. Birds that hunt and are hunted; life histories of one hundred and seventy birds of prey, game birds and water fowls . six to sixteen duck-lings, the mother does not lack company during the autumnmigration, though she must often pay heavy toll to the gunnersin every state she passes through. Were she not among themost prolific of birds, doubtless the species would be extinctto-day. Happily this duck is a mark for experts only; for, witha spring from the water, it is at once launched in the air on aflight so rapid that few sportsmen reckon it correctly in takingaim. When wounded, the teal plun
. Birds that hunt and are hunted; life histories of one hundred and seventy birds of prey, game birds and water fowls . six to sixteen duck-lings, the mother does not lack company during the autumnmigration, though she must often pay heavy toll to the gunnersin every state she passes through. Were she not among themost prolific of birds, doubtless the species would be extinctto-day. Happily this duck is a mark for experts only; for, witha spring from the water, it is at once launched in the air on aflight so rapid that few sportsmen reckon it correctly in takingaim. When wounded, the teal plunges below the water, orwhen pursued by a hawk; but it rarely, if ever, dives for food,the tipping-up process of securing roots of water plants inshallow waters answering the purpose. Occasionally one seesa flock of teals sunning themselves on sandy flats and bogs,preening their feathers, or dozing in the heat of noon; then thehunter picks them off by the dozen at a time; but ordinarilythese birds keep well screened in the grasses at the edges of thewaters until twilight. While, like most other ducks, they are 104. -: ( River and Pond Ducks particularly active toward night and at dawn, they are notso shy as many. Farmers often see them picking up cornthrown about the barnyard; and Mr. Arnold tells in the Nid-ologist of finding nests of the green-winged teals built in tuftsof grass on the sun baked banks along the railroad tracks inManitoba, where the workmen constantly passed the broodingfemales intent only on keeping warm their large nestful of cream-white eggs. Nests have been found elsewhere, quite a distancefrom water, which would seem scarcely intelligent were not theteals very good walkers from the first, and less dependent thanothers on the food water supplies. In the west one some-times surprises a brood and its devoted little mother poking aboutin the undergrowth for acorns, or for grapes, corn, wheat, andoats that lie about the cultivated lands at harvest time. Green-w
Size: 1421px × 1759px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., book, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectuplandgamebirds
