The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-17

When the families found swimming together
In the early mornings the bird in tho lead II al
ways the mother. II is not known what becomes
Of the senior brakes Apparently they go away 70
shift for themselves soon the Matching IL
completed To the best feeding places the mother
leads those but lately arrived AT ducks estate,
and she keeps them with her as long possible
which is not long. The grssses In which thoy
feed soon hide them from another. The
listener Of still hot morning may sometimes hear
coming from an apparently imperyious tangle Of
PUSHES, weeds and grass q soft clucf cluck cluck-
oluok, repeated with much rapidly and steadi-
ness That will be the mother spoonbill calling
70 her young when they near her, and IL occurs
only In the late summer when The birds have not
started South Once they arc the wing for
their colleague fight she seems TO know that
clucktng will not do any good and strives to keep
them with her only by showing that she knows
where the latest worms are 10 be found.
While in size and general color tho spoonbill
IL much the Same as the teal. spoonbills in flight
may be readily distng uishod from teal by tho
fact that they are making much less Roadway
with much more effort The spoonbill as a con-
tnuous flyer ID not to be exeelled, but il lacks
velocity. Whereas fifty feet is not 700 far ahead
TO hold ON winddrivcn teal going its best, fifteen
feet will DO ample allowance for crossing spoon
bill al the same distance II is in his ability TO
the different species Of duck while in the air and
his knowledge that some kinds cannot possibly
be going as fast other kinds that the super
iorlty Of the old QUICKER lies. The wings Of tho
spoonbill beat very rapidly indeed, and they
have as much spread as is good for duck Of
its size, but there is something in their ANGLE
or In the foreo with which they are driven. that
initiates against swiftness. The neck OF the
spoonbilL too is never stretched 10 full tension,
as is the tels. II is slightly drawn back and
the bill Is little elevated, presenting some
thing Of It's broad under surface 10 the air While
able TO remain long time suspended, II really
prefers the water and its hiding places. When
flushed It will drop again shortly, unless badly
frightened. For this reason a man in o boat
who is butchering spoonbills for thu sport Of il
will DO able almost always 10 get another shot
at a missed bird. II it be touched by the shot
however. II will keep going. Because the spoon
bill clngs tenacously to one sheet Of water which
It favors and can make living where all other
ducks would starve to death. IL is friend OF tho
hunter. When his favorte small lake is half
dried up and other varieties have gone else
where. he can count always on finding spoon
bills. They will be with him until forced out
by the weather. They do not make bad shoot
Ing. In full flight they are not difficult mark
and gunners in stands, recognizing their COM
paratvely labored way Of getting along, gen.
orally let them pass unframed
Shooting them from a boat however, 10 a differ
ent proposition. The sportsman gets into mar
row craft that Is not any too safe and. with paddle
or pole. makes his way to the PUSHES and water
flags which grow In muddy, shallow or evil
smelling water. where he knows tho spoonbills
will be found At this season Of tho year he
goes pokng about in them with the Precipitation
running into his eyes He may hear the mothers
ciuck.cluck, and tho knowledge that there is
game a-swim somewhere near lends zest 10 his
pursuit Suddenly, not yard from the Prov,
small object bounds twenty feet into the air
and is away down the wind. The man must drop
his paddle, pole seize the hammerless
In his lap to get Il 10 his shoulder and
catch the bird as its bound ends, or the chances
are that he will never have IL in the boat The
springng ability Of the spoonbl when IL has
been forced TO rise out Of its tangle by the danger
OF being swept under the craft Is something won
derful II is done in second. and the bird does
not seem really to spread Its wings to full capacity
until II Is as high as it cares to 60 The leap Ii
nearly straight upward. and II is noticeable
that the tail is depressed until It stands at near
ly right angles TO the body The leap Of tho
spoonbll under these circumstances is not un-
like the leap OF the woodcocb. when flushed In
tall cane, though II lacks the spiral which
makes OF the woodcock the most unhittable
Of animated targets II the m n In tho boat knows
bis business. he will DO using a straieht-stocked
gun Some years ago guns with crooked stocks
or stocks with great deal OF drop as Il Is called
oame into fashion because they are OF moro grace
full outline, or handsomer These guns depress
the muzze at least two inches lower than II should
be, and muzzle depression OF even one inch " hen
the target lie twenty yards away means a wide
difference In the pitch Of the shot On swiftly
rising objects, such as the straight springing
spoonbill, object that Is travelling upward
at great rate, the gun with a heavy drop has
an ineradicahle tendency to understood Tho
spoonbill TO be killed cleany under these circum-
stances should be completely hidden from tho
gunners vision by his Eunb barrel
Associated with the spoonblll in its lonely and
secretive quests Of food are the water.h hens the
rails and other shy aquatic wanderers which
never 60 in hocks themselves arc weak of wing
and seem to welcome the advent Of a conner which
has both diving ability and flying ability. Indeed
the spoonful, despised and ostracised by tho
mallards and widgeons is an aristocrat among
the humble jewellers in tho weeds and lords il
over them. II it knew the virtue OF the maxim,
that 1t Is better to be q minnow in a small pond
than pike in the sea, II would stay with them
altogether. The companionshp of these ILL
assorted species is SO well recognized that hunters
know the rail as sort Of pilot fish for the SPOON
bill. Where the rail Is found and rises stfly
with its feeble cry. there is certain 10 be spoon.
bill nosng somewhere about Nearly always
too, above the place where it is feeding one or
two redwinged blackbirds. or grackles, will be
clinging sidewiso TO the reeds with their slender
black claws and chitterng ioyously. mdis-
solubly bound with memories of punt shooting
of spoonbills are tho waving reeds and tho 90
casional rail and tho chatter of the redwinra.
They do not live upon the same kinds Of food.
The rails prefer insects and tho redwings feed
on grass seeds, whereas the spoonbill will eat
anything il can swallow. In the crop of one killed
at this season will be found water-bugs hclgra-
mites, little frogs minnows, worms, a half dozen
differing larvae bits Of vegetable flbres pieces
OF fish far advanced toward final disintegration .
when taken and generally small pebble or two
or grains Of gravel, which the native believes tho
bird swallow $ To help grind its food" The
tremendous digestive power of the bird is evil
denced by the fact that it is practically onni-
vorous and eats from daybreak until dusk; with
only such pauses as are forced upon it by the
necessity Of changing its place to escape an enemy