The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-02

far out over q iake, makes q remarkable
sight. These demonstrations OF activity
seem 10 be Q mined 10 gray wet dsys.
The spuealer n not q teal, though " Is
much like that family. II u not a wid-
Eeon, though II whistles ~ when hiee as the
tended Is much like that Of the merganza,
sawbil or flying demon but II h dr.
! ferently colored and smaller.
II a native Arkansan II asked about II he
will say that he has been shooting nj and
missing the squealer for many YEAR,, ana
that Il breeds In the South. but u rs almost
certain that II does nothing. Of the kind. .
Occasionally a male ard female. kept
South by injury or sickness, may pair and
raise young In some OF the shallow lakes
that are fetid IN the hot months, but this
! occurrence "a believed TO he rare. The
duck makes It's appearance much earlier
than other varicties--it rs often sho In
the forcpart OF September-.but while It's
early coming may DO IN additional reason
for, believing that It Is native TO ATkansas
and Louisiana, II cannot be stated posi-
lively Just whore Il is Matched.
Hunters from Illinois, Wisconsin, Min
nesota and other parts Of the Middle West
and Northwest often visit this part OF the
South, but they are unable to identify the
squesler as anything but o squealcr. They
say that Il does not make It's summer home
In the North.
Finally the puuealer IL a wood duck and
IN not a wood duck. That II TO say, 1t GER
tainly IL not Tho beautiful wood duck Of
the North, possibly the most handsomely
colored Of all Of the duck family. The
squealer sometimes roosts In trees. though
Il may not nest in them, and II frequcnts
exclusively forest bodies OF water. II 10
never found In the open. II never 1850
ciates with other tribes, and II will not dccoy
even 20 good limitations OF its own kind.
Each AnCk hnvspyar largo snanla tn no
sufficient unto itAelf and II stays together.
II separated by the discharges OF guns tho
disunited portions will 6y about until they
meet and then hurry away.
Not the least strange thing about them
N that a flock of great size will dart or
swerve at top speed whom flying 80 thickly
that the sky Il not visible through them,
and yet the individuals never come into
collision. This Il a miracle Of steering.
The squealcr gets its queerly irregular
through ~forests. II. IL used to lodging
limbs when tearing through space at much
more than express speed.
IL will come whistling into a small clear
pond, surrounded by massive oaks and
hickories 30 close together that their limbs
No. 8 shot with beautifully careless eose,
make a deceiving circle not two yards
across. dash itself savagely straight al n
trunk three feet through, depresa one or
the other wing-tip q fraction Of an inch
and so il away to other ponds, len wing tho
staring upward with q half-warmed gun
In his hands and a chill Of disappointment
In his heart.
The best weapon 70 use on tbcsc ire
sponsible evaders OF their just deserts Is
what the Arkansan calls a scatter gun, !
which In n double barrelled cylinder-bored
shotgun. II should be OF not larger csliber
than a twelve. and q sixteen In even better, |
because Il IL lighter and moro quickly |
handled. Shooting squealers over one Of
these small ponds d~ecp-buried In trees il
only snap-shooting at best and a score Of
three kills in six tries entities the man who
makes it TO self congratulation.
Such shooting IL never at more than
thirty yards distance, though occasionally |
n band Of eight or ten Will hover above tho
tops Of expresses more than $50 feet high
and stay there until they tempt a useless
close shooting, and shooting at a strangely
swift target, a quiek-burning powder is a
The advocates Of holding ahead, who
are generally men who kill ducks in the
open at sixty yards with plenty Of time TO
Il in, will find themselves wofully al
with the world when battling with
these ducks In their habitat. There was a
powder sold years g named
II was very fast and consequently
acked the penetration OF the slower brands.
There never was a better powder for
s~nap-shootins. II has long since gone out
Df fashion, though q keg Of Il may be found
ard then in the crossroads stores
II this country. Since II is not TO be had
generally, the man doing w~oods-pond
shooting should use any ono ~ the leading
brands Of nitrates, their makers have a
at Of discussion among themselves. but
hey are all about the came.
The squealer-t that h the dead squealer-
will be found 20 induce good thoughts II
{ il picked. drawn. washed, wipsd dry, |
with n mixture Of CoTrhrcad crumbs. |
buster and slices Of red pepper /
l1d-. Then rpas'ed prnyerfully In a Dutch
that has plenty Of fro on top Of IL
md not muah under h. Enough water
.louId be- added 20 prevent burning and a
aIlsspooufdl Of sherry would not do any
iarm II sherry we're common IN camp, |
which Il u not. TIE only substitute for
{ being probably corn whiskey, IN a scRrr.d
ug With q cob stopper, that should be
AIKEN qadHt. sui. and s'pautely