The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-02
SHOTS AT PAST.PLYHG DUCKS.
AMAZING SPEED AND LACK OF
BRAIN OF TIE TEAL.


-
Il Can Go IT'S smes m Hour. Hunter
mink. n Yet Is an Easy Pre-
10 Four~Footed roes-Tne ee-Callc'
suueaier Duck OF Arkansas ODD
Things About It's Flight.
PLAIN DEALING. La, Jan. s.-Snow
Ice. eating winds. gray skies, shivers sne
shakes are botherins the high latitude'
and the people that live In them. Dow
here the winter 10 only getting ready x
DO GOLD.
Many trees, even those OF the deciduou'
varieties, are still In leaf. The grass Il
green in sunny places along the sides OF
the narrow, crooked roads. In brush
adorned corners Of rail fences q few wild
flowers, scentless but beautiful, are de-
flying the cool winds from the north. Al
the bases OF old oaks green moss still lies
like rich-piled velvet.
The sun Is hot In the middle OF the day
II Is only when dark has fallen tina. there
Ia a feeling Of gloom In the air. Even so
q roaring campfire. highnashing and
painting In distsmper on gnarled trunks
and c~urfously bent branches, is able to
put warmth into stirened fingers, powder
grimed and made inactive from much
olinging to the gun barrels,
In the great woods. unsettled save by
an occasional negro or n poor white with
his forty acres and a mule, game Is lux
uriating. On the brown ground the
stealthy football OF the deer sounds ten
tatively and, listening intently, one may
hear afar In the forest the snort Of some
buck In fancied danger or at play.
The wild turkey scratches among newly
fallen leaves In search OF berries or in
sects, or fearfully rises with roaring
thunder Of wings and flaps away just high
enough from earth to avoid the lowest
branches. So little hot over N the coun-
try that the black squirrel, long extinct
in lands further north. nay still be had in
reasonable plenty.
The stretches OF woodland are vocal
with visitors which arrive In November
and stay until the increasing warmth OF
the March sun starts them homeward.
A flock Of passenger pigeons was seen
here last winter, but they have not re-
turned.
They were only seven In number and
seemed strangers In a strange land,
though a quarter OF a century ago they
broke down the limbs OF the trees on which
they roasted. This wandering band
would have been glad TO stay also, but
the chances are that IL was extorminated
by some African, armed with an Enfield.
two charges OF black powder In q horn
and a handful Of slues cut from a sheet
lead and rolled under a barrel head,
Ducks OF many varieties are here, but
not many Of them remain through jan
uary and February. They go 20 the coast
country or still further down the line OF
the Mexican Gulf. some OF them flying as
far as the northern States Of South America.
Mallards. redheads. pitfalls. ~widgeons.
butter balls, dusky ducks, black mallards,
spoonbills and even a ca~nvasback now
and then como and pass on. singularly
enough, the blue winged teal, which does
not stand cold we'll. remains through my
spell Of weather not exceptionally severe
and the g~reenwing. content with the small
er kinds OF aoorns, duckwecd and seeded
grasses, does not think OF migrating further.
IL would appear that these birds become
even more plentiful as the season advances.
a cheering state OF a fsirs due probably to
the fact that they continue TO come In from
lagoons and creeks above this region and
refuse TO move on. The md here. too,
open lands aud waters Of prairie coun-
tries or those which are cut up into farms.
A n general thing the teal IL q fool. II
will decoy 10 almost any variety Of duck,
hlRnllnH AfulQ All lfllthilpn uDfN OF lOTfilY
redheads with an idiotic assurance that IL
will be made 20 feel AZ home.
IL has tho habit Of going 20 sleep upon any
sandbar where the sun falls warmly. II
Is a bad Judge Of distance and will fly well
within gun range even though the gunner
~ In plain view,
Its speed IL such that it, kind would now
he 20 NUMEROUS as TO lie In the way hut for
lie lack Of brain and u~nshakahle con
hdence In The wel-nleaning oi cv"rvboty
and everything IT, small siT" aud uuholy
ssiftness have continued % protect II
against itsslf
Tho number 81 miles an hour II il able
20 pu' bchiud II has been a matter ~ argu.
ment among hsldmen for generations.
aud H. 40 nearer settlement Than ever
b rate at which b. travels varies with
conditions. When migrating IL gets through
the aE ~ . slower rate than when
gong from one feeding place 20 another
II a nook i going before a nigh wind
u will reach without apparent EFFORT a spaced
u a hundred milez an hour " a single
bird l. boz, from its companions about dusk
and 10 eudsasuung 20 react = Ius-t tN~nfY
miles away t~f1re tie 0fhrr got tu iod %
vail oomrass i2i milss an boa
II u then ou business sud all Tnss within
twenty fsnt Of a mah With d E4u CO. e half
dnsnn guns for tho matter uf That "a
is %sIpposahl" thsf the teal A. 'uis tiuo
snd h@oaH-o Il o. piogfe-s do u"t 80
Distinctly
lie "TfubhlNilcH are fhHf ANYTHING hHa
uAn ths Ha1 ~ q lof.U 10 Invisible toll An
simply huSxrt ~ apparently . hlaHs Efrras
tsu fosi lsus aud tahes o. rhanuus aEatuni
he red naslss ~ tis Flns
Isale ls o. mote delicious hesh tian fIaI
of $40 hI4 NihE 90 Errrn tlNE thrIr suu
an rfenur hrt thrm rfhrf tasIrs
ls.itsf skifh To- n isnd Nsd U i.rIaiss
tir ufri ahd unIuraY HpUuHt4aN NNf. o.
pausns a. frhrH i.at thr Hu.raln. fUarr
skunks and uihrfs q fils 90 IU 49, faI
sn thuia Too lral l. sssIY HapIIfaI aurf
dars unyaua u 81 nuI taaH H sIsnU saIrf
n uan tnd - H.Iaiua inafl m HsF
sdEs a . lsta shHh be- See sioaIhs
80 Hialira NisH
ia - uF sird - ssip sfaHi y 90
tis ~tfrdsiaIF lHHf fsaiHd NHuH.. Hk.
lhrfl p Hsfsf ri.HuEi rsirf Hf Hssh .
o. fol HssI.h Huln aNH .Hf HII
afHf HH fHfr Iun n.lHN HafrI Nf.H i
hstHF sIHg 60 20 HlIsf a 600
klHH H Nr raIF iHHI lHf N# tHIff
90 manf tHHiH n aslh nHrN aH| u
H h.I fHHuHIH sIasHg tH a. q
fiHaI InaHiHH ri tNf q ~ Toe
NIH go = HHf HHIhf co. ITfNN I..
rIH 4 ga fH J. HfIff
10 F#. rNkNs u. IHHI .I. NJ. aHI
nff H. haffHf IafrH If.. IL
f A.
ntHH f.fm NHF II" frIHf
g.. L 81" NHHHH HH..IH. ..