The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-10-04

IT We are in the habit of walking at 1 evening along the shores Of ponds and quiet rivers. we are apt to see, at this
 season. cluster of black specks, nov 1 ing on the horizon, and growing larger
 every moment. As they approach we
 detect the motion of wings, and soon We
 are aware of a flock of fast-fying birds wild ducks on their journey south
 ward. As they pass above us. we see
 them in silhouette against the sky, their
 long necks stretched out in front, cleav- ing their way at a speed of hundred
 miles an hour or more.
 Presently, perhaps, they wheel, the | whole flock as one, and after another
 graceful turn or two float softly down
 into some quiet inlet for the night.
 Wild ducks are, as rule, very diff 1 cult to study, particularly for those of
 us who live outside of their breeding
 range. Most of them nest in the north, ! only few species rearing their young
 in the eastern states. We seldom see 1 them except as migrants, in the spring | and fall, and unless we are fond of the
 water, we are apt to miss them alto- gether. Then they are very suspicious | and difficult to approach, and ance star | tied their extremely rapid flight quickly takes them out of the range of our ob-
 servation. Perhaps the least difficult to observe are the river ducks, which ire | quent rivers and ponds. and are there fore more easy for most of us to ap- proach than the sea ducks, which spend
 much of their time far off shore. It is interesting to know that river ducks
 may be distinguished from sea ducks by l the absence of a lobe on the hind toe, | but this point is, as rule. only valua- l ble when we come to study dead speci-
 mems, for we seldom get near enough to l live ones to see whether they have toes
 or not. Nevertheless, with good field glass, and plenty of perseverance, we may learn something of the habits of | the river ducks even during the short
 space of time they are to be seen in our waters.
 They feed both by day and by night, l but more often by night. They do not | dive to great depths like the sea ducks
 do, but dabble in the shallow water for | insects, insects larvae and crustaceans,
 or with upturned tails reach downward
 for mollusks, and the roots of aquatic plants.
 Perhaps the best known of all our riv-
 CT ducks is the mallard, whose plump | descendants are to be seen in half the
 farm yards in the country. The drake. l with his beautiful greenish black head
 and white neck ring, cannot be mista-
 ken for any other bird. When seen to- gether, however, there is great differ
 ence between the wild mallard and it's
 domesticated descendants. Last fall observed a wild mallard drake which l had dropped into quiet pond, attract | ed by flock of tame ducks of the same | species. The wild drake was in every way handsomer bird than his fellows.
 His plumage was brighter and seemed to fit him better, and the other drakes | looked fat and clumsy by comparison. He was far more active than the others. | dipping and swimming much faster, and when food was thrown into the pond. he easily out-distanced all competitors in the race. to obtain it.
 Like most of the other river ducks, the mallard makes a nest of twigs, grasses. leaves and moss, lined with down from its own breast. This nest is usually made in a marsh or grassy swamp. and contains from six to ten greenish br blueish white eggs.
 A bird which greatly resembles the mallard in habits is the black or dusky duck, and the drake of this species re- sembles the female mallard in general appearance. Even the voices of the two species are indistinguishable. But at close range the dusky duck may easily be distinguished from the mallard by the absence of white in the wing. Black ducks are wary birds and very difficult to observe. They often ire quent broad marshes, where they feed on snails and other small fry. They of- ten spend the night there, too, sleeping either on the land or in shallow ponds, and in spite of the fact that certain members of the flock are supposed to act as sentinels while the others sleep, a prowling fox will sometimes dash in upon them and carry off one of their number before they half awake.
 The smallest of our ducks is the green WluEGu lcdi, WiilCIl IIlCdouA co UilIy Lou1 teen and half inches in length. This bird is an extremely fast flier, and as it speeds, it's wings produce long whist ling sound. It visits the ponds, rivers and marshes. where it feeds on the seeds of grasses and the leaves and roots of water plants. At certain sea- sons it is common in the rice planta- tions of the Sol1th
 The blue-wnged teal is but a little larger than the preceding, and is also marvelously fast on the wing. A broad band of white on the front of the head will serve to distinguish this bird from the green winged teal at a considerable distance, and it's small size will usually prevent it's being mistaken for any oth- CT species.
 One of the most beautiful of our east ern waterfowl is the wood duck, bird which breeds locally from Florida to Hudson's Bay, one of the few wild ducks which give us a chance to study it's nesting habits without making a
 (COntinued on Fifth page1