The Young Voyageurs: Boy Hunters in the North

  CHAPTER TWENTY.

  THE DUCKS OF AMERICA.

  Lucien now continued his "monograph" of the American ducks.

  "There are," said he, "more than two dozen species of ducks on thewaters of North America. These the systematists have divided into noless than _eighteen genera_! Why it would be more easy to learn allthat ever was known about all the ducks in creation, than to rememberthe eighteen generic names which these gentlemen have invented and putforward. Moreover, the habits of any two species of these ducks aremore similar than those of any two kinds of dogs. Why then, I shouldask--why this complication? It is true that the ducks do not resembleeach other in every thing. Some species are fonder of water thanothers. Some feed entirely upon vegetable substances; others upon smallfish, insects, crustacea, etcetera. Some live entirely in the sea;others make their home in the freshwater lakes and rivers, while manyspecies dwell indifferently, either in salt or fresh waters. Some lovethe open wave; others the sedgy marsh; while one or two species roostupon trees, and build their nests in the hollow trunks. Notwithstandingall this, there is such a similarity in the appearance and habits of thedifferent species, that I think the systematists have improved butlittle, if anything, upon the simple arrangement of the true naturalistWilson, who--poor Scotch _emigre_ as he was, with an empty purse and aloaded gun--has collected more original information about the birds ofAmerica than all that have followed him. He described the ducks ofAmerica under the single genus _Anas_; and, in my opinion, describedthem in a more intelligent and intelligible manner than any one has donesince his time--not even excepting another great and true naturalist,whose career has been longer, more successful, and happier; and whosefame, in consequence of his better fortune, has become, perhaps, higherand more extended.

  "The water-fowl of America," continued Lucien--"I mean the swans, geese,and ducks, are of great importance in the fur countries where we are nowtravelling. At certain seasons of the year, in many parts, they furnishalmost the only article of food that can be procured. They are allmigratory--that is, when the lakes and rivers of these regions becomefrozen over in the winter they all migrate southward, but return againto breed and spend the summer. They do this, perhaps, because thesewild territories afford them a better security during the season ofincubation, and afterwards of moulting. It is not very certain,however, that this is the reason, and for my part I am inclined to thinknot, for there are also wild, uninhabited territories enough in southernlatitudes, and yet they forsake these and migrate north in the spring.`Their arrival in the fur countries,' writes a distinguished naturalist,`marks the commencement of spring, and diffuses as much joy among thewandering hunters of the Arctic regions, as the harvest or vintageexcites in more genial climes.' Both by the Indians and hunters in theemploy of the Hudson's Bay Company swans, geese, and ducks, areslaughtered by thousands, and are eaten not only when fresh killed, butthey are salted in large quantities, and so preserved for winter use,when fresh ones can no longer be procured. Of course, both Indian andwhite hunters use all their art in killing or capturing them; and toeffect this they employ many different methods, as decoying, snaring,netting, and shooting them: but Cousin Norman here could give a betterdescription of all these things than I. Perhaps he will favour us withsome account of them."

  "The Indians," said the young trader, taking up the subject withouthesitation, "usually snare them. Their most common way is to make anumber of hedges or wattle fences projecting into the water at rightangles to the edge of the lake, or, it may be, river. These fences aretwo or three yards apart, and between each two there is, of course, anopening, into which the birds swim, as they make towards the shore fortheir food. In these openings, then, the snares are set and tied sofirmly to a post stuck in the bottom, that the birds, whether ducks,geese, or swans, when caught, may not be able to drag it away. To keepthe snare in its place, it is secured to the wattles of the fence withtender strands of grass, that of course give way the moment the fowlbecomes entangled. The snares are made out of deer sinews, twisted likepackthread, and sometimes of thongs cut from a `parchment' deerskin,which, as you know, is a deerskin simply dried, and not tanned ordressed. The making of the fences is the part that gives most trouble.Sometimes the timber for the stakes is not easily had; and even when itis plenty, it is no easy matter to drive the stakes into the bottom andwattle them, while seated in a vessel so crank as a birch canoe.Sometimes, in the rivers where the water-fowl most frequent, the currentis swift, and adds to this trouble. Where the lakes and rivers areshallow, the thing becomes easier; and I have seen small lakes andrivers fenced in this way from shore to shore. In large lakes thiswould not be necessary, as most of the water-birds--such as the swansand geese--and all the ducks that are not of the diving kinds, are sureto come to the shore to feed, and are more likely to be taken close into land than out in the open water.

  "The Indians often snare these birds upon the nest, and they always washtheir hands before setting the snare. They have a notion--I don't knowwhether true or not--that if their hands are not clean, the birds cansmell the snare, and will be shy of going into it. They say that allthese birds--and I believe it's true of all fowls that make their nestsupon the ground--go into the nest at one side, and out at the opposite.The Indians knowing this, always set their snares at the side where thebird enters, and by this they are more sure of catching them, and alsoof getting them some hours sooner.

  "Besides snaring the water-fowl," continued Norman, "the Indianssometimes catch them in nets, and sometimes on hooks baited withwhatever the birds are known to eat. They also shoot them as the whitehunters do, and to get near enough use every sort of cunning that can bethought of. Sometimes they decoy them within shot, by putting woodenducks on the water near their cover, where they themselves arestationed. Sometimes they disguise their canoes under brushwood, andpaddle to the edge of the flock; and when the moulting season comesround, they pursue them through the water, and kill them with sticks.The swans, when followed in this way, often escape. With their strongwings and great webbed feet, they can flap faster over the surface thana canoe can follow them. I have heard of many other tricks which theIndians of different tribes make use of, but I have only seen these waysI have described, besides the one we have just witnessed."

