Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-27
I4O9-I4lI Dodge St., Omaha, Neb


our table celery, but derives its name from
its resemblance to that edible" 1t is doubt
fui whether Mr. Chamberln ever saw any
wild celery, (vallisneria spiralls) for 1t bears
not the rcmotest similitude to our table eel
cry, but is as was stated In these columns of
last Sunday in answer TO correspondent, q
thin, narrow, grass like blade, always found
entWined with It's nearest neighbor, and de-
void Of the remotest twang of celery flavor,
but pungent and delicate in taste. 1t is the
roots of this plant that the ducks are particu-
larly fond of, and this is milk white and nut
like, and the ingredient that mainly imparts
that peculiar flavor to the flesh of the can
vas-Dack, as well as to the other ducks that
feed thereupon. They also eat the leafy
tendrils and the stock, but these are not
nearly 80 tempting or nutritious as the root.
The red head, the mallard and the widgeon
are also supremely fond of this plant. bnt
not being divers are incapable of its secure
ment, save only by stealing 1t from tie can
vas-back when he brings 1t to the surface.
The blueblll, however, is as able in sub.
aqueous abilities as the canvas-back, and he,
too, feeds largely upon this delicacy when
he happens to be in Its neighborhood. Both
the canvas back and the blue-bill can feed in
thirty feet of water, while the mallard and
his commoner confreres rarely risk greater
depth than three or four feet.
Valisneria is as abundant along the waters
of the streams tributary to the Illinois as 1t
is along the Chesapeake, and then there is
nut grass and many OF the seed-bearing
aquatic plants on which the better grade of
ducks delight to suDsist, and their flesh in
merit compares in every possible detail with
that of the Chesapeake frequenter
Still another inaccuracy of Chamberlin's
is that he says the canvas-back cannot be
allured by decoys. He is right, however,
when he declares them the most diff
cult of all wild fowl to bring
to bag, but this is simply from their incalcu-
liable velocity of wing, and their extreme
wariness, and not their refusal to decoy.
Under the most favorable auspices it re-
quires quick eye and arm and unerring aim
to stop canvas-back, and the hunter must
be scrupulously cool, and careful and eau
tlous at ali times. The crook of an elbow,
the rise of head, or the slightest move in a
blind, will swerve incoming birds IN their
flight and shot is lost. But that they will
not decoy is preposterous, for by the rlght
kind of management this is really the only
way of an assurance to make bag. The
writer has crouched in his 'hide' at Kosh-
konong, behind ''stCol'' of 100 decoys, and
seen as beautiful work with the canvas-back
as he ever has with mallard, redhead or blue
bill. OF course in their Keen shYness they
are not as apt to alight in the water among
the decuyS as their less perspicacious cous-
ins, but they will swoop down, and over and
by your lures, as readily and as often as the
others, and that Is all the true sportsman
asks. II he is unable then to stop them in
their lightning fight, all right, he Is con-
tented to await another day to get
crack at them. The canvas back is partial
to deep water and is "leary" of the shadows
along the shores. He is a lonely, isolated
genus and consorts but little with his kin
dred, all of which goes to increase the diff
Guilty of making good kill
The following paragraph from Chamber
Inns article is the acme of absurdity:
'Of course this national prize commands
such high figures in the market that there
are men who are willing to sink the natural
noble instinct OF the sportsman to accom-
plish their destruction. These adopt various
prohibitory measures tending toward whole.
sale slaughter. One of the most familiar of
these is known as ''toling." This consists
in building the "blind" on shore within
few feet of the water mark. Through an
opening in 1T common cur, odd in color
and size, but trained to his work emerges
and trots up and down in front of the screen
ana performs all manner of antics. Canvas
back ducks are afflicted with an Unsuitable
curiosity, and although they will not come
near decoy, the dogs maneuvers soon at-
tract their attention, and, strangely enough,
they swim in body toward the odd object
until they come within the range OF the
hunters gun. Then, IL they are not ''over-
shot" they can be picked off one after an
other, nor will they go II the dog continues
his movements until the last one is killed.
1t Is needless to say that this method of cap
ture ID looked upon along the ChesaDeake
much as the theft Of a horse is considered in
the far western country"
'Toling' canvas back was to be sure at one
time IN the early days. when the ducks were
more plentiful and less shy, a common mode
adopted by market hunters to capture the
bird, but has fallen into lnocuous desueJude
these scores of years. The idea of shooting
into flock of canvas back on the water and
not putting all into instant flight, save the
crippled and the dead, is laughable indeed,
and then banGiag away, picking them off one
by one until the whole bunch is apnlhilated
is enough to make horse cachinate.
Again, in speaking about the aptitude Of
some restaurateurs in palming of the red
head on customers for canvas-back, Cham
berlin says: "rhe upper part of the bill OF
the red-head is of a scarlet hue that no
amount of cooking will alter" What folly |
The DILL of the red-head is blush black, diff
feriDg in shade but lmmaterialiy from the
canvas back, and this gives rise to the doubt
whether this pathological savant really
knows o canvas-bacK from a red-head. Any
old QUICKER, however, recognizes them as
quickly as he does a mallard from a mergan-
zes, not by their bill, although that is a mark,
but by their whole anatomical structure,
their plumage, and everything else.
What the gentleman has TO say with refer
ence to the serving OF the canvas-back, l
take no issue. That portion of his profoun
effort gives indisputable testimony, however,
that he is more at home in the cuisine than
in, ho Ratl or the hn or river