Los Angeles herald., 1892-10-23
elsewhere. es
THE PINTAIL OR srR1erArL

THE PINTAIL OR sPRI6TAIL
is never found in as good flesh as the
mallard and hence does not sell at as bio
| figures in the huckster's stalls, but his
| flesh always has the real gansy favor.
and Daniel Webster and Henry CLAW had
many long argument over the former
statesman's proposition that the pintail
was better duck than the canvass back.
The sprigtail is wary and nervous bird.
taking wing at the very first warning Of
danger. while the more sluggish maliard
lies still and gets slaughtered for his do
cility. The eprigtail has a beausiful
plumage OF gray ands white, the male
having rich tinge of chocolate color on
MS mead and neck. This duck breeds
almost entirely in Alaska and British
Columbia and is seldom seen here be-
fore November. Its focks seldom num-
Der over ten or a dozen birds and the
iact that 1T mates earlier than any other.
leads up to the belief that its breeding
grounds are at the extreme north.
THE wIDaEoN, OR DOVE DUCK.
This is, next to the canyas-back tho
most toothsome Of all the winter birds
after the soltice has passed by. 1t is
not given to snails, vents or other AMI
mai food, like the mallard, but feeds on
grass and young grain altogether. 1t is
beautiful dove color, with green crest
In the winter. Hence it's flesh is al
ways toothsome and sweet, long alter
the mallards have become strong in
havor and the sprigtails go thin as to be
almost worthless for the table. The
biggest pot shots made by our hunt
ers are generally made at widgeons. be-
| cQ1aa thew on in tho lo ao1l.
any of our native breeds. William
Hume, now wealthy salmon Gamer on,
the broad Columbia river, is reported to
have killed 48 of these birds with No.
gauge gun which he fred from the
back OF stalking OK that he had trained
Tor this purpose. He was then a mar
ket hunter at Sacramento, and got q
prize from Lansing, the halter, for kill
! ing the greatest number of wild geese
| (4l) ever killed at single shot in this
state. 1t is proper to state, however,
that he had three ounces of shot in eac b
barrel. 93t
THE GADwALL AND BRoADBILL.
The former of these ducks is north
ern bird on the Atlantic coast, being
seldom seen as far south as the capes of
Virginia. 1t is beautiful gray in color,
in the blue and brown wing tips, and is
nearly as heavy as the mallard. On
this coast it is hardly ever seen south of
Humboldt bay. Its flesh is very tooth
some when killed away from the sea-
shore, The broadbill, or scamp as it !
is called in New Jersey and Delaware, is
smaller duck than the gadwall and is
generally found in rough water. During
October and November it's diving habits
render it very destructive about oyster
beds; and it was on this account that
Chesapeake bay hunters made their big
Tight against the abolishment of the
swivel gun, which was particularly use-
full in shooting broadbills. During the
months of October and November these
birds are frequently sold in New York
and Boston restaurants for mallards, but
after that time their flesh becomes go
strong that disguise is impossible.
BLUE AND GREEN WINGED TEAL.
These birds are common to both &C asts.
of the United States. The green wing
is the most abundant in California and
Oregon, but the blue wing holds prece--
dence in Alaska and British Columbia.
The birds are highly gregarious, espe-
clally the green wings. was once
shooting on the Nisqually marshes with
James B. Pray, of Olympia, who got,
seven out of flock on which he had
crawled for nearly 300 yards. The birds
then few directly towards me, and I
gave them the right hand barrel, which
cut out four. As they wheeled to 90
away from me, gave them the left, and
down came nine more. Pray called out
to me, but there was strong wind and
l could not catch what he said. After
while he came along to where was COL
lecting my dead birds. Ispoke first:
Slim, what did you say to me while
ago, just after fred at that flock o.
ducks ?'
| "What did / say? Didn't you bear
me? said it just rained ducks"
That was about the truth, for while
at least.
ODD DUCKS AND BAsTARDs.
| Several freaks Of nature, as hybrida-
tions. for instance, have been collected
by Capt. Sam Douglas, of Portland, who
is in the front rank of Pacific coast nat
uralists. He has one that is cross be-
tween green-wing teal and widgeon,
having all the body plumage OF the lat
ter, coupled with the rich bronze neck
and green topknot of the former. He
has also cross between mallard and a
sprigtail, which has the body marks of
the latter and the green neck OF the
mallard, save that it is streaked with
white like the neck of the sprig.
The marhes of Southern California
have also a beautiful bird called the
cinnamon teal, bird with yellow legs
and beak, and blue tips to its wings. Its
main color is rich hue of cinnamon. as
it's name would indicate. This bird is
essentially semi-tropic bird in its
habits, and there is no evidence
to show that it breeds in the far north
lands like the other wildfowl Of the
coast. The flesh is fairly good. but in
nowise superior to the green-wing teal
which is so favorite broiling bird with
our local epicures.
THE WOOD DUCK OF AMERICA
divides rivalry with the mandarin duck
of China as to which is the handsomest
bird that swims. The Sacramento and
San Joaquin valleys literally swarm with
these birds in harvest time, and as they
rip open the grain sacks with theil
strong, horny beaks, and spill out 8
great deal of wheat, the farmers seldom
interpose any objection to the sports
mans Staying them. As table bir(
nothing surpasses the wood duck, which
is broiled owe. the Goals and sent t
table with a sauce made as follows
Two winoo1aaaoa 0f mort wilma a aa1t