The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-31
THE FLIGHT OF WILD DUCKS.
When and How They Migrate Mort b
and South.


quite unsatisfactory to the duck hunters.
A considerable fight is reported in the
Ogeechee rice fields, and it is predicted that
the greater portion of the wild fowl will
hang about the rice fields until about May
l. The ducks ara principally raft ducks
and blue winged teal.
Charles b. Westcott, a well-known
authority in such matters, SAYS that ducks
are becoming fewer and fewer every year,
especially coast ducks, and he attributes it
to the destruction of the eggs by profess
sional egg hunters more than to the shoot
ing of the ducks He says the eggs are il
great demand among epicures and for COM
merclal purposes, being used in the manu-
facture Of glue, and in some photographing
material. None but the fresh eggs are
taken. Schooner loads Of eggs are taken
away from the nesting grounds of the coast
ducks. The grounds are visited, and where
the eggs in a nest are not fresh they are
broken, SO that all eggs found
on each successive days quest are known to
be fresh and merchantable. By this whole
sale destruction of the eggs undergoing in
cubation and the carrying off of the fresh
eggs the multiplication of the species is an
nualy prevented, and this scarcity is, of
course, augmented by the incursions of the
duck hunters.
Mr.. Westcott accounts for the absence of
the usual flights northward via this section
this spring in rather interesting way. He
says if the ducks come south in their winter
flight along the coast they invariably go
back in the spring along the Mississippi
valley to the northern lakes. The winter
flights were principally along the coast, AID
che return IS therefore up the Mississippi.
The ducks in their migration follow water
courses.
The flight of wild ducks is very rapid,
few species making less than 100 miles an
hour, and some species as high as $50 miles
an hour. They can, therefore, in the course
of day, fly from the northern lakes to
southern feeding grounds. Ducks have
been killed in Maine with the undigested
rice of the Carolina rice fields il their
craWs, showing that after feeding in Caro-
lima they reached the coast of Maine before
the food had been digested.
There was but one large fight of ducks
that came south over this section, Mr.. West
colt says. Among these the raft ducks and
black ducks predominated. There were a
few mallard or English ducks, blue wing
teal, green wing teal, spoohbill, widgeon,
bald pate and sprig or pin-tailed widgeon;
aud there were very few canvas lacks,
red heads and hard heads or rudy ducks.
The blue wing is a beautiful plumaged
fowl III the spring. In the fall the duck is
OF gray and brown mixed color, and the
male slate color, but in the spring the male
is beautiful bird, with patch resembling
a half moon on his head, and his wings
tipped with deep blue plumage.
There is a popularity about the flight of
wild ducks which Mr.. Westcott in common
with other observing duck hunters, has
noticed. A flight of ducks coming south on
one day, if followed by other flights in the
same direction days or weeks afterward
viii net vary to exceed twenty-five feet
from the path of the ducks which have pre-
ceded them, and they will alight in almost
the exact spot where preceding flights have
settled. This is coincidence of such
continuous occurrence as to reason
ably establish the theory that the
lines to be pursued, and the resting or feed
ing places have been matter of pre-
arrangement, but how the plans were in
telligibly communicated and followed
through the painless air must remain a
profound mystery until the Hunters become
as familiar with the duck language as they
are with the habits of the fowls, for the
monoton0us quack of ths duck must be as
full of meaning to it as tho Chinese gibber-
ish is to the coffee-colored children of the
Orient.
The migrations of theducl1s seem to be as
methodicaly fixed as business man fixes
his advance engagements by the calendar.
The first ducks to reach this section going
south are the common blue winged teal.
They generally get here on Aug. 20 or 81.
and they feed in the overlooked rice
fields with our native summer duck.
From Sept. Is to IS a large fight
Of teal arrive, and on Oct. S OF 9
the largest fight of this species during the
year come SOUTH and stay until Dec. IL.
This flight is composed of blue wing teal
and widgeon. On Nov. 3 or 3 a big flight
of all kinds of wild ducks arrive and feed
in the rice fields for about six weeks, when
they begin to get scarce, all leaving for
more southern feeding grounds but a few
mallards, black ducks and teal
The flight of the ducks to the north is not
as systematic, apparently, as on their
southern flight, as they are continually
migrating from March l to May / to their
nesting grounds, the mallard, teal, widgeon,
and spoonbills going inland in fresh waters
Really fancy canvas and red head ducks
are scarce in the northen markets and at this
time command from so cents to 50 apiece.
red heads from so cents to 81, mallard from
80 to 90 cents per pair, blue wing teal IS to
40 cents apiece, green wing teal and wood
ducks 20 to so cents apiece, and common
wild ducks as low as Is to 20 cents apiece.
Duck hunting by professionals is quite
lucrative when the feeding place of q good
flight is known, and the skilled hunter. who
knows the waters and follows closely the
haunts Of his game, often bags as many as
100 ducks on single trip of two days, and
if he keeps his eyes open after ne leaves the
hunting ground he may bag a few offers,
wild turkey or so, deer and sometimes a
bear in the swamps or lagoons on bis re-
turn.
A favorite plan of the local duck hunter
is to take mis- duck boat aboard one of the
up-goiug steamboats,, aad after going from
twenty-five to one hundred miles uD the
river, to dsembark and hunt down the river
and in its feeders, in his duck boat. Green
branches Of trees are arcbed over his boat.
which is floated noiselessly along, or
scalled with a mutfled oar in the
lagoons and rice trunks. Another
route is to go down with the tide and get
into the roosting places Of the ducks. where
they are concealed during the day in remote
streams or arms of the river or sea, hidden
by the long reed grass OF the bordering
marshes, and after the hunt is over to row
out into the channel and make fast { an as
cending tug or 10 Some sailing vessel being
towed up from the roads.
The duck boat is the hunters covert. his
kitchen, dining room, and bed chamber
de carries demijohn or two of water IL
he is going on n hunt in the salts. and often
more seductive fluid 10 be used in case OF
snake bites and other emergencies. Often
the two days hunt IS fruitless, as a result Of
storms, or the ducks may have suddenly
left the grounds where il was expected To
find them. IL requires great powers of
endurance, q quick eve and a staadv nerva