. Important American game birds; their ranges, habits and the hunting . ey region, but the great majority travel up and down the coasts. A considerable flight also comesand goes between the Great Lakes and the coast of southern New England. Large numbers of scoters winter along the coast of southern New England where they feed chieflyon mussels, which they obtain by diving. The great beds or floating flocks break up at dawn, andthe birds fly in small flocks or companies to their feeding grounds. At points along the coast the gun-ners of the different towns go out in boats before daylight, and
. Important American game birds; their ranges, habits and the hunting . ey region, but the great majority travel up and down the coasts. A considerable flight also comesand goes between the Great Lakes and the coast of southern New England. Large numbers of scoters winter along the coast of southern New England where they feed chieflyon mussels, which they obtain by diving. The great beds or floating flocks break up at dawn, andthe birds fly in small flocks or companies to their feeding grounds. At points along the coast the gun-ners of the different towns go out in boats before daylight, and each company anchors its boats in aline extending out to sea for a long distance, so that ducks going up or down the coast must fly overthe line and thus run the gauntlet of the guns. Here the white-wings sometimes fly very high, butoften they will drop down nearer the water at a loud shout or a hat tossed high in air. Early in theseason these birds may be decoyed by wooden ducks anchored in deep water off some little islet near 22 IM P O RTANT -AMERICAN- GAME -BIRDS. VIRGINIA RAIL CLAPPER RAIL KING RAIL COOT SORA See page 30 See page 30 See page 30 See page 33 See page 31 IMPORTANT AMERICAN- GAME BIRDS their feeding ground where the gunner lies concealed. Often the decoys are made very large, so thatthey may be seen from a long distance. Many scoters and other sea ducks are shot from boats atanchor, to which they are attracted by strings of anchored decoys. The hunter lies quietly in his boatand the silly coots come on. Scoters are rather rank in flavor, and are not considered fit to eat by somewho shoot their ducks mainly on inland waters. A lady assures me that when she attempted to cookone it drove everyone out of the house, and she had to throw away the kettle; but the shore gunnersknow how to prepare them so as to remove or disguise both the rank taste and smell. Thus cookedthe birds make an agreeable change from the usual winter diet. Chen hyperboreus nivalis This bird,
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectgameandgamebirds
