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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1fbc181 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #55190 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55190) diff --git a/old/55190-0.txt b/old/55190-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0b429d7..0000000 --- a/old/55190-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11239 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Florida and the Game Water-Birds, by -Robert Barnwell Roosevelt - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Florida and the Game Water-Birds - -Author: Robert Barnwell Roosevelt - -Release Date: July 24, 2017 [EBook #55190] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLORIDA AND THE GAME WATER-BIRDDS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: ROBERT BARNWELL ROOSEVELT.] - - - - - FLORIDA - - AND THE - - GAME WATER-BIRDS - - OF THE - - ATLANTIC COAST AND THE LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES, - - WITH - - A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE SPORTING ALONG OUR SEASHORES - AND INLAND WATERS, AND REMARKS ON - BREECH-LOADERS AND HAMMERLESS GUNS. - - - BY - - ROBERT BARNWELL ROOSEVELT, - - AUTHOR OF “THE GAME-FISH OF NORTH AMERICA,” “SUPERIOR FISHING,” - “FIVE ACRES TOO MUCH,” “ISMS,” “POLYANTHUS,” ETC., ETC. - - - ILLUSTRATED. - - [Illustration: colophon] - - NEW YORK: - ORANGE JUDD COMPANY, - 751 BROADWAY. - 1884. - - Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, by the - ORANGE JUDD COMPANY, - - - - -PREFACE. - - -In preparing this work, after I had written the account of Florida, -which, as a sporting country, had never been fully described, and was to -occupy the principal part of my attention, and when I came to the second -division, that relating to the game-birds of our waters and coasts -generally, I found so much in a book on a kindred subject, which I had -written years ago, that I concluded I could do no better than quote from -it freely. The directions therein given are as correct now as then, the -information as well founded, and I hope the reader will find the stories -of sporting excursions as interesting. - -My main purpose is to call the attention of my brother sportsmen to that -paradise of the devotee of the rod and gun, the Southern Peninsula of -our Atlantic States. Game is disappearing from our home country; -woodcock and ruffed grouse have almost been exterminated; ducks are less -plentiful; bay snipe now make many of their flights directly at sea -without passing over the land; and if we are to obtain satisfactory -shooting, we must go some distance for it. Many persons who are fond of -outdoor life cannot stand exposure to cold weather, and still more, to -keep up their interest, must have the chance of making a larger bag than -they can count on at the North. Yachtsmen are in the habit of laying up -their craft during the best season of the year for the enjoyment of -sailing. They have looked upon the South either as an uninteresting or a -dangerous country, a land merely of alligators or of hurricanes. They -will be as surprised as pleased to learn that there is no better sailing -ground, and that the Southern waters in winter are as safe as Northern -waters in summer; so much so that small vessels and open boats have -braved their terrors, while their sporting advantages are not to be -surpassed, if they are to be equalled, by any in the world. - -While not absolutely the pioneer in this exploration, I happen to be -nearly so, for no completed work or continued record has been published -which covers the ground described, or conveys the information contained -in these pages. No more delightful excursion can be conceived than that -to Florida during the winter, and no man can so thoroughly enjoy it as -the yachtsman. Thousands of tourists have been going there for years, -and their number is augmenting every season. But such persons merely -rummage a country; they do not possess it; they rush along sight-seeing -and curiosity-purchasing. Let the sportsman or the invalid go to remain -during the inclement winter weather, and they will never regret the -excursion. - -THE AUTHOR. - - - - - PART I. - - FLORIDA. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - PART I.--FLORIDA. - - PAGE - - CHAPTER I.--Florida.--The Inland Passage 9 - - CHAPTER II.--In Florida 59 - - CHAPTER III.--Currituck Marshes 116 - - - PART II.--THE GAME WATER-BIRDS. - - CHAPTER I.--Game of Ancient and Modern Days.--Its Protection and - Importance.--The proper Shooting Seasons.--The Impolicy of Using - Batteries and Pivot-Guns 139 - - CHAPTER II.--Guns and Gunnery.--Breech-loaders compared - with Muzzle-loaders.--All the Late Improvements in - Breech-loaders.--Hammerless Guns 159 - - CHAPTER III.--Bay-snipe Shooting.--The Birds, their Habits, - Peculiarities, and places of Resort.--Stools and Whistles.--Dress and - Implements appropriate to their pursuit.--Their Names and Mode of - Capture 185 - - CHAPTER IV.--The New Jersey Coast.--Jersey Girls and their pleasant - ways.--The peculiarities of Bay-snipe further elucidated.--Mosquitoes - rampant.--Good Shooting and “Fancy” Sport.--Shipwrecks and - Ghosts 219 - - CHAPTER V.--Bay-Birds.--Particular Descriptions and Scientific - Characteristics.--A Complete Account of each Variety 261 - - CHAPTER VI.--Montauk Point.--American Golden Plover or Frost-Bird.--A - True Story of Three Thousand in a Flock.--Lester’s Tavern.--Good - Eating, Fine Fishing, and Splendid Shooting.--The Nepeague - Beach 301 - - CHAPTER VII.--Rail and Rail-Shooting.--Seasons, Localities, - and Incidents of Sport.--Use of Breech-loader or - Muzzle-loader.--Equipment 313 - - CHAPTER VIII.--Wild-Fowl Shooting.--General Directions, from - Boats, Blinds, or Batteries.--Retrievers from Baltimore and - Newfoundland.--Western Sport.--Equipment 328 - - CHAPTER IX.--Duck-Shooting on the Inland Lakes.--The Club - House.--Practical Views of Practical Men.--Moral Tales.--A Day’s - Fishing.--The Closing Scenes 344 - - CHAPTER X.--Suggestions to Sportsmen.--A Definition of the - Term.--Crack Shots.--The Art of Shooting.--The Art of not - Shooting 398 - - CHAPTER XI.--Directions for Building a Battery 415 - - - - -FLORIDA. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE INLAND PASSAGE. - - -Florida--so named by its discoverers from the abundance, beauty and -fragrance of its flowers. The Land of Flowers--what a beautiful -sentiment. Alas, it was never called anything of the sort. Land -happening to be first seen by the brave and sturdy warrior but not -imaginative linguist, Juan Ponce de Leon, on Palm Sunday, his discovery -was called, with due and Catholic reverence, after the day and not after -any abundance of flowers, which were probably not abundant on the sand -spit where he planted his intrusive feet. But no matter about the origin -of the term, the epithet is more than justified, and the Peninsular -State is not only glorious in the endless beauty and variety of its -flowers--till in good old English it might be termed one huge -nosegay--but it is magnificent in the grandeur and originality of its -foliage. The jessamine climbs above the deep swamps and lights up their -darkness with its yellow stars; the magnolia towers in the open upland a -pyramid of vestal splendor; the cabbage palmetto waves its huge -fan-shaped leaves, seven feet long, like great green hands, and the moss -hangs and sways and covers the bare limbs with its ragged clothing. - -To the rough, practical Northern mind, Florida is a land of dreams, a -strange country full of surprises, an intangible sort of a place, where -at first nothing is believed to be real and where finally everything is -considered to be possible. When the visitor first arrives he cannot be -convinced that the cows feed under water; before he leaves he is willing -to concede that alligators may live on chestnuts. The animals and birds -are as queer and unnatural as the herbage, or as a climate which -furnishes strawberries, green peas, shad, and roses at Christmas. There -is the Limpkin, the pursuit of which reminds one of hunting the Snark. -You are in continual terror of catching the Boojum. It is a bird about -the size of a fish-hawk, but it roars like a lion and screeches like a -wild-cat, although it occasionally whistles like a canary. It has a bill -like that of a curlew, adapted to probing in the sand, and yet it sits -on trees as though it were a woodpecker. It is conversational and talks -to you in a friendly way during daytime, but at night it harrows up your -soul and makes your blood run cold with the fearful noises it utters. If -you hear any charming note or awful sound, any pretty song or terrifying -scream, and ask a native Floridian, with pleased or trembling tongue, -“What is that?” he will calmly answer, “That? that is a Limpkin.” There -are no dangerous animals in Florida, only a few of Eve’s old enemies, -and the sportsman is safer in the woods at night under the moss-covered -trees and on his moss-constructed mattress than in his bed in the family -mansion on Fifth avenue. If he hears any unearthly noises, any -soul-curdling shrieks, he can turn to sleep again with the comfortable -assurance “that it is only a Limpkin.” - -To the sportsman it is needless to say that Florida, when properly -investigated, is a Paradise. Birds and fish and game are only too -plentiful, till it has become a land of shameful slaughter. The brute -with a gun slays the less brutish animal for the mere pleasure of murder -when he cannot get, much less use, what he kills, till on most of the -pleasure steamers shooting has been prohibited; while the idiot with the -rod fills his boat with splendid fish that rot in the hot sun and have -to be thrown back, putrefying, into the water from which his -undisciplined passion hauled them. Sportsman should not come to this -land of promise and performance unless