Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-05-06
THE FLIGHT OF WILD DUCKS.
The CanvaSback Said to Re Good
for Eighty Miles am Hour.


While reporter talked to prominent
member OF the Wawasot Gun Club yes
terday, the conversation turned on the
speed of wild ducks, a subject in which
the gunners of this city seem particu-
larly interested, and one on which there
is some diversity of opinion. The men,
Der said
81 have held my watch on several
kinds of ducks and geese, but the main
part of what am going to tell you comes
from several old hunters who have IA
vored me with their experience, and one
of those old-timers in letter says: 81
can tell you just about to the sixty-third
part of dot how much space any one OF
them can get over in an hour There is
not railroad train that can hold can
die to one side of the slowest duck that
| flies"
"The canvasback can distance the
whole duck family, if it lays itself out to
| do it. When this duck is taking things
easy, enjoying little run around the
block, as it were, it goes through the air
at the rate of about eighty miles an hour.
If it has business somewhere and has
got to get there, it puts two miles back of
it every minute, and does it easily. Ii
you don't believe this, just fire square at
the leader in a string of canvas
backs that are out on business
cruise some time. Duck shot travels
pretty fast, but if you happen to hit one,
you see if it is not the fifth or sixth one
back of the drake or leader. A drake
does not always lead, but it generally
does if there is one in the flock; if there
are more they will seldom take the lead.
If you wish to bring down the leader you
must aim at space of at least eight feet
ahead Of him, and if he falls you will find
him long distance, probably two or
three squares off.
"The mallard is slow one; it is all
he can do to make mile a minute, but
he can do it if he wants to. His regular
rate is about forty-fve miles per hour.
"The black duck ia a slow coach. He
is about as good as the mallard, and the
fntail widgeon and wood duck cannot do
much better. The red head can go easily
and make ninety miles an hour as long
as he likes, all day if necessary. The
blue-winged teal and its beautiful cousin,
the green winged teal, can fly side by
side for hundred miles in an hour and
take it easy.
THE gadwale, you see them here
very seldom, though we'll known west OF
the Allegheny river, aud at Kisham.
mock, though looking like the mallard is
a smarter duck and harder to shoot. 1t
can make ninety miles in an hour and
not try hard.
"Maybe you think a goose can't fly.
Why, it can double the speed of the fast
est trains on any of our railroads. OF
course mean wild goose. Well, it
has big corporation, but it can get
from feeding ground to feeding ground SO
suddenly that it fools our best wing shots.
'If you see flock of honkers movin g
along SO high up that they seem to be
scraping the sky with their backs, you
would not think that they are making
close on hundred miles an hour, but
they are. The wild goose is not much
on foot, but it means business every
time.
"rhe broad-bill goose comes next to
the canvasback duck in speed. Put the
two together and in an hour the broad
bill would not be more than ten miles
behind.
"This information has been derived
from experience and correspondence
with lifelong gunners, and gunners will
tell you that what | have said hits the
mark very close. Wilmington News.