Woodduck Habits in Missouri. 
[Since the publication, some years ago, of Dr. A. 
C. Fisher’s interesting and important article on the 
angers which threatened the woodduck and the wood- 
ock, most sportsmen have read with especial interest 
verything written about these birds in the hope that 
hey might learn something of their increase. It is 
ratifying to believe that Dr. Fisher’s paper voiced a 
entiment that is general among sportsmen, and that 
he facts and the arguments used in support of his con- 
ention that these birds should be carefully protected 
ave aroused interest even among the most careless. 
It is gratifying to learn from the letter printed below 
tat in Southeast Missouri the woodduck is still abun- 
ant during the shooting season. We have been told 
tiat since the publication of Dr. Fisher’s paper, the 
pecies has increased also in other localities.— Editor.] 
d it or Forest and Stream: 
Our most constant friend of the duck tribe 
lat visits this section is the woodduck, the tree 
uck of the naturalist, and few winters have 
■een sufficiently severe to cause him to leave us, 
:.ven when severe winters have caused the slug- 
ish streams of the bottoms to freeze, the broad 
wift waters of Current River afforded them 
pen places near the large springs where food 
1 shape of watercress, snails and willow oak 
corns is plentiful, and the water quiet enough 
ear these places to make rest more comfort- 
ble than in the rapids of the main river. 
The severest winter we ever had was in 1901, 
jet in spite of its severity it was no unusual 
jiing to see these beautiful creatures in flocks 
n the Current River as if the sense of migra- 
on had never prompted them to move further 
buth. The woodduck seems to be always with 
s, and has no enemies to speak of, for few 
peal sportsmen would ever think of shooting 
ito a flock where during open season the larger 
uallard is generally found in such goodly num- 
ers as to offer the greater temptation. 
When fly-fishing for bass in summer up the 
nail bays and cutoffs of the different streams 
is seldom that one does not see a hen with 
joung, and if the moss is thick enough or the 
eds of rushes are near by, the mother duck 
rows herself to be as skillful in secreting her 
bung as the grouse or quail, though often they 
eem to ignore the presence of man, and swim 
bout, dive and play as if the water itself was 
ifficient protection against the human being. 
As fall approaches and other strange ducks 
ame in from the north, the sense of danger 
sserts itself, and the otherwise fairly docile 
'ibe become as alert to the danger from man 
5 its relatives from the north. In October the 
tergansers seem to join them. I do not know 
hat affiliation, if any, there may be between the 
vo tribes, but they are invariably seen here to- 
ether, not only on the feeding grounds, but 
1 the roosting grounds, which is either a shal- 
>w pond, off by itself in the bottoms, or some 
uiet shallow bay. 
Woodduck are very persistent about selecting 
ie same roosting hole each evening, for it takes 
great deal of bombardment or some other dis- 
greeable condition to deter them from return¬ 
's to their favored roosts. On fishing trips in 
dl this feature has often appeared to me very 
renounced. 
I remember up at Gun Bay on Current River 
two hens had twenty-three young. Just at break 
of day we would see them leave for a feeding 
ground in a large cress bed south of the roost¬ 
ing hole. About half an hour before dark they 
would begin to straggle in home, sometimes all 
together, but oftener in pairs, trios, etc., and it 
afforded us much interest to count our adopted 
friends. Each evening for three weeks their 
visits were the same, and if no gunner has got¬ 
ten into their midst I am satisfied they still 
favor the same hole. 
In the bottoms on Little Black River and 
Cove Creek they are very numerous, more so 
than on the larger streams. While these streams 
have few grasses or seeds in them, they are 
generally a tangle of treetops and sunken logs, 
A New Zealand Naturalist. 
[Extracts from the log of Richard Henry, caretaker of 
the Government bird preserve at Resolution Island, New 
Zealand.] 
The Hinemoa called on the 8th of June. The 
Tutanekai called in on the 5th of August, when 
she was looking for a lost steamer. A few days 
later I went to Woodhen Cove, because it is a 
great place for catching wreckage from the 
north; but there was no new stuff. Then I got 
ready for a good cruise around, and went to 
South Point, another good place, but there was 
nothing new. 
At Woodhen Cove the hens were as plentiful 
as ever, or perhaps more so, and all in splendid 
trim. Pigeon Island is swarming with them and 
penguins. I had to break my dog off them 
woodduck (Aix sponsa, Linn.). 
affording security to these lovely creatures who 
enjoy conditions of this kind. 
In many years I have never noticed any de¬ 
crease among them, rather the contrary, and un¬ 
less drainage of the swamp lands takes place and 
brings in settlers, and as long as the mast-fed mal¬ 
lard comes in, the future increase of the Beau 
Brummel of the duck tribe remains assured. 
The woodduck’s favored nesting places are 
hollow cypress trees, sycamores or some gigantic 
overcup oak, but on several occasions I have 
found their nests in logs near the ground, and 
I remember one old hen, who was brazen enough 
to build her nest in a hollow sweet gum that 
had fallen across the Little Black River, and 
which was occasionally pressed into service as 
a crossing place. So interested was the little 
mother in her duties that she paid no attention 
to the occasional trespass of man. Some of 
the loggers in the swamps informed me that 
the raccoon and opossum often break up nests. 
While I have never had the opportunity to see 
these varmints commit these depredations it is 
more than possible. Loch Laddie. 
severely, and now I have trouble to get him to 
hunt kiwis or kakapos. Even if I was to let 
him hunt woodhens I would be no better off, for 
they are more sport for a dog and more plenti¬ 
ful, so that he would never find me a kiwi ex¬ 
cept by accident. I had some of those birds on 
Parrot Island, and he will not find them, though 
I can see that they are there by their tracks. 
I am out every fine day trying to get him into 
my work again before I have to get the birds 
for the Hinemoa on the 1st of October. 
Pigeons are very plentiful here this year, prob¬ 
ably because there was a great crop of red pine 
berries, which does not happen every year. I 
saw one young one barely feathered. I think 
they have only one, for this is the third nest 
I have seen with only one. They are very hard 
to find, for I spent a lot of time looking for 
them. I found this one by seeing the parents 
going often to the tree. The parents carry the 
food in their crops of course. They give the 
young one no berries at first, but when it is well 
grown I think they must give it about a bucket¬ 
ful a day by the number of journeys they make. 
