The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1903-03-06
STUPIDITY OF CANvASBACKS.
They Are Easily Decoycd NJ: KILLED
aud Daspiay Lack Of Courage
In Feeding.

~ hoi Aiitih SpoItslitH the tdnNdS-
back has come to be regarded as a sort
OF Fetch, q fowl Of immense value,
much more delicious than other fowl,
much more worthy. This is due to the
folk who live about Chesapeake bay
and have an eye to the main chance,
says the New York Sun.
These folk have circulated the fiction
that the canvasback tastes Of the wild
celery and other delightful things upon
which II feeds and is altogether an
aristocrat Of the air Yet in the opin-
ion OF experienced wildfowlers il is no
Better than redhead and not so good
as young mallard, and IT is much
more easily decoyed and killed, which,
from a sport smanlike point Of view, is
drawback. What brain the canvas
back has Is soggy and refuses TO work.
man on one of the sand islands
about Arkansas Pass will see lots Of can
asbacks in a day. and il he hides will
have opportunity to observe how they
lack intelligence. He will select
point where the water is clear and calm
and from ten to fifteen feet deep. with
'elery at the bottom
In little while he will see "
shaped formation of birds near the
horizon. and ten minutes later they
will come clacking in. throwing mp the
water with their breasts. Then they
will begin diving for celery.
They will be at work for not more
than quarter of an hour when an
other V will show up. This will be
made Of redheads. They fintter in
without salute to the canvasb backs
and settle among them Geterminedly.
The latter manifest some discompos-
ure. but stay.
Then the redheads begin feeding
from the canvasbacks. A canva shack.
tilaing his tail up. will dive straight
down. grab a celery root in his bill.
wrench il loose and start ( o the surface
TO eat il. Half way up he will meet a
reohead going down, who takes the
root from him, comes up and swallows
H.
The canvas back will swim around.
squawk a little and 60 down again, only
to be met again and robbed again by
the first redhead or some other. This
viii be kept up until the redheaGs are
satisfied. after which the canvas backs
VIII be permitted to feed.
The canvas backs are slightly larger
and stronger. They can either fight or
leave, but they have not courage
enough for one or sense enough for the
other.
The man lying belinda stump on the
sand rises and takes crack at ahem,
go together The redheads will stay
away. but the canvasbacks will not.
they will return in half an hour. par
ficularly il the man has waited for the
waves TO bear the bodies TO the beach
and then set them up on sticLs in >hal-
low water as decoys.
Others will come also despite the
-hooting If he wishes TO get canvas
backs from the start and has other
dead ducks with him. he will set them
out. They will do just as well. for The
canvasbaek will decoy 10 anything that
looks like a duck, from a spoonful 10
4 mallard.
1t is big bird and handsome one,
good on the table. but little trouble 10
Kill and therefore favorte with
market-hnnters. particularly as it i
scarce and brings in market tx rim cs
what il is worth. Along the Gulf bay 5
j, is shot generally from pit dug in the
4. ~. .e
close to the edge Of the beach.