1890. 
Mar 7 
ri • Vv ^- 
• J .SUV 
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Florida, 
Canaveral, Banana Creek. 
Common about the bays and creeks as well as in many of the 
ponds. As a rule, they go in flocks apart from other species of 
Ducks, but I saw a few flying with Gad«al and Widgeon. The males 
were all in perfect spring plumage, and it was a beautiful sight 
to see a dozen or more of them intermingled withnabout an equal 
number of females standing huddled together on a mud bar, or swim¬ 
ming close along the mangrove-bordered shores. Curiously enough, 
considering its tameness at the North, this little duck is here 
one of the wildest of its kind. It is impossible to get anywhere 
near a flock in a boat, and difficult to creep within range along 
the shore, unless the cover is very good. These Teal however, 
come fairly well to decoys, and all we killed were shot in this 
way. This bird is the swiftest flyer of the fresh water ducks 
found here except its Green-winged cousin, which easily outstrips 
it in speed. I di d no t hear it make any unusua T^ sound during this 
trip . 
6 S' 
