they had been frolicking in wheat and cornfields, gorging themselves for six weeks.

The different methods of hunting mallards will be found throughout this book, under appropriate headings.

Anas Boschas: Bill, about the length of the head, higher than broad at the base, depressed and widened toward the end, rounded at the tip. Upper mandible, with a dorsal outline, sloping and a little concave; the ridge of the base broad and flat toward the end, broadly convex, as are the sides; the edges soft and rather obtuse; the marginal lamellæ transverse, 50 on each; the ungines oval, curved, abrupt at the end. Nasal groove elliptical, sub-basal, filled by the soft membrane of the bill; nostrils sub-basal, placed near the ridge, longitudinal, elliptical, pervious. Lower mandible, slightly curved upward with the angles very long, narrow and rather pointed; the lamellæ about sixty.

Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed; neck rather long and slender; body, full, depressed; feet short, stout, placed a little behind the centre of the body; legs bare a little above the joint; tarsus short, a little compressed anteriorly with scutilla, laterally and behind with small reticulated scales. Hind toe extremely small with a very narrow membrane; third toe longest; fourth a little shorter, but longer than the second, all the toes connected by reticulated membranes; the outer with a thick margin, the inner with a margin extended into a slightly lobed web. Claws small, arched, compressed, rather acute; that of the middle toe much longer with dilated, thin, inner edge.

Plumage, dense, soft, elastic; of the head and neck, short, blended and splendent; of the other parts in

general, broad and rounded. Wings of moderate length, acute; primaries narrow and tapering; the second longest, the first very little shorter, secondaries broad, curved inward, the inner elongated and tapering; tail short, much rounded, of sixteen acute feathers, of which the four central are recurved.

Bill, greenish yellow; iris, dark brown; feet, orange red; head and upper part of neck, deep green, a ring of white about the middle of the neck; lower part anteriorly and fore part of breast, dark brownish chestnut; fore part of back, light yellowish brown, tinged with gray, the rest of the back, brownish black; the rump, black, splendent, with green and purplish blue reflections, as on the recurved tail feathers. Upper surface of wings, grayish brown; the scapulars lighter, except the inner webs, and with anterior dorsal feathers, minutely undulated with brown. The speculum, or beauty spot, on about ten of the secondaries, is of a brilliant changing purple and green, edged with velvet, black and white; the anterior black and white being on the secondary coverts; breast, sides, and abdomen very pale gray, minutely undulated with darker; lower tail coverts black with blue reflections.

Length to end of tail, 24 inches; extent of wings 36; weight, from two and a half to three pounds.

Adult Female: Bill, black in the middle, dull orange at the extremities and along the edges; iris as in the male, as are the feet. The general color of the upper parts is pale yellowish brown streaked, and spotted with dusky brown; the feathers of the head are narrowly streaked; of the back with the margin and central streak yellowish brown, the rest of the scapulars similar, but with the light streak on the outer web. The

wings are nearly as in the male, the speculum similar, but with less green. The lower parts are dull olive, deeper on the lower neck, and spotted with brown.

Length, 22 inches; weight, from two pounds to two and one half.

CHAPTER III.

WOOD DUCK-SUMMER DUCK.

"Now Nature hangs her mantle green
On every blooming tree,

And spreads her sheets of daisies white
Out o'er the grassy lea."

THE Wood duck, or Summer duck, is the most beautiful in color and plumage of any of the duck species. The glossy brilliancy of the soft, dense feathers, the perfect blending of all the colors,-completing all imaginable shades,-makes the Summer duck one of indescribable beauty. We have all, time and again, seen sights, that were impressed so deeply upon our minds, that time could not blot them out; still, the beautiful images carved in our memories, standing in relief, like a cameo, emblazoned on our minds, we could not impart to others; we knew they were there, we constantly see them, and yet the words at our command are inadequate to tell of the hidden splendor we see so clearly, yet cannot describe. So one feels, when he attempts to paint with words, the brilliant plumage of the summer duck. There is not a bird that visits the North in field, forest or stream, that can compare with this one, in magnificent coloring. They are rightly named Summer duck, they are so different from all others. We are apt to associate ducks, and perhaps 'correctly too, with cold and inclement weather, and when we have the one we anticipate the other. But