Lo designa como: “The Ruddy Duck breeds regularly in Lake Ariguanabo, and, so far as I know, at this station only. It is, however, far from improbable that there are other small colonies breeding in the lakes of the Cienaga, such as the Laguna del Tesoro. The Ruddies and Masked Ducks act very peculiarly in Cuba, and have adopted customs which are admirably protective in this peculiar environment. They ordinarily swim about, entirely submerged or with only the beak out of water. When they rest on the surface it is almost always among the melanguetas, the great upstanding lotus-like bonnet leaves, which afford effective shelter. They never - or almost never - fly, and are very rarely seen resting or swimming in open water, for there are little open areas in this great garden of floating plants which mask the fact that this is really a lake, - large and deep, - in spite of the little water that is visible. The pot-hunting guajiros who live about the lake have an uncanny skill in shooting the birds. They push about in tiny pirogues with a long bamboo pole, as silently and as fast as possible. They thus surprise the Ducks resting among the bonnets, and the birds of course dive and swim away. The only visible sign is a slight agitation of the bonnet leaves - almost imperceptible except to the well-trained eye. The hunter shoots just ahead of this motion, and usually gets the Duck. There are many turtles in Ariguanabo; they shake the bonnet stalks just a bit more vigorously than do the Ducks - and I suppose that turtles are occasionally shot at.” |
