UPLAND SHOOTING. 
105 
With these seven birds and two quadrupeds I might properly 
enough close my enumeration of our Upland game. There are, 
however, six species of Duck, which I have named above— The 
Dusky, vulgo Black Duck; The Mallard; The Blue-winged 
and The Green-winged Teal ; The Summer, or Wood Duck ; 
and The Pintail Duck; all of which, although water fowl, 
may be regarded with great fitness as Upland game, since they 
all frequent fresh lakes, marshes, and streams—are frequently 
killed in swamps far inland, and many hundreds of miles above 
tide water, and with but one exception, are rarely met with or 
taken, in very great abundance, oh the sea-shores, or even on 
salt marshes. 
The Dusky Duck is indeed a frequenter of the bays and of 
Long Island Sound ; I have, however, shot him so often, even 
over dead points from setters, on inland meadows—his flesh is 
so far superior when so taken, and above all, he so evidently 
prefers fresh feeding grounds, so long as the weather will per¬ 
mit—that I must regard him rather as Upland than Shore game. 
The American Widgeon, and The Shoveller, are so rare, 
except on the great western waters, which are indeed frequented 
by almost every variety of fowl, excepting only a few of the 
purely Sea Ducks, that it is needless to do more than name 
them. The varieties of the Merganser, generally known as 
Sheldrake , though sufficiently abundant, I can scarce bring 
myself to regard as game, their flesh being so rank and fishy as 
to be scarcely eatable. The six varieties above named, as being 
the most delicious, and in plumage the most beautiful of the 
whole duck tribe, must not be passed over so lightly. 
The first of these which I shall mention as being worthy 
of remark as the parent stock of our domestic Duck and Drake, 
second in succulence and flavor to none but the Canvass Back 
and Red-head, and superior to all except the Wood Duck in 
beauty, is the Mallard. 
