The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-02-12

examining the ducks that hung in
front of the stalls of Fulton Market,
New York.
What are the redheads worth a
pair?" / asked the clerk.
Five dollars" he calmly an
swered
"And those?" l continued, point
ing to a pair of fish-eating sawbills.
ooh, those are river redheads; only
a dollar a pair, SIR
l think that same clerk must be in
Toronto, for as / walk our principal
streets l see numerous pairs of these
same river redheads." 1t is worse
than cruelty to animals to offer these
evil-tasting mergansers to the public.
They only resemble the redheads in
a crown that is somewhat of that
color, but of hairy rather than a
feathery texture. Now, innocent
housekeepers, avoid any duck that
has a pronounced sawbill, serrated
bill, even if you have to pass the
hooded merganser, good eating
bird.
We were studying the redhead with
camera and gun, notebook and sharp
appetite. There is fearful contest
in these nature-study trips of ours.
There is the strong merciful desire to
let all the feathered game pass with
out giving toll to the hunter. But,
then, one cannot with any relish or
benefit live on the beautiful pictures
we obtain of the web-feet, so a few
find their way to the camp table.
Since we lost sight of the northern
migration early in May we had not
seen a redhead. They had gone far
north, by the marshy shores and on
the tufted prairies that edge the
Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes,
by the lonely Providence and Walms-
ley Lakes, where only the semi-an-
nual passages of the Hudson's Bay
men or the rude canoe of the Indian
trappers disturb the scene. Most of
the birds were mated ere they left
these southern lakes. They had lin
gered on the migration, held by the
immense submarine beds of wild eel
cry that carpet man yof our frontier
lakes.
To them the springtime in Canada
must be season 0. beauty. All the
old familiar lakes and rivers, ponds
and bays, untenanted by that fearful
animal that each fall breathes forth
fire and smoke and singing wounds
and broken limbs from every clump
Of flags, marshy point, and thick rice
beds. I wonder what these birds
must think Of man. I have seen
them feeding calmly on the lake
when the deer came in to drink. Il
have watched them edge slowly away
when cattle suddenly emerged from
the cover, but let man step into the
scene and the silky gray wings soon
bear the bright red heads and snowy
canvasbacks of the birds far off into
safety.
Hawk, the Mississaugan guide, al
ways confused this breed with the
real canvasback. l had to point out
to him one day the different forma-
ton of the head. The latter birds
has long, sharp curve from head
crest to point of bill, whereas the
redhead has what you might call a
high forehead.
1t was late in September before the |
first of these lordly birds arrived on
our southern tier of lakes. Our camp |
had already pictured and shot the
early bluebills, and my cameras were |
set and my canoe concealed awaiting |
their return. High overhead I heard |
q mighty rushing, tearing sound, as |
II great flame were surging above |
me, then the noise took on a rum
bling, rafting note that made me
think of distant trains or farmers |
wagons passing over rough roads. |
Again It rushed and whistled, surged |
and fell. Finally I located them with |
the telescope flock of about two
hundred redheads falling down to the
lake from the height of their migra-
tory flight. It is almost inconceiv-
able the wondrous sound this circling,
pitching flock made. A spiral of a
hundred yards on stifny set wings
gave out q wild. siren note as clear as
. bell and as loud as q locomotive
whistle. There were eight great
curves yet to do. and I watched the
white silk of the wings and glorious
mahogany of the long necks and
heads kaleidoscope in the big glass.
They fell past the lens a shower of
game, fell as though
poured from some beneflcent goddess
horn Of plenty, fell after their thou
sand mile spin within q gunshot of
where your humble servant was en-
1eavoring to keep his eyes from un-
timely popping out.
forgot to mention that the incu-