they can control their instincts, -for fear that they should degenerate into mere killers. In truth, the -excess of abundance takes away the keener zest of sport, which is -largely due to the difficulties that surround success. But for the -ordinary inhabitant of the rugged North, the quaintness of this border -land of the equator has an immense charm, while to the invalid the pure, -dry, warm air of both winter and summer brings balm and health. The -feeble and sickly, especially the consumptive, should seek Florida, for -to them it offers the fabled springs of perennial youth, which Ponce de -Leon sought more coarsely in vain. To the seeker after amusement, to the -man and woman of leisure, who wish to improve as well as enjoy -themselves, it is a very wonderland of delight. It has a store of -novelties which are absolutely exhaustless, and tracts of interesting -country which, while perfectly accessible, have never even been -explored. - -To enjoy Florida, however, one must seek it aright. If the visitor -follows the beaten track, he will see the beaten things--well beaten by -many vulgar footsteps. If he takes the steamers and lives at the hotels, -he will make quick trips and have good, accommodations. If he wants -originality he must pursue original methods. There are many ways of -reaching this floral El Dorado--the ocean steamer will carry you to -Savannah, whence the steamboat will transport you through byways and -inside cuts to Jacksonville, or the railroad will drag and hurl you -through dust and dirt by day and night at headlong pace from the St. -Lawrence to the Gulf. But if you want to enjoy Florida, if you want to -go where no man has gone, and see what no eye has seen, and handle what -no hand has touched, then go there in a yacht--in a small yacht, just as -small and of as light draft of water as will accommodate comfortably the -party, that must be composed of individuals sufficiently accustomed to -one another to be sure they can live together for three months without -quarrelling. Then, indeed, will you learn what Florida is, will possess -its charms in close embrace and have experiences and pleasures never to -be forgotten and not otherwise to be obtained. How is this to be done, -you may ask, and the purpose of this chapter is to tell you exactly -how. - -A wealthy magnate may go in a big yacht to Florida, give good dinners -aboard and live in grandeur and luxury, and he will see about as -much--not quite--as if he had left his yacht at home; or the -hasty-plate-of-soup man may take a little steam launch and stave her in -on the first snag or oyster rock he runs her against. But if the -traveller and his friends hire or buy a light-draught sailing vessel, -they will require more time, but they can go almost everywhere and see -absolutely everything. It was just such a vessel that I had built for -use in the shoal Great South Bay of Long Island--a sharpie, to give its -nautical appellation--of sixty feet length and fifteen beam, with two -state-rooms, a cabin having four comfortable berths and over six feet -head-room, and a cuddy for the men and for cooking, although we had an -auxiliary cook stove in the cabin. This vessel was intended to carry six -passengers and two men; but boats of seventeen feet length and a -catamaran have safely made the passage to the St. John’s River and are -there now, so that a much smaller craft would do. The advantage of the -sharpie style of construction was that the yacht only drew two feet of -water, and as I proposed to run entirely by chart, and not to use the -services of a pilot, this was an inestimable advantage. We could have -braved the battle and the breeze of the Atlantic and gone outside all -the way, but those who know most of the ocean care least to have to do -with it unless equipped on the most thorough basis to encounter its -buffets. As an old sea captain said to me:--“When I go to sea I want to -go in a steamer, and the biggest and strongest steamer at that.” -Moreover, the inside route is much the more interesting; there is -nothing very novel about the sea but the danger of it, whereas the bays, -creeks, canals and rivers furnish a fresh and continually changing -panorama. There is a frequent encounter with strange people, with -vessels of queer rigs and builds, an alternation of scenery, the arrival -at and departure from cities, the chance to occasionally kill a bird or -catch a mess of fish--something new happening every day. At sea there is -the ocean--a great deal of ocean--and nothing else. - -There exists a complete inside route from New York to the St. John’s -River, with the exception of about a hundred miles south of Beaufort, -North Carolina, and on this stretch there are many accessible inlets -only a few miles apart, so that no vessel need be caught out overnight -or can fail to make a safe harbor in case of necessity. The charts are -nearly complete and enable a person of ordinary intelligence, in a -vessel drawing not over four feet of water, to be entirely independent -of pilots. The lighter the draught, however, the better, and I should -not advise the use of any boat which requires more than three feet to -float in, two feet being greatly preferable. - -Do not start for the South before the first day of November unless you -wish to encounter a multiplicity, variety and intensity of fever that -would be the delight of the medical profession. Until frost comes, -there is waiting for you a choice between fever and ague, intermittent, -remittent, typhoid, putrid, break-bone, yellow, and _d’engue_ fevers, -each of which, when you have it, seems a little worse than all the -others until you have one of them also, an event which is very likely to -happen, when you discover that your first conclusions were erroneous. -Then before you start get good and ready. Look over your fishing tackle; -be sure you have cartridges enough, and load them all with powder, but -not shot, so as to avoid unpleasant explosions. Use your five hundred -pounds of shot for ballast. - -Lay in a tub of Northern butter and some white potatoes, but do not -imagine you are going to a land of barbarism. You can get better hams, -better hard-tack, and as good and cheap canned goods in Norfolk as you -can in New York. Fresh eggs are to be had everywhere, turkeys and -chickens are fair, and are sold in market cleaned, and if Southern beef -is tough it has a peculiar game flavor which is very agreeable. Take in -a good supply of coal; use it for ballast if there is no other place to -stow it, for you may get frozen in during a cold spell, and will surely -want plenty of extraneous warmth before you reach the “Sunny South.” -Then when you are ready, sail up Raritan Bay, get a tow through the -Raritan and Delaware Bay Canal, and even across to Delaware City if you -please, and so across to the Chesapeake Bay, where your journey may be -said really to commence, for thenceforth you will have to rely on your -sails and your brains, your motive power and your charts. There are -very thorough and complete charts of the Chesapeake, six in number, -carrying you the entire way to Norfolk and insuring you a good and safe -harbor whenever you need it. Do not forget that this is a big sheet of -water, and that you are on a pleasure trip, and will be much more -comfortable if at anchor during the night. Besides, there is time -enough; you have all winter before you, as you cannot get back until -spring if you wanted to, now that Jack Frost is about shutting the -gates. From Norfolk you can take a tow through the Albemarle and -Chesapeake Canal or not, as you please; much better not if you happen to -have a good northerly wind, as there is only one lock, and you can make -the distance more pleasantly and safely under sail. If your vessel draws -less than three feet, you leave the canal when you reach North Landing -River, of which there is a chart, and you go down through Currituck -Sound by Van Slyck’s Landing, and thence through the Narrows. Beyond -that for some distance, as the chart says, you “can only carry three -feet of water, and that with difficulty.” If your vessel is of greater -draught, you must take the extension of the canal which carries you to -North River, from which point there is plenty of water all the way. You -can get a condensed chart from the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal -Company, which will give you a general idea of the route from Norfolk to -Smithville, and which will be found very useful. But the Government -charts of Pamlico Sound, which were completed in the fall of 1883, -should by all means be taken also, as they are simply invaluable in case -of storm and the necessity of seeking harbor unexpectedly. Government -chart No. 40 or 140 (both numbers are used) will give you Currituck -Sound from just above Van Slyck’s, and also North River from the mouth -of the canal, all that is necessary of Albemarle Sound, Croatan and -Roanoke Sounds, either of which you may take, and the magnetic courses -and distances to steer by as far south as Roanoke Marshes Light. The -post office at Van Slyck’s Landing is called Poplar Branch Post Office, -Currituck County, N. C., and you can get your letters and coarse -supplies there, but no bread. The next good harbor is Kitty Hawk, where -there is also a store and post office. If you go through Roanoke Sound, -remember that below Shallowbag Bay the channel runs close along shore, -closer than it seems on the chart. You will have to feel your way -carefully across below Broad Creek. There is plenty of water if you find -it, but it is not easy to find. From the southerly end of Roanoke Island -to Long Shoal Light the course is south by west; from Roanoke Marshes -Light it is south, one half west. You can go a mile inside of this -light, but not further, as the shoal beyond has not a foot of water on -it. Just north of this light is Stumpy Point Bay, where you can make a -good harbor, carrying clear inside four feet of water. From Long Shoal -Light the course is south-west to a buoy on Bluff Shoal; but as there -is seven feet of water on the shoal, accuracy is not necessary, and the -same course continued will take you near Royal Shoal, which is easily -made out, as there are two lights on it. From this the course is south -by west to Harbor Island light, at the entrance of Core Sound. This -light is abandoned and is falling down, but during the day the building -is visible a long distance. If you can get a free wind, you can make the -run from Long Shoal to Harbor Island in a day, provided you get under -way early, which every sensible yachtsman is careful to do. If not, you -must hug the main shore and look out, as there are many shoals and no -tide to help you off if you get aground. The waters are salt and only -moved by the wind; and as Pamlico Sound is a miniature ocean and gets up -a big sea, it is well to be careful. If you are caught near Royal Shoal, -unless you are acquainted with the channels, steer for the beach, where -you can get holding ground if not much of a harbor. The charts of -Pamlico Sound are Nos. 42, 43, and 44. - -There is a good chart of Core Sound, which is shallow but well staked -out, the stakes having hands on them to show on which side is the best -water. You can carry two feet of water close along the shore from the -buoy off the middle marshes, just west of Harker’s Island into Beaufort, -but the main channel is more to the southward and runs to the point of -Shackleford Banks. Then you go up Bulkhead Channel, keep along the north -shore of Town Marsh a hundred rods, and then northeast and keep the -lead going to Beaufort, N. C. From here you can either sail through -Bogue Sound, of which there is no chart, or go directly to sea. As the -land trends westward, it makes a lee even from a north-easter and is as -safe as any outside sailing can be. - -There is a chart of Beaufort, N. C., which takes you a few miles into -Bogue Sound, but that is all. South of Bogue Inlet, New Topsail Inlet is -one of the best, then Masonboro, and from either of these a good wind -will carry you past Cape Fear, the only spot you have to dread and where -you must manage not to get caught. There is a good chart of Cape Fear, -but the rule of the local pilots is to follow the eighteen-foot shoal -down till you open Fort Caswell by the main Light on Bald Head, and then -steer straight for the Fort, which will give you six feet of water up to -the beach. But remember, there is shoal water outside of you, and you -must look out for breakers. The next harbor is Little River Inlet, and -then comes Winyah Bay, of which there is a chart, and then Bull’s Bay, -of which also you can get a chart. - -From Bull’s Bay it is inside work and a shoal, but not a difficult -passage, to Charleston Harbor. Of this there is no chart yet printed, -and it ought to be run, if possible, in a tide which will help at both -ends by running up from Bull’s Bay and down into Charleston Harbor. You -come out at the cove near Fort Moultrie where it is well to stop, as -Charleston Harbor is a large place in rough weather for small boats. -Here you begin on Coast Chart No. 54 (or 154). Go up the Ashley River -till St. Michael’s Church (which has the whitest spire) opens to the -north of the rice mills, and steer into Wappoo Cut, which lies just -south of some prominent buildings on a point on the left shore. It will -carry you without trouble into the Stono River. Here the chart fails -you, you ascend the Stono, keeping a westerly course past the first -branch to the north which heads toward a railroad in full view. When a -large mill on the north side is reached a lead branches to the south. -This must be avoided, and a mill with a tower will soon be reached. This -is on Wadmelaw River, where the chart resumes its proper vocation. -Thence across the North Edisto, the Dawho River, thence into the South -Edisto, around Jehossee, but not through Wall’s Cut, which the natives -assured me was not open. Just at the south point of Jehossee Island, -Mosquito Creek enters the South Edisto; take the westerly lead where -they branch just inside the mouth, and then through Bull’s Cut into the -Ashepoo; down the Ashepoo and across St. Helena Sound and either up the -Coosaw and past Beaufort, S. C. The name of the town being pronounced -Bufort, which is about as short as any route, or across the Sound to -Harbor River and through it and Story and Station Creeks into Port Royal -Sound. This is a big place again and uncomfortable at night in a storm -with a heavy tide and sea. - -You now take Coast Chart No. 55 (or 155). There is a special chart of -the route from St. Helena to Port Royal, but it is not necessary. You -steer nearly west from the buoys off the mouth of Station Creek to -Bobee’s Island at the mouth of Skull Creek. There is an oyster rock in -the middle of Skull Creek where it makes its first bend to the -southeast, and this is the only danger before reaching Calibogue Sound. -In crossing Tybee roads, keep well out to Red Buoy No. 2, whether you go -directly south or turn north to visit Savannah. If the latter, go by the -Light Beacon and to the westward of it, if the former, take Lazaretto -Creek into Tybee River and Warsaw Sound. Keep well out by the buoys -again and head for Romerly Marsh Creek. - -If you have gone to Savannah, continue your journey by the way of -Wilmington River to the same place, unless your boat is small enough to -pole easily, in which case you can go through Skiddaway Narrows. Romerly -Marsh and Adams Creeks will bring you into Vernon River, when you steer -for Hell Gate, between Little Don Island and Raccoon Key. If you have -come through Skiddaway and down the Burnside and Vernon Rivers, you can -go inside of Little Don Island. Here you use chart No. 56 (or 156). -Cross the Ogeechee River, and follow up the west bank to Florida -Passage, through it and Bear River to St. Catharine’s Sound, across it -and up Newport River to Johnson’s Creek; thence down the South Newport -to Sapelo Sound. - -There is good fishing in Barbour’s River, just above where the words -“Barbour’s Island” are on the chart. Continue across Sapelo Sound and -into Mud River; take the middle of this to New Teakettle Creek, which -will bring you into Doboy Sound. Keep to the north of Doboy town, which -is a prominent object on the flat meadows. Here chart No. 57 (or 157) -begins, and you go from Duboy straight through Little Mud River and the -same course across Altamaha Sound; then follow the channel northwesterly -into Buttermilk Sound; then either through Mackay’s or Frederica Rivers, -as the wind best serves, into St. Simon’s Sound. Here the water is -deeper and you can go directly across from the black buoy No. 7 to the -black buoy at the mouth of Jekyls Creek. There are two mouths to this -creek. Take the easterly one and run straight from the ranges on the -point. Follow across Jekyls and St. Andrew’s Sounds up Cumberland River. -At its head waters there are some islands; the channel is from a stake -on shore to the west of the eastermost island, then by ranges on the -point, which carry you past a little island with ranges which give you -the course south. Use the lead here. Thence down Cumberland Sound by -Dungeness, formerly the property of Gen. Nathaniel Green, and which is -much visited by tourist parties, across the St. Mary’s River and up the -Amelia to Fernandina. - -Here chart No. 58 (or 158) begins. From the Amelia River you go to -Kingley’s Creek past two drawbridges. The railroad bridge is out of -order and will not open square with the bulkhead. Be careful here, as -several accidents have happened and the tide runs strong. Continue -across Nassau Sound to Sawpit Creek, at the mouth of which there is a -black buoy not laid down on the chart. Keep to the southward of this -buoy and run on through Gunnison’s Cut, which you will recognize by two -palmetto trees that look like gate-posts at a distance. Down Fort George -River to the Sisters Creek and thence to the St. John’s River where you -will find a dock--a watermark not to be forgotten on your return trip. -There are three charts of the St. John’s, which give it in full from its -mouth to Lake Harney; the points to remember are to cross from Hannah -Mills Creek to St. John’s Bluff, and thence back again to Clapboard -Creek, whence you follow up the north shore, keeping it as far as Dame -Point close aboard. Beyond this you can have no trouble as the St. -John’s has but one or two shoals where there is less than six feet of -water, and it is well marked out with buoys and beacons. - -If this description sounds a little tedious to the reader, he will not -think it so when he makes the trip. If you want a pilot for any part of -the route, one can be had by applying to Captain Coste, of the -Lighthouse Service at Charleston; but there are few persons who know -what I have herein recorded, and none of those will tell. We have had a -long trip--for long as it has been on paper, it has been longer in -reality. Two weeks from New York to Beaufort, N. C.; ten days thence to -Charleston, and ten more to Jacksonville may be required, unless the -traveller is one of those lucky fellows who always have a free wind -through life. So he may want to rest, have his clothes washed, dress up -in “a boiled shirt” for a change, and revive the fact that he is one of -the aristocracy, not an ordinary seaman. He will soon tire of -civilization, however, and long for the pleasures of the chase. Then let -him ascend any of the tributaries of the St. John’s from San Pablo at -its mouth to Juniper Creek, which empties into the southerly end of Lake -George. It was on the latter stream that I nearly killed a Limpkin. - -The man does not live who has actually caught or shot a Limpkin. There -are no Limpkins for sale in the curiosity shops, where almost every -other production of Florida is to be had. It is admitted that the -Limpkin, like the recognized ghost, is proof against powder and ball. -But the writer never misses--that is, on paper and when he is recording -his shots. All writers do the same. So when the Limpkin sat on a limb -and whistled and chuckled and bobbed and bowed and finally flew away -just before we were near enough, and I fired as he disappeared with -horrible screams through the forest, one leg dropped! I had not killed -him, but even a Limpkin was not quite proof against my aim. Mr. Seth -Green, who was with me at the time and can vouch for the truth of this -statement, remarked in a melancholy tone of voice that he wished he had -had his rifle. As he had not succeeded in hitting anything with his -rifle thus far since we started, although he had fired away half his -cartridges, there is a chance that he might have succeeded this time by -way of a change, and so I agreed with him heartily. - -Alligators will not appear till warm weather--that is, till the middle -of January--by which time the tourists will think he has got into the -dog days, but fish are abundant in all the fresh-water streams. In that -very Juniper Creek we caught so many big-mouthed bass with fly and spoon -that we not only gave up fishing, but had to salt down dozens. And, by -the way, these fish are much more of game fish than they are at the -North; the smallest fight well, take the fly freely and jump out of -water as frequently and fiercely as the small-mouthed variety in our -waters. - -Before leaving the instructive branch of my subject I wish to advise the -yachtsman against giving too much weight to the appearance of the -Southern sky. This will often cloud up toward evening in the most -threatening way. Such a heavenly monitor at the North would warn us to -make everything snug and get the best bower over, but in the South these -appearances signify nothing. After a most frightful-looking evening the -morning will break clear and warm and quiet. There are few storms in -Florida during the winter, a “norther” occasionally and possible a -thunder storm, but no fierce northeasters and no hurricanes. As to the -comparative advantages of working through the tortuous creeks with -changing tides, or running outside for short stretches, a preference -might be given to the latter were it not that the shoals off the mouths -of the inlets extend so far to sea. Many of the rivers have carried down -so much sediment that they have made shoals ten or fifteen miles off -shore. So that apart from questions of safety and comfort, the distance -by the inside passage is the shortest. - -In going South the yachtsman will pass large and numerous flocks of bay -snipe on all the marshes south of Charleston. These marshes are muddy -islands and of a peculiar nature. On the surface when dry they are firm -enough for walking, but their shores are unfathomable ooze beneath which -a man would sink at once out of sight and into which an oar can be run -for its entire length without an effort. Curlew, willet, marlin, all -varieties down to the tiny ox-eye, and in immense flocks, frequent these -islands, where they seem to find food without stint. To stool them you -can set out your decoys in the thin grass and make a stand near by from -reeds or bushes. They are quite wary, however, and seem to have learned -the evil significance of a gun. These marshy islands are honeycombed -with the burrows of the fiddler crab, and mussels grow on their surface -in soft mounds of earth. They are covered by very high tides and are -always more or less damp. The bay snipe, however, do not seem to winter -here. They leave a small proportion of their numbers, but the main body -goes further South, possibly beyond the equator. There are no such -myriads as the Northern flight would require, and they grow fewer and -fewer as the season advances, till in March they are almost scarce. Let -the sportsman take his toll from them while he can; stopping amidst the -lonesomeness of these islands where it is certain death to pass a -summer, and few of which are inhabited, and where he may sail tens of -miles without seeing a man, white or black. Let him try the deep holes -alongside of bluffs or where two creeks meet for sheepshead, using for -bait the Southern prawn, that gigantic shrimp, with its body six inches -long and its feelers ten; and if he can catch no fish and misses the -birds, let him rejoice in knowing that there are millions of both in -Florida. - -In describing my trip to Florida, I do not intend to pursue any -consecutive plan, or follow the positive order of events. It is not -important to know that we turned out--to use the proper nautical -term--at a certain hour in the morning of a certain day, and that we -turned in again at night at some other division of mean sidereal or -solar time, nor that we went a certain course or made so many miles one -day and so many more or less the next. That is, the reader does not want -to have too much of this, although a little now and then may tend to -give a general idea of the trials, difficulties, and enjoyments of a -yachtman’s life. But whether we arrived at a place at five P.M. or five -A.M., important as it may have been to us at the time, cannot, so far as -I can judge, interest the reader as deeply as I hope to interest him. -For all such information I will refer him to the ordinary books of -travel. That we did occasionally make fast time in our little half scow, -half yacht, that I built on the scheme of putting a sail in a canal -boat, will be proved by this single event; when running across St. -Simon’s sound in a fog, we passed a large steamer yacht, called the -“Gleam,” one of the largest and finest of Herreschoff’s productions. We -found her again in Jacksonville when we reached there. She had left -Savannah on the second of January, we had left Charleston on the tenth; -she had arrived two days ahead of us, so that by being able to keep -inside out of the storms and fogs of the Atlantic, we had actually gone -nearly double the distance in six days less time. - -The personnel of our party was made up of a sporting medical man, Mr. -Seth Green, the famous fish-culturist, the ladies of the families and -myself. We went without any restriction as to time, which is a most -essential point in a yachting trip, and we stopped where we pleased, and -as long as we pleased, we shot where there were birds to shoot, we -fished where there were fish to catch, and where there were neither, we -lay in the shade of the awning, if the weather was warm, and smoked, or -ate those globes of concentrated lusciousness, the grape fruit when we -felt too energetic to loaf, and not energetic enough to fish or shoot. -Our trip was something of an exploring expedition, and we had possible -dangers and inevitable inconveniences to encounter. Other parties had -gone to Florida in the same way, but they had left no record of their -adventures, no guide-posts for those who should come after them. So far -as we were concerned, the country from North Carolina to the Land of -Flowers was a _terra incognita_. We knew that there were birds, and -beasts, and fish, in that equatorial region, but where to find them, how -to reach them, and by what methods to catch and kill them, were wholly -unknown to us. No one, after reading this record, will have the same -complaint to make. Several of the Government charts were not completed, -notably those of Pamlico Sound, and the corrections of that from -Charleston south, so as to show the inside route had not been made in -the year 1882, which was the one I had selected for the expedition. - -We had sent the “Heartsease” to Norfolk, and were to meet her there, as -by so doing we would save time that could be better utilized than by -going over ground with which we were pretty well familiar--that of New -Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. At Norfolk, after we had purchased -what hard-bread, cake, pies, and other stores and luxuries we needed, -and had been through the fish market, and selected an abundance of the -largest “spot,” which is regarded as the most delicious native fish, -although it is nothing more than what we call the Lafayette fish at the -North, we engaged a tow and started on our journey. We had to go through -the Albemarle and Chesapeake canal, and made our first mistake in -supposing that a tow was a necessity for the operation. The puffy, -dirty, fussy, little steamboat ran us against everything that she came -near, and were it not that she was unable to attain any considerable -rate of speed, our journey might have terminated before it fairly -began. She jammed us against the dock when we were starting, banged us -into the first vessel we met on our way, bumped us into the banks of the -canal when we had entered it, dashed us into the only lock there was to -get foul of, and then rammed us against a dredging scow so fiercely, -that there was a momentary doubt whether we should not be dredged out as -an impediment to travel. - -However, in spite of all these misadventures, we made Currituck before -night. We determined to stay there some days for duck shooting, but I -shall not stop to describe the sport we had. It is enough, that we -loaded down our vessel with provisions, which, as the weather came out -cold, kept till they were all consumed, and saved us from recourse to -those last resources of the way-farer, the insipid canned meats, which, -somehow, the manufacturers manage to make taste so nearly alike, that -one will answer for the other, whether it is called mutton, beef, or -fowl. Then we sped away south, running into Kittyhawk Bay for a harbor -and a turkey, for no one must imagine that it is necessary to starve in -the South, even amid the desolation of the desolate Eastern Shore. Not -only does the proverbial hospitality of the Southern people still exist -as far as the effect of a desolating war has left it a possibility, but -there are certain kinds of food to be got there more readily than even -at the North. It has heretofore been a reproach to our Southern colored -brother, that the attractions of a hen-roost and lusciousness of a fat -turkey gobbler were too much for his virtue. But this state of facts -and morals is changing, the darkey is turning poultry fancier, he is -getting to raise chickens and sell eggs, he is fast becoming a bloated -fowl holder, and regular goose and turkey wing clipper; in his eyes the -chicken is assuming a different status, and hen-roost marauding is fast -becoming a heinous crime, than which there is none more unpardonable. He -will soon be the fowl monopolist, and when that day comes I predict that -the chicken will be regarded as a sacred bird, and placed in the same -category as the ibis of Egypt. As it is, eggs can be obtained almost -anywhere, and wherever there is a darkey’s hut, there the voice of the -cackling hen ascends in welcome and suggestive music to high heaven, -resonant of omelettes plain, omelettes _aux fines herbes_, with ham or -with onion, of scrambled eggs, boiled, roasted eggs, of pan cakes and -sweet cakes, of custards, egg-nog, and all the thousands delicacies -towards which the hen contributes with enthusiastic zeal, and greatly to -the happiness of man. - -The course of the contraband can be exemplified by that of the milk -farmer, if the story which I once heard from an eminent retired -politician is true, as I think it may be. Many of the farmers living in -the neighborhood of Utica were in the habit of supplying that city with -milk from the herds of cows that the magnificent meadows of the vicinity -easily supported. Those careful and conscientious gentlemen, aware of -the heating properties of milk in its strong and crude state, felt it -was but a duty they owed their fellow beings, and especially their -customers, to make sure that they did not incur the evils which were -certain to arise from the unguarded use of so deleterious a beverage. -They mixed the dangerous fluid with a sufficient proportion of water to -kill the germs of disease, and lest their motives should be -misunderstood, they did not mention their thoughtfulness to the -consumers. Hence it was that Utica enjoyed unexampled health, and it -would no doubt have continued in the same enjoyment except for a change -in the methods of milk culture. Milk, instead of being converted into -butter or sold in its natural state, came in time to be manufactured -into cheese. Great cheese dairies were established, to which the farmers -sent their milk, in place of disposing of it by local trade. Now it was -essential that the milk so delivered should be absolutely pure, for the -excellence of the product not only depended on this, but also in order -that the amount might be fairly credited to each of the persons -furnishing a share of the supply. Then the bucolic view that had -heretofore obtained in that neighborhood was modified, and of all the -sins in the decalogue, none was quite so heinious as the adulteration of -milk. I do not vouch for this story, although a long course of lactic -experience in the city of New York gives it an air of possibility. -Certain it is that since the introduction of cheese factories, the -health of Utica has declined, but then no one can positively say that -this change is due entirely to the purity of the milk. - -On our way to Kitty Hawk, we had passed a number of nets which the local -fishermen were hauling, and Mr. Green, who had a mania for interviewing -every one he met, had promptly boarded the first of the boats, obtained -all the statistics, and even helped make one haul. He found out that -they caught what they called chub, the big-mouthed bass (_Grystes -salmoides_), as large as eight pounds; white perch; the robin, which is -our sunfish; red fin, our yellow perch; bull sucker, our black sucker; -sucker-mullet, our mullet, which were taken in the creeks and up in the -swamps, and nanny shad, which seemed to be our gizzard shad, known in -Baltimore as bream. As they did not have all these varieties in the boat -at the time, we were not quite sure as to the last. The fishermen knew -nothing of the spawning season, but we found roe three inches long in a -seven-pound big-mouthed black bass. - -There is a club house at Kitty Hawk Bay, belonging to the Kitty Hawk -Ducking Club, but it was deserted when we were there by the club, and -given over to the possession of Captain Cain, who runs the principal -fishery in that part of the country. He told us that the bass spawned in -March, and that the same kinds of fish were caught near there which I -have described. While we were ashore enjoying his hospitality, a sudden -squall came up and blew most of the water out of the bay, so that the -small boat in which we had come ashore was left a hundred feet from the -edge of the water. - -The next day, which was December 8th, we passed Nag’s-head Hotel, and -came to anchor in a perfect little harbor in the lower part of Roanoke -Island, where Captain Cain once had a terrapin farm. It was a charming, -though deserted, spot, a bay just large enough for the yacht to swing -in, and completely land-locked, the buildings tumbling to pieces, the -terrapin ponds still there, but with not only their occupants departed, -but the very fences falling down or being used for firewood. The -speculation had failed, because even there, in the very home and abiding -place of the terrapin, he had grown so scarce that a sufficient business -could not be done to make it profitable. Terrapins are taken, as Mr. -Green soon found out, in bag or trawl nets, that are drawn along the -bottom, as we at the North use a dredge for oysters. On the front of the -net, which hangs loosely behind, is an iron bar, of sufficient weight to -lie close to the bottom as it is being dragged; this slips under the -terrapins, which are thus carried into the net. We readily understood -that they were not plenty, when we were informed that “count” terrapins, -that is, those over six inches in length, bring on the ground one dollar -apiece. - -The weather had become very cold for yachting. The thermometer fell to -eighteen degrees during the night, and we found that all the resources -of our vessel were hardly equal to keeping us warm in our berths. Early -next morning we obtained our first oysters. We had brought oyster tongs -with us; in fact, if there was any kind of rod, reel, line, net, hook, -sinker, swivel, or fishing device whatever that we had not brought I -should like to be informed of it. When Mr. Green joined the yacht and -produced from the bowels of an immense trunk, a luxury that in itself I -never knew him to allow himself before, and which was in our way the -entire journey till we got rid of it at Jacksonville, much to its -owner’s chagrin--first two breech-loaders, then a rifle and a hundred -weight of ammunition, then an immense bundle of sporting rods, next a -box of lines and reels, and finally an overgrown scrapbook filled with -all manner of gangs of hooks, the doctor and myself felt that the -sporting interest would not suffer. As I had sent him word that he need -bring neither guns, fishing tackle, nor ammunition, it was evident that -he intended we should not fall short. But now when our men began tonging -up the delicious bivalves which we had not seen for so many days, on -account of the freshness of the water, we felt thankful for one of our -precautions. Here let me warn the reader that he be sure to bring oyster -tongs with him. He will find it difficult to get them in the South at -all, and if he can they will be much heavier and more awkward than those -in use with us. Just South of the opening into our night’s harbor, and -in the main channel, we found a man at work oystering and we joined him -promptly, confident that where there was enough for one there was in -this matter enough for two. Either the oysters off the lower end of -Roanoke Island are very delicious, or else our appetites were sharp -from abstinence. For as fast as our man Charley brought them to the -surface and deposited them on the deck, we opened them with a skill -founded on some experience and more desire, and devoured them with -hearty gusto. - -We loaded up with oysters and then started once more on our course, but -the wind fell off and we anchored in Stumpy Point Bay, some thirty miles -to the southward and on the main shore. At our last stopping place a -sick man had come aboard for advice, and here we not only found two -others, but were also informed that their mother was at the point of -death. There seemed to be a sublime faith in these people that all -Northerners must know something of medicine, as none of them had a -suspicion of our having a physician in the party. Indeed they came for -“a drawing of tea” as they called it, rather than for any special -medicine, for they appeared to consider sickness the natural condition -of man, as among those terribly unhealthy swamps and low lands it -probably is. After that almost everywhere we went we were asked for “a -drawing of tea” for some sick person. - -Their ailments were evidently only too well founded, and as the people -were clearly not a complaining set, we were sorry that we had not -brought more of the coveted article with us. The whites of this coast -looked weazened, thin, yellow, and cadaverous, as if they had a -perpetual conflict with fever in which they invariably got the worst of -it. They had the shadow of death in their faces. In their motions they -exhibited a langour which strangers are apt to attribute to laziness, -but which I believe due to disease. Let a man once take the southern -fever, and it will be many months if not years before he feels like -himself again. Our latest patients were fishermen, and to Mr. Green’s -insatiable inquiries they explained that they caught in their seasons -shad; rock, our striped bass; trout, our weakfish; hickory shad, white -perch, mullet, spot, round-nosed shad and flat backs, though what these -latter were was more than we could guess. They said that the fishing had -fallen off greatly of late years, but that the prices had increased and -that now they were paid seventy five cents for a roe shad, and thirty -for bucks. - -Next day was clear and cold, with a strong and favorable wind from the -north-west, so much so that even the imperturbable doctor was impatient -to be off, but Mr. Green had an idea, and when he has anything of that -sort he is the last man to part with it without full fruition. To our -proposal to get under weigh early he replied. - -“Beyond this you tell me that we have a great stretch of open water?” - -“Yes,” I answered, “the entire Pamlico Sound, which must be a hundred -and fifty miles long and fifty broad, so the more advantage we take of -this favorable wind the better.” - -“Well, you expect to find ducks, don’t you, on the route?” he inquired -by way of response. - -“I hardly know what we shall find,” I answered, “but I should like to -find ducks, and have heard that there are innumerable brant on the -ocean side.” - -“That is just as I supposed,” was Mr. Green’s reply, as he took up the -axe that lay on the deck, “and as you have no battery, how do you expect -to kill them?” - -The doctor and I had nothing to reply, and Mr. Green, carrying the axe, -called one of the men and rowed away to the shore in triumph. During his -absence the doctor, who is a _cordon bleu_, prepared the turkey that we -had purchased at Kitty Hawk for cooking, by stuffing it with the oysters -that we had tonged at Roanoke Island. By the time this culinary feat was -accomplished, our master of fish culture had returned. He had cut a -dozen stakes about eight feet long, which were to be used to improvise a -blind, by thrusting them into the bottom and tying strings around from -one to the other, and hanging reeds or grass tied in bunches over the -strings. - -These precautionary measures being taken, we got under-way. The wind had -increased to almost a gale, and our brave little vessel fairly leaped -before it towards the South like a race horse. Quite a sea had made in -the broad expanse of Pamlico Sound, which can be stormy enough when in -the humor, and the waves rolled after us in vain and vindictive fury. -There were two large steamers going South, and we held them for some -time, and had hopes of keeping up with them, but they slowly drew ahead, -and left us alone in the waste of tumultuous waves. - -[Illustration: ENGLISH SNIPE.] - -We made one of our best runs that day. The weather was too perfect for -us to stop for fish or birds, although we saw clouds of the latter -rising up in the distance from the disturbed surface of the Sound. We -ought to have gone to Hatteras, or Roanoke Inlet, where we had been -assured by the residents the brant shooting was magnificent, but we -could not lose such unusually favorable weather, and sped on and on -through the seething waves, hour after hour, till when the sun was still -quite well above the horizon, we ran through the narrow channel into the -peaceful waters of Core Sound. - -What a change came over the spirit of our sailing, from the boisterous -violence and rough seas that beat our vessel’s sides turbulently, or -followed us fiercely to the scarcely ruffled bosom of the small and -shallow bay, only a few miles wide, and shut in on all sides by the -land. We managed to reach Lewis’s Creek before sunset, where we saw a -number of working boats going to find security for the night. When we -had anchored among them, the fishermen told us that there were the usual -kinds of salt water fish, although there was no tide in Core Sound other -than that made by the wind. They said there was good oystering off the -point of Lewis’s Creek, and next day proved their words. It was a wild -spot. The only mark of human habitation being an old wind-mill, which -stood on the point. The weird effect was further heightened during the -darkness by the lighting of fires by the fishermen, who had no sleeping -accommodations on their boats, and who went ashore for the purpose. - -“Would you like to kill an English snipe?” called out Seth Green to me -next morning from the shore, whither he had already gone with our -boatman, Charley. I had been busy, or perhaps, if the truth must be -confessed, sleepy, and had just come on deck. - -“Of course,” was my instantaneous reply, the idea of any one not wanting -to kill an English snipe being too ridiculous to entertain for a moment. - -“Then get your gun, and Charley will come for you in the boat.” - -In five minutes the doctor and I were both ashore, and in less than as -many more we had put up and bagged our first bird. It seemed that -Charley, who, as I have already stated, was an old gunner, had heard the -bird as he flew over, and had seen him alight. He did not know that -there were more than one, but we found quite a flight of them. The spot -was not large, but it was evidently a favorite one. We had no dogs and -went floundering about through the mud, but at every few steps a bird -was flushed, and his appearance commemorated by the report of a gun or -the cheery cry of, “mark!” It was a delicious episode in our trip, for -no sport is more appreciated by the true sportsman than the killing of -our gamest of all game birds, the stylish English snipe. In two hours we -had bagged thirty-one. In fact we had killed them all, for if we did not -get them at the first rise, it was easy to follow them up, as they -seemed so fond of the place that they would not leave it. After we had -gone on board with our trophies, and while we were getting under way, we -saw new whisps arriving to take the place of those which we had killed, -as if they were informed of the event, and were anxious to profit by the -disasters of their friends, even at the peril of their own lives. - -Core Sound was full of wild fowl, of which many were red-heads and -canvas-backs, and had we had a battery, we could have killed unlimited -numbers. We had to do as well as we could with Mr. Green’s substitute, -which, although better than nothing, was not at all equal to the proper -machine. Neither had we time to wait. Florida was a long way off, and -well we knew that, once there, we should have all the game we wanted; so -as we struck another favorable wind, we did not stop at Barker’s Island, -where the best shooting is to be had, but ran on to Beaufort. We had -actually dawdled not more than three or four unnecessary days in Core -Sound, before going into the narrow, shallow and difficult harbor of -what was once the watering place as well as business mart of that -section of the Southern country. The port dues are heavy, and I would -advise the yachtsman to avoid it altogether and go, if he needs must go -into any port, directly to Morehead City, which is rapidly appropriating -the trade and fashion of its older rival. - -There is a large business in oysters at Beaufort, and the civilization -of moss-bunker factories has been introduced from the North. Fish were -scarce, but we purchased some very fair beef at very moderate prices, -eighteen pounds of porterhouse being sold to us for eight cents a pound. -The town is a pretty one, and the next day being Sunday, we went to the -colored Methodist Church, a thing that no visitor must fail to do, and -heard some very charming singing. This was our first experience of the -quaint, wild, and slightly barbaric harmony of the voices of the -negroes, of which we were to hear a great deal before our return to the -North. - -Beaufort was the first thoroughly Southern town, with its fig trees in -the open air, the Yupawn, or native Tea tree, the red-berried evergreen -bushes, whose name we could not ascertain, and its genial air of -Southern indolent happiness, which we had visited. We were sorry to -leave it, and had Florida been only placed where it ought to have been, -five hundred miles nearer New York, we should have stayed days if not -weeks longer. But the time was flitting by, and still we were a thousand -miles from our destination. So without more ado we put to sea. From -Beaufort to Cape Fear there is such a bend in the coast that it is laid -down on the charts as a bay. Being shielded from the terrible -northeasters of the Atlantic, which reach no farther than Cape Hatteras, -it is as safe for a small vessel as any part of the boisterous ocean -ever can be. But I was glad when Heartsease got through the voyage. With -care there is no danger, and the trip is not half as perilous a one as -we are accustomed to take at the North, where we are at home, without a -thought of fear. There are numerous and very practicable inlets, and -the yachtsman should make sure of getting into one of them at night. The -same may be said of the stretch beyond Cape Fear. Treat the mighty ocean -with the respect it deserves, and it will never illtreat you. On the -charts the northern or old inlet of Cape Fear is laid down as closed by -a bulkhead. This it is no doubt intended to be, to the discomfort of -small sailing craft, but at the time I speak of it was open. Possibly it -was only opened temporarily by a storm, and may be shut again now. - -There were some birds in Bull’s Bay, but not enough to induce us to -pause, as we were anxious to get the yacht to Charleston as quickly as -we could. So we made the most of the wind and the tide, and anchored -over against Fort Moultrie early in January. Does any of my readers care -to hear how we enjoyed Christmas Day! If so, I will in that connection, -and with the happy sacredness of that day in my mind, make a confession. -In one of the opening paragraphs of this history I mentioned the fact -that we had a stove, a cooking as well as heating stove, in the main -saloon. I did not, however, acknowledge what I am now about to make -public, that every one of the party, from the state-rooms to the -forecastle, was a cook, and in the opinion of him or herself a most -sweet and dainty _chef de cuisine_. Aware of this divine afflatus, they -were none of them entirely content unless they were exhibiting their -skill, so both stoves were run to their utmost capacity, and as the -appetites of the party were good and daily growing better, a vast -consumption of provisions was continually taking place. While each was -at heart assured that their own productions were a little the best, and -tempted the others to admission of the fact by the offering of special -delicacies where delicacies were not needed, there was no one mean -enough to repudiate the work of a brother or sister artist, even if it -were ruined in the preparation or burned to tastlessness in the cooking. -Christmas was by common consent set apart as the day on which each and -every member of our briny household should cook whatever they found best -in their own eyes. The store-room was thrown open and free liberty of -selection was given to all. - -To the male kitchen genius the most difficult article to prepare, is the -most necessary one, bread. Within the realms of civilization the staff -of life seems, as it were, to grow of itself. It can be found on every -corner; stares in fat complacency at you from the shop windows on every -block; there is never any dearth of bread so long as there is a penny to -purchase it; delicate-minded tramps scorn it, and in every -well-regulated household enough of it is thrown into the waste pail to -feed another household of equal numbers. But at sea this is different, -and when man, though he pride himself on the brilliant hue of his blue -ribbon, is required to make good the deficiency, he is apt to come to -grief. So the queen of our marine family announced that she would make a -big batch of bread for that special festivity. - -While no one could or would dare to dispute the ability of that lady to -do well whatever she undertook, yet in the matter of bread making her -methods were peculiar. In the first place she had to have the cabin to -herself, and as bread has to be set over night, we were all turned out -on Christmas eve and left to shiver on the deck. Then she has a way of -strewing flour about in the operation till she covers the tables, the -chairs, the floor, even the sides of the saloon and sometimes the cabin -roof with dough or its ingredients. It was not five minutes after we -were allowed to return, the “rising” having been made an accomplished -fact and set away in a corner, before our hands, our clothes, our faces, -and our very hair were covered with incipient bread. But worse even than -that was the injunction that was solemnly laid on us under no -circumstances to presume to touch the “rising” which had been deposited -directly over the stove, and without moving which it would be impossible -to get breakfast. As our lady was a late riser herself, and would never -stir till she was assured through the state-room door that her breakfast -was ready and on the table, the question of having that important meal -was as complicated as getting the fox, the goose, and the corn over the -stream. - -One of the associate lady patronesses devoted herself to making -biscuits, as the bread would not be cooked till dinner time. I evolved -pancakes, the doctor compounded a hash, and altogether we began -Christmas with such a breakfast as is rarely met with on the desert -surface of the inland water communication between the North and the -South. Seth Green had reserved himself till, as he politely remarked, -“the rest of you should be through your mussing,” then he began. But his -efforts did not last long unmolested, he had split open a duck, a fat -one had been especially selected for so unusual an occasion. This he had -laid between the wires of an oyster broiler, then he opened the entire -top of the stove and proceeded to broil it upon the hot coals. It is -unnecessary to remark that such a proceeding evolved an amount of smoke -that filled the cabin full in a moment. The rest of the party were busy -at their breakfast enjoying the delicacies which had already been -prepared, when they were fairly suffocated by this torrent of smoke and -began to realize as never before the sad fate of the inhabitants of -Pompeii. - -“Seth” I exclaimed, “can’t you keep part of the stove covered so as to -let some of the smoke go up the chimney?” - -“Mr. Green, Mr. Green,” came from the ladies all at once, “please don’t -smother us.” - -“Smoke and the gas of cooking” gasped the doctor, his philosophy almost -dissipated in it “are injurious at meal times, there is such a thing as -being asphyxiated.” - -“For heaven’s sake,” I implored, for by this time the condition of the -atmosphere was unbearable, “do throw that duck out of the companion -way.” - -“Oh Mr. Green do stop cooking that horrid duck,” exclaimed our -princess, “if you do not I shall have to leave the table.” - -That last threat was too much, Seth could not bear to be ranked as an -obstructive when he was accomplishing a culinary triumph which was to -delight our gustatory nerves and establish forever his reputation as a -cookist. He turned a reproachful face towards the party without showing -the slightest sign of discontinuing his fell work, and with an air of -bitter rebuke retorted upon us. - -“This is the first time that I have done any cooking. All the rest of -you have cooked as much as you liked. I have stood to one side and got -out of the way and never had a chance, and now the very instant I cook a -little duck you all make a fuss. I don’t think it’s fair. I did want a -piece of duck for my breakfast and I picked out the smallest one for -fear somebody would think I was greedy, and now you ask me to throw it -overboard; it is almost done, and if you will only have patience for a -few moments I will be through.” - -His manner was more impressive than even his words, and no one had the -heart to reply. We tearfully held our napkins to our noses to keep out -the smoke and smell as well as we could, we coughed and choked, but we -allowed him to finish. Unfortunately Seth believes in cooking a duck to -a chip, and hence he was occupied longer than he had promised, but he -was through at last, and then not only was he happy in the vindication -of his culinary knowledge, but he had the satisfaction of bringing our -ingratitude home to us, by pressing on us choice morsels, which he -offered in a delicate and forgiving way upon his own fork, and which we -were fain to accept and swallow in the same fashion under pain of again -offending him. - -Nevertheless the duck was good, the biscuits were good, the pancakes -were excellent, the hash was superb, every article of diet all day long, -from the gorgeous breakfast to the gorging at supper, when appetite had -been more than sated, were unsurpassable and we had a Christmas long to -be remembered. - -We remained in Charleston for two weeks. If the reader asks what we were -doing all that time, let him go to the old time Queen City of the South, -now apparently being displaced by her enterprising rival, Savannah; let -him roam about her quaint streets and mingle with her hospitable people, -and he will find out. There is much of physical and human interest in -and around Charleston, from the live oaks on her Battery or White Point -Park, and the moss covered trees of her famous Magnolia cemetery, to the -oysters growing in thousands around her sea-wall, and which would -furnish unlimited sustenance to her citizens were they not oyster -surfeited. We stood and gawked at the tropical plants in full foliage, -and at the orange trees in full bearing, in the house door gardens till -the residents, unacquainted though they were personally with us, took -pity and gave us the names of the plants and told us that the oranges -were sour, none of the sweet varieties being able to grow so far north. -We loafed around the market which was an ever renewing delight to Mr. -Green, who, before we left, had established a personal bond of -admiration and friendship from every darkey fisherman who brought his -cargo there. We fed the turkey buzzards, we ascertained that the fish -about Charleston were, in their various seasons, mostly sheepshead, -bass, the drum of North Carolina and channel bass of Florida, _Corvina -Ocellata_; sea-bass, here called black fish, which are mostly caught by -the negroes outside the bar in their open boats; sea trout, our weak -fish; mullet, which they told us were becoming scarce; blue fish which -are never caught in winter, and which also were diminishing in numbers; -black drum; big porgees of four or five pounds; both the salt and fresh -water varieties of cat fish, which were very abundant; whiting, our king -fish, and their finest table delicacy; angel fish, crevalle; fresh water -trout, our black bass, and shad, which begin their run in January. - -All around Charleston the negroes seem to be in possession of the -country. They are pleasant, polite, and lazy, are content to do the old -slave tasks even when working for themselves, and will never consent to -do more when working for others at any price of remuneration, as though -if they worked too hard the work would be exhausted and there would soon -be nothing more to do. They are paid fifty cents a cord, for instance, -to cut wood, and they stop when they have cut one cord, although they -are through at one o’clock. They look more healthy and happy than the -whites throughout the entire South, which is a probably a climacteric -result, but pregnant of many possibilities for the future. It is they -who supply Charleston market, it is they who do the fishing and the -work, and more important still, it is they who make all the Sea-island -cotton and bring it to the city in their boats from the shores where -inevitable death lurks for the superior race. That most valuable of -Southern products, the old time king of the world, arrives in driblets, -here a pound and there a pound. It is badly baled, but it comes and in -good order too. To day the negro controls the whilom king, which is -indeed putting the bottom rail on top. - -The Charleston “Eagles,” as he called the buzzards, were a source of -infinite complacency to the philosophical soul of the doctor. He would -watch them by the hour, sympathizing with their metaphysically -thoughtful ways. He would study their awkward and ungainly motions on -the ground, and wonder that anything so ungraceful on foot could be so -exquisitely elegant and graceful in the air when on the wing. These -queer creatures stay around the market, and although the law forbids -their being fed, as it is found with them as with human buzzards that -necessity is the mother of scavengering, your butcher is always ready to -throw them a surreptitious piece of meat for your amusement. They are -the only street cleaners, and if they got their dinners gratuitously -they might cease their useful public labors. - -On January tenth we tore ourselves away from Charleston, bidding good -bye to its pretty streets, its tall spires, its beautiful gardens, and -its pleasant inhabitants, among whom we must especially mention -Commander Merril Miller of the Light-house service, who was very kind in -furnishing us charts and assisting us in many ways. We bid a last -farewell to Forts Sumter and Moultrie, and all the historic memories -which are entwined with those names; to Sullivan’s Island, the Coney -Island of Charleston, to the Three Sisters, three palmettos which guard -the gate where once the confederate soldier stood sentry, and to the -tomb of Oceola close by, to the buzzards and the beauties of the city, -catching a last glimpse of White Point Park to which we waived a tender -adieu. We headed our course towards the creek which has received the -euphuistic appellation of “Wappoo Cut.” We carried away from Charleston -this one valuable piece of information: to make “Hop-in-John,” boil one -quart of cow peas (a sort of small bean), and one pound of bacon till -thoroughly cooked, then put in two quarts of rice, boil for about half -an hour longer and until well done, then add salt and pepper. This -recipe came from the colored _chef_ of the Charleston hotel and must be -correct. Hence hereafter no man or woman can claim to be so ignorant -that they cannot cook “Hop-in-John.” - -Beyond Charleston we had our first disagreeable adventure; it occurred -when we were running through Wappoo Cut. We had been offered a volunteer -tow by a small steam tug that we met there, but had hardly hitched fast -to her, before a passenger steamer came in sight going the same way. -This vessel gradually gained on us, and when she was close at hand, -finding there was no room to pass, as the cut is extremely narrow near -its outlet where we were, ran deliberately between our yacht and the -tug, cutting our stern line away and nearly sinking us. This was an -occasion, in which we should have been justified in shooting the pilot -at his post, but we were in a foreign country, so to speak, and all we -did was to cast loose our lines and get clear the best we could. The -whole performance was the less excusable, because the wheelman saw there -were ladies on board our boat, and that we were strangers. As this was -the only piece of discourtesy shown us on our entire trip, I give the -name of the vessel which was guilty of it, and warn all passengers to -shun the “Pilot Boy.” It was by good luck alone that we escaped, for -hardly had we got clear, than the two steamers jammed together, filling -the cut from side to side, so that both were aground, and we heard the -crashing of timbers and saw them fast there for nearly an hour. Had the -“Heartsease” been between them, she would have been crushed. If any of -our readers go South by the inland passage from Charleston, and it is a -pleasant way of travel, we hope they will in a measure revenge our -wrongs, and give a brutal captain a lesson in decent behavior, by -refusing to patronize the “Pilot Boy.” - -One of the most interesting features of the country we were now passing -was the rice fields. These were separated by dykes, and being nearly -rectangular, gave a novel appearance to the low, marshy land. Had we -known where to go, we could probably have had good English snipe -shooting. But we did not stop to give Mr. Green a chance to interview -any one to find out. We, however, saw numberless flocks of bay snipe on -the lower part of the South Edisto, where the wind left us one night, -and where Mr. Green killed a couple of dozen. On the following day, that -gentleman was so pleased with the performance of the yacht in crossing -St. Helena Sound in a squall, that he insisted on our putting to sea, -upon the ground that he was tired of such tame sailing. The rest of the -party were nothing loth, and the good little ship was soon across the -bar and on the broad bosom of old Mother Ocean, a very step-mother as -she can at times prove herself to be. Unfortunately, the wind died out, -and we were becalmed or nearly so, and crawled slowly past Fripp’s -Inlet. When we were just outside Port Royal breakers, which we reached -at sundown, there was a dead calm, and we drifted backwards till we came -to anchor in some four fathoms of water. - -Our luck did not desert us, and before dark a nice breeze sprang up, -which carried us into the harbor and up to the mouth of Skull Creek, -where we passed the night in perfect comfort. Next morning the wind came -out strong from the northeast, blowing what sailors would call half a -gale of wind. We got under way as soon as we could, and were soon -slashing along at a good nine miles an hour. To be sure of our speed, I -proposed to make a log line. Now there is one point about Seth Green, -which is if possible more decidedly developed than another; while he is -perfectly satisfied that anything he does is better done than it ever -was, ever will, or ever can be, by any one else, he is equally well -convinced that no one else can do anything that he cannot, so when I -made this proposition he simply smiled an incredulous smile. Under the -force of that implication, a log line had to be made, and made to work, -if all hands had to swear that she was making ten miles an hour when she -was only making two. - -It was an original species of a log. I knew the proper divisions for a -fourteen second glass, which was the one we had on board, but the “chip” -had to be manufactured out of the side of an old cigar box. I never -shall forget Seth’s air of triumph, when having driven in the pin too -hard, it did not slip out at the scientific jerk I gave when “time” was -called on the first trial, the result being that the line parted when I -was drawing it in. This merely encouraged me, as there was no difficulty -in curing that defect, the only danger having been that my improvised -“chip” would not hold well enough. So the log was soon in working order, -and informed us that we were running nine miles an hour, and repeated -the figure so often, that the skeptic was convinced, and asked me to -join him while he apologized. - -More bay snipe of all sorts, little and big, but no time to shoot them. -They were flying about by twos, by threes, by dozens, by hundreds, but -the wind was too fair and too fresh for us to lose it. We might be -punished by being reduced to living on canned food, which, with the -exception of corned beef, vegetables, and preserves, was an abomination -to the entire party, and we did not stop voluntarily, till we reached -Jekyl’s Creek. In reference to Jekyl’s Creek, there is an entry in my -log, that is interesting to show how history repeats itself; “Oysters -Excellent.” Half a century before, Professor Bache, who made the very -charts by which we were sailing, had appreciated the excellence of the -Jekyl Creek oysters, and had them barrelled and sent to him every year. -I doubt, however, whether he knew how to cook them, at least in the -quantity necessary for a hungry yachting party, and with the limited -cooking appliances of a yacht. - -They are called “Raccoon Oysters,” for the reason that the raccoons -exhibited so much human nature in first appreciating their excellence, -and in getting at their contents. They exist in immense mounds and -piles, and to the Northern eye seem inexhaustible in numbers, covering -hundreds, if not thousands of square miles, and averaging three feet -thick. They line the shores of the creeks and water courses like two -walls, and cling to branches of bushes, till it can be truly said of -them that they grow on trees. Their natural position is with their edges -upward, and these are nearly as sharp as razors, and will cut one’s -fingers or a raccoon’s paw terribly, unless care is taken in handling -them. The ’coon’s plan is to slyly watch at low tide, when the beds are -bare, till the unsuspicious bivalve, longing for a breath of the pure -air of heaven as a change from the insipid diet of salt water, opens his -mouth, when he quietly creeps forward and drops a piece of shell into -the opening. Master oyster endeavors to resume his natural closeness of -mouth, but in vain; the early closing movement has no reference to him. - -My plan of treatment was different, although the final consequence to -the oyster was about the same. To open such sharp-edged creatures in the -ordinary way would soon have put our crew, experienced in oyster opening -though they were, _hors du combat_, or to state it in English, useless -for rope-hauling. Even to separate them from one another was a perilous -job, so I hit upon the simple plan of putting them in bunches just as -they grew into the ovens of the two stoves. There I let them roast till -they opened their mouths of their own accord, precisely