green. Upper tail coverts and tail, greenish black. Some of the lateral tail coverts, dull reddish purple; a few on either side with their filaments light red. Smaller wind coverts, alula, and primaries dull grayish brown. Most of the latter with part of their outer web grayish white, and their inner, toward the tip, darker and glossed with green. Secondary quills tipped with white; the outer webs green, with purple reflections. Those of the inner secondaries and scapulars velvetblack, their inner webs glossed and changing to green. The broad feathers anterior to the wings are white, terminated with black. Breast and abdomen, grayish white feathers, under the wings yellowish gray, minutely undulated with black and white bars. Lower wing coverts and axillary feathers, white barred with grayish brown. Lower tail coverts dull grayish brown. Length, to end of tail, 20 1-2 inches; extent of wings, 28.

Adult Female: The female is considerably smaller, and differs greatly from the male in coloring. The feathers of the head are not elongated, but those of the upper part of the neck are slightly so. In other respects the plumage presents nothing very remarkable and is similar to that of the male. Bill, blackish brown. Feet, dusky, tinged with yellow. Upper part of the head, dusky, glossed with green. Sides of the head and neck, and the hind part of the latter, light brownish gray. Throat, white, but without the lateral processes of the male. Fore part of the neck below, and sides, light yellowish brown, mottled with grayish brown, as are the sides under the wings. Breast and abdomen, white, the former spotted with brown. Hind neck, back, and rump dark brown, glossed with green and purple. Wings as in male, but the speculum less, and

the secondaries externally faint reddish purple; the velvety black of the male diminished to a few narrow markings. Tail, dark brown, glossed with green. Length 19, 1-2 inches.

THE Blue-Winged Teal is among the swiftest and sprightliest of the duck species. They afford delightful sport to the hunter, for they are always with us at a time when early fall commences to tinge forest and field with its autumn colorings. They are gentle, confiding little things, and live, travel and associate together in the greatest harmony. They are great lovers of warm sunshine, and can be seen sitting on the shore, on muskrat houses and small elevations of almost any kind dozing and basking in the sun. Active little fellows when feeding; they wade through shallow water, skimming bugs and larvæ from the surface, or hastily gulp down a venturesome insect that indiscreetly gets near them. Unlike the larger variety of ducks, they avoid open water and content themselves huddling together on the soft

muddy shore, or enjoying a constant holiday among the pond-lilies, flags, and wild rice.

They are easily decoyed, easily approached, and easily killed. Shooting them over points they will come like a flash, sometimes in immense droves, flying low and with incredible swiftness, no sailing or circling around for them, with heads pointed for some feeding spot they come swift as thought, and quickly flirting their little bodies first one side, then the other, drop right in among the decoys, often within twenty feet of the hunter. They appear to have perfect control of themselves when flying, and will alight square into rice spots or water, when going at their greatest speed, pitching down very similarly to a snipe or woodcock. An idea of the great speed with which they fly may be had from this apt illustration, given by one who evidently has had large experience with them:

"Let a blue-winged teal get it into his head that he is a little late to hit an appointment, or that he wants to see a man' a longish bit away, and a hundred miles an hour is decidedly too slow to meet his notion. A streak of lightning, well greased, is now hardly an exaggerated simile, and after an astonished glimpse of a dark spot swims above your head like an unlighted meteor, you are ready to believe that if he were going straight away from the muzzle of your gun, and the shot following a half second later, it would be about an even race with odds in favor of the bird, if anything."

At such times, when they are going at a speed of from one to two hundred miles an hour, there is no time for dallying on aim but the shooter should hold as near as possible (the bird being estimated at 35 to 40 yards) 10 to 15 feet ahead of it. Should the bird fly over his

head, going directly away, better save his shell; still, if he wants to experiment, he might try. Possibly the bird will slack its speed and give the shot a chance to catch up; this being an event of so much uncertainty, he had better not risk it, unless supplied with plenty of shells. Being engaged in feeding, they pay but little attention to the hunter, and rush along gulping down their food as if their lives depended on its being done hastily.

It takes but a slight blow to kill them, and large num bers are frequently killed at the discharge of both barrels. Feeding almost continuously, they are always in excellent condition, tender, juicy, and all that one could desire for the table. After one has been killed and dressed for cooking should the discovery be made that his ribs are not larded with at least a quarter of an inch of fat, depend on it, he merited death, for he was during life a sloth.

No. 7 or 8 shot is the proper size.

Anas Discors.-This species measures about 14 inches in length, and 22 inches in extent. The bill is long in proportion, and of a dusky slate; the front and upper part of the head, black; from the eye to the chin is a large crescent of white; the rest of the head and half of the neck are of a dark slate, richly glossed with green and violet; remainder of the neck and breast black or dusky, thickly marked with semi-circles of brownish. white, elegantly intersecting with each other; belly, pale brown, barred with dusky narrow lines; sides and vent the same tint spotted with oval marks of dusky;