The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-13
WANDERERs OF THE AIR.
Birds That Fly SOutIsward i'm the Fall
and NOrthyvard in the Spring.
yhicago Times Herald.

The first threat of winter has been heard
and the upper air is stirred by the beat
ing wings Of feathered things hurrylng
southwark Man, who is hauled about by
steam, watches the long lines meeting IN
a wv over his head and sorrows Tor MS
impotency. We may have flying machines
some day, but never one to equal the teal
who is going somewhere on business. ne
leaves 80 miles of space behind hlm In
brief hour, and not drop of persplratloh
gems his emerald forehead. As the ne
groes of the South are fond OF declaring:
1t takes two men to watch him-one TO
say, 'Hyah he come" and the other 10 say;
Wander he 60" Calculations OF the speed
of ducks sometimes give the palm TO the
canvas back, but it is an error. The teal
under full Roadway is the fastest thihg thal
flies.
The sedgy lakes of Manitoba and other
northern places where wild foul breed have
lost many of their summer visitors. Morn
ing after morning they rise in droVes, mover
a little while, then swing to the south un-
der the guidance of some leader VINO mas
made the trip before. They stop to Ieeu;
but not more often than is necessary ana
they cover the thousands of miles in SIN
gularly short time. l suppose that SIX nun
dred miles a day would be reasonable
estimate of the distance traverSed by
flock of ducks southwark bound. The blue
winged teal is always the first to leave the
north. They are tender birds, Whlch 90 l s
stand cold. | have shot them in southern
Texas as early as the 18th of August, Wnen
the temperature there is at full torrldlty'
By the middle of September they are nu-
merous, and in little while they disappear
utterly. They winter in South America,
along the Orinoco and its tributary streams:
They are the most delicious table Dlru Oh
all the tribes of ducks, far surprising IN
this respect the much-advertlsed canvas
back.
green-winged teal, which is in turn followed
by the sprig-tail, or pin-tail. Then come IN
order spoon bills, widgeons' butter Dai ans
heads, canvas-backs and some OF the minor
kinds including the hooded merganza, which
some shooters call sawcoi1ll Soing be
order of the southwark immigration never
varies 1t is governed by some law unknown
of man. l know of but one American game
duck which spends all of the winter IN hlgn
ATTITUDES, remaining even after the ice closes,
though how it makes living no one can
say. 1t is found only in Virginian waters
and it bears the queer name of south
southerly." The appellation is derived from
its peculiar call. 1t Is marked very mucn
like quail is of fair size and is excellent
eating.
The yearly emigration of wild fowls is cit
ed frequently as an example of the wonder
full bird instinct, which needs no compass.
The fact is, however. that the way in which
the smaller land birds find their way about
is much more wonderful Wild fowls ny
high. Miles upon miles of country, lies open
to their vision. They travel undoubtedly by
MISUNDERSTANDING, lakes, rivers, etc
and they do not travel at night They are
always under the leadership of an individual
of experience, who knows his route as an
office seeker knows his route to the city hall.
On this account they appear year after year
at the same feeding grounds. There IS not
much instinct in it, Men dedUce the manner
of the ducks guidance from insufficient
premises, just as they deduce open water at
the pole from the fact that the most north
ern explorers have seen geese lying south
ward. They lose sight of the gOOse's ability
to fly nearly u thousand miles in day. 1t
is much more reasonable to suppose that the
geese seen by arctic lunatics have simply
flown clear over the upper end OF the earth
and still flying. / once knew tender
foot on the plains who set out one morning
to find water because he had seen a group
nj a n
There was water in the country all right
enough but it was forty miles away When
the antelope was thirsty he S2untered over
and took a drink.
The long low coast of the Gulf of Mexico
is the winter home of the wild duck. He is
there in millions. This coast is lined with
fresh-water ponds a little way back from
the sea, and in these ponds grows the Sen
ma weed. 1t bears small black bean that
is the ducks delight. The ponds will aver
age a mile in length by half mile in width.
Sometimes in the middle grows a clump of
are literally covered with wild fowl. If
frightened by the down-swooping hawk
they rise with sound like thunder, audible
focused upon one of these ponds and the
birds flushed the resulting negative would
show only q solid black wall. On sun
shiny day / have lain in the grass at one
end of sheet of fresh water when the
ducks We're frightened by the report of
gun fired at the other end. They have
Streamed over me at a height of two hum
dred yards in such masses that was COM
petely shaded as if 1 had held umbrella.
In those brilliant streaming crowds were all
the colors that ever came to the vision of
a painter-a very riot of hue, once seen
never to be forgotten.
In southwestern Texas much money is
made from wild ducks. Once upon time
Chicago man named Martin, who followed
the races in spring and autumn and shot in
the winter, made contract with local deal
ers TO deliver to them 1900 pairs of canvas
backs. He went to Galveston, chartered
tub OF a sailing schooner, filled her hold with
ice and sailed her to white Duck lake."
seventy-five miles westward. He anchored
her in the lake. which is connected by an
arm with the gulf, hired three men to help
him and set to work. Every morning
small tug passed his schooner on its way to
Houston and he shipped the kill of the pre-
vious day. Martin much more than met his
contract. He and companions shot from
tanks sunk into the lake He made enough
money to cut a wide swath on the race track
for q week or two, anyhow.
Northern shooters who desire unlimited
sport should go to the Southwestern coast.
Anywhere near Corpus Christi will do. There
is no law TO prevent them acting the hog if
they feel inclined. They can STAY hundred
mallards a day for many days. They will
get plenty of other ducks many jacksnipe.
fish by the ton, diamond-back terrapins in
dozens and the finest oysters grown on the
American coast.
-&0-e
Vns, ut L.