It was 
evident that the wounded ruddy-duck 
had taken hold of the plant to keep him- 
self submerged, preferring to meet his 
fate by drowning rather than fall into 
the hands of his age-old enemy, man. • 
• With an oar I reached down to push 
the bird loose. He came to the surface 
with the broken shoot of water grass 
still clenched in his bill, in the grip of 
death. 
I have shot many ducks but this act 
of the little ruddy, the first of its kind 
I had witnessed, seemed most pathetic 
and I confess I felt very uncomfortable, 
to say the least. I have witnessed the 
same thing two or three times since 
then. 
Ruddy-ducks generally do not come 
well to the decoys. On days during 
good fowling weather I have had fine 
sport with the large ducks while thp lit- 
tle boobies or quill-tails, as the ruddies 
are called, swiftly skirted the decoys 
just out of range in a most aggravating 
and tempting manner. 
On waters where the ruddies refuse 
to decoy, the sportsmen may go in pur- 
suit of them instead of attempting to cap- 
ture them from ambush. 
There is one way to get within shoot- 
ing distance of a flock on the open water 
which often proves successful, that is, 
to get to windward of the flock at a con- 
siderable distance and then to row or 
drift with the wind down on the birds. 
Ducks, as well as other birds, in leav- 
ing the water jump toward and fly into 
the wind, that is if there is a wind blow- 
ing ether than the lightest breeze. The 
bird in taking flight uses the resistance 
of the wind to climb on, as it were. A 
duck cannot get into the air by jumping 
and flying with the wind. But by jump- 
ing against the wind he rises, and after 
a short distance can of course fly in any 
direction he desires. 
The significance of the sportsman 
coming down wind on a flock is appar- 
ent. As the boat approaches the ducks, 
they become alarmed and start to swim 
away down wind. At this point consid- 
erable skill may be used by the hunter. 
If he comes down wind too fast the ducks 
become frightened too soon and will 
turn about and jump when still out of 
range, swinging off to one side or the 
other without offering a shot. If the 
hunter approaches too slowly he will not 
get within range as the ducks will be 
able to keep ahead by fast swimming. 
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 45) 
Waiting for the afternoon flight of ducks on the broad reaches of Bamegat Bay while snugly hidden in grass-covered punts 