  Norman was one of your practical philosophers, who did not choose totalk much of things with which he was not thoroughly acquainted.

  Lucien now took up the thread of the conversation, and gave some furtherinformation about the different species of American ducks.

  "One of the most celebrated," said he, "is the `eider-duck' (_Anasmollissima_). This is prized for its down, which is exceedingly softand fine, and esteemed of great value for lining quilts and making bedsfor the over-luxurious. It is said that three pounds' weight of `eiderdown' can be compressed to the size of a man's fist, and yet isafterwards so dilatable as to fill a quilt of five feet square. Thedown is generally obtained without killing the bird, for that which isplucked from dead birds is far inferior, and has lost much of itselasticity. The mode of procuring it is to steal it from the nest, inthe absence of the birds. The female lines the nest with down pluckedfrom her own breast. When this is stolen from her, by those who gatherthe commodity, she plucks out a second crop of it, and arranges it asbefore. This being also removed, it is said that the male bird thenmakes a sacrifice of his downy waistcoat, and the nest is once more putin order; but should this too be taken, the birds forsake their nestnever to return to it again. The quantity of `eider down' found in asingle nest is sufficient to fill a man's hat, and yet it will weighonly about three ounces.

  "The eider-duck is about the size of the common mallard, or wild duckproper. Its colour is black below, and buff-white on the back, neck,and shoulders, while the forehead is bluish black. It is one of the`sea-ducks,' or _fuligulae_, as the naturalists term them, and it israrely seen in fresh water. Its food is principally the soft molluscacommon in the Arctic seas, and its flesh is not esteemed excep
t by theGreenlanders. It is at home only in the higher latitudes of bothContinents, and loves to dwell upon the rocky shores of the sea; but invery severe winters, it makes its appearance along the Atlantic coast ofthe United States, where it receives different names from the gunners--such as `black-and-white coot,' `big sea-duck,' `shoal-duck,' and`squaw-duck;' and under these titles it is often sold in the markets ofAmerican cities. Some suppose that the eider-duck could be easilydomesticated. If so, it would, no doubt, prove a profitable as well asan interesting experiment; but I believe it has already been attemptedwithout success. It is in the countries of Northern Europe where thegathering of the eider down has been made an object of industry. On theAmerican Continent the pursuit is not followed, either by the native orwhite settler.

  "Another species common to the higher latitudes of both Continents isthe `king-duck,' so called from its very showy appearance. Its habitsare very similar to the `eider,' and its down is equally soft andvaluable, but it is a smaller bird.

  "A still smaller species, also noted for its brilliant plumage, inhabitsthe extreme north of both continents. This is the `harlequin-duck;' or,as the early colonists term it, the `lord.'

  "But the `wood-duck' (_Anas sponsa_) is perhaps the most beautiful ofall the American species, or indeed of all ducks whatever--although ithas a rival in the _mandarin duck_ of China, which indeed it very muchresembles both in size and markings. The wood-duck is so called fromthe fact of its making its nest in hollow trees, and roostingoccasionally on the branches. It is a freshwater duck, and a Southernspecies--never being seen in very high latitudes; nor is it known inEurope in a wild state, but is peculiar to the Continent of America. Itis one of the easiest species to domesticate, and no zoological gardenis now without it; in all of which its small size--being about that of awidgeon--its active movements and innocent look, its musical_peet-peet_, and, above all, its beautiful plumage, make it a generalfavourite.

  "Besides these, there are many others of the American ducks, whosedescription would interest you, but you would grow tired were I to givea detailed account of them all; so I shall only mention a few that aredistinguished by well-known peculiarities. There is the `whistler'(_Anas clangula_), which takes its trivial name from the whistling soundof its wings while in flight; and the `shoveller,' so called from theform of its bill; and the `conjuring,' or `spirit' ducks of the Indians(_Anas vulgaris_ and _albeola_), because they dive so quickly anddexterously, that it is almost impossible to shoot them either with bowor gun. There is the `old wife,' or `old squaw' (_Anas glacialis_), socalled from its incessant cackle, which the hunters liken to thescolding of an ill-tempered old wife. This species is the most noisy ofall the duck tribe, and is called by the voyageurs `caccawee,' from itsfancied utterance of these syllables; and the sound, so often heard inthe long nights of the fur countries, has been woven into and forms theburden of many a voyageur's song. In some parts of the United Statesthe caccawee is called `south-southerly,' as its voice is there thoughtto resemble this phrase, while at the time when most heard--the autumn--these ducks are observed flying in a southerly direction.

  "Besides these," continued Lucien, "there are the teals--blue andgreen-winged--and the coots, and the widgeon--slightly differing fromthe widgeon of Europe--and there is the rare and beautiful little ruddyduck (_Anas rubida_), with its bright mahogany colour--its long uprighttail and short neck--that at a distance give it the appearance of a duckwith two heads. And there is the well-known `pintail,' and the`pochard' or `red-head;' and the `mallard,' from which comes the commondomestic variety, and the `scoter,' and `surf,' and `velvet,' and`dusky,' ducks--these last four being all, more or less, of a darkcolour. And there are the `shell-drakes,' or `fishers,' that swim lowin the water, dive and fly well, but walk badly, and feed altogether onfish. These, on account of their toothed bills, form a genus ofthemselves--the `mergansers,'--and four distinct species of them areknown in America."

  The approach of night, and the necessity of landing, to make their nightcamp, brought Lucien's lecture to a close. Indeed Francois was gladwhen it ended, for he was beginning to think it somewhat tedious.