Mexico weekly ledger., 1903-10-29
for the Ledger.
SOMETHING ABOUT DUCKS.
BY !, e. KENDALL.

~ ~ M
This time 1 will tell you what l
know about wild ducks and other
water fowls, as I am confined to writ
ing about game birds. / am badly
handicapped by being barred from
telling any hair-raising bear stories
So / will begin this story with the
mallard, as sportsmen consider him to
be the largest and best Of the duck
family. To see him as he gracefully
glides along on the surface OF the
smooth water and see his green head
and neck glisten in the sunlight you
must admit that he Is a proud game
bird; like all other birds they have
their fayorite place for %wintering and
rearing their young which is near
some lake where the young birds can
learn to swim. | have been at such
places and they we're so plentiful that
| could in a few minutes find nests
enough to gather a basketful of eggs.
There are several ways to get within
gun range of them, besides crawling on
your bands and knees. The best way
IL you are a good shot is IT, ind some
place where they pass over, going to
and from their feeding grounds; an
other good way Is to get some decoy
ducks, which are made OF cork, or
some light wood; have them painted
the color of the mallard and place
them In some pond and as the ducks
pass over they will e the decoys
and will light near them, and many
are killed 10 this way. A good story is
told On two Of Mexico's nimrods who
were down near Laddonia some years
agoduck hunting; they had several de-
coy ducks along. They put them In a
pond and went of hunting elsewhere
for several hours, when they conclud-
cd to go and see about the decoys, and
long before they reached the place
such shooting they never heard before,
and as they came near they saw an old
farmer becon them to stop; he bad
found some ducks; he was still firing
as fast as he could load his gun. After
so long a time they thought that the
old farmer had fun enough they
crawled up TO where he was; he was
still shooting and he said to the boys;
al have been shooting for an hour, and
/ will kill them dodgasted ducks II it
takes me a week" So, to keep up the
joke they let him take a few more
shots and told him that he had ruined
their dec0ys, and for a long time 1t
was not safe to say anything about
duck shooting to that old farmer. AS
there + so many different kinds Of
ducks and other water fowl and as
their habits are all about the same /
will only mention three, as my men,
DRY will recall them, along with the
mallard and next In size is the can
vass back, and the spring tail with bis
snow white breast and forked tail is a
game bird, and will give the expert
hunter all the sport he wants, as he is
a fleet-wlnged bird and as he passes
over you, If you are not on the watch,
you will only hear the noise made by
his wings, and you won't know wheth-
er it was a duck or a cannon ball
whizzed by. There Is also the widgeon,
known as the whistling duck, and the
spoon bill. The wood duck, the red
head, the teal and the mud hen, and
the tame little blue wing that is said
al dodge a gun shot. Tehre are 9th
ers that l cannot now recall. Some of
the other water game fowls are the
jack snipe, IL you are not a good shot
you won't get him. Then there is the
plover, the wader, the curlew and the
little sand piper. There are many
other water fowls, but l will not
mention them, as | can only write Of
game birds.