Long-tailed Duck or Swallow-tailed Sheldrake—(Anas Glacialis, Linn.; Canard de Miclon, Buff.) This species is considerably less than the last, and comes more nearly to the size of the widgeon. The flocks which visit the Orkney isles appear in October, and continue there till April; and “about sunset they are seen in vast companies going to and returning from the bays, in which they frequently pass the night, making such a noise, as in frosty weather may be heard some miles.” They are rather scarce in England, whither they come only in very hard winters, and even then but in small straggling parties. They fly swiftly, but seldom to a great distance, making a loud and singular cry. They are expert divers, and are supposed to live chiefly upon shell-fish.
Tufted Duck—(Anas Fuligula, Linn.; Le Petit Morillon, Buff.) This is a plump, round, and short shaped species.
The male is distinguished by a pendent crest, overhanging the nape of the neck, two inches in length. The weight is about two pounds, length eighteen inches.
The habits, manners, and haunts of this species are much the same as those of the Golden-eye, and they return northward about the same time.—Vide Golden-Eye—Morillon—Teal—Velvet Duck, &c.
The male bird is called mallard, and the young ones flappers. To find a brood of these, go, about July, and hunt the rushes in the deepest and most retired parts of some brook or trout stream; where, if you spring the old duck, you may be pretty sure that the brood is not far off. When once found flappers are easily killed, as they attain their full growth before their wings are fledged; and for this reason, the sport is often more like hunting water rats than shooting birds.
If you leave the brood after having disturbed them, the old bird will remove them to another place long before the following day.
When the flappers take wing they assume the name of wild ducks. About the month of August they repair to the corn fields, till disturbed by the harvest people. They then frequent the rivers pretty early in the evening, and show excellent sport to any one who has patience to wait for them. Our sporting writers in general have given no further directions for duck-shooting than to walk quietly up a brook, and shoot them as they rise. In doing this, if you have only a single gun, and should spring a bird at an uncertain distance, halloo out before you shoot, as there may be others under a bank, and much closer to you, that would spring on the discharge of your gun.
You need not be at a loss to know a wild duck. The claws in the wild species are black.—Latham.—Bewick.—Hawker.
Duck-gun, s. Gun for shooting ducks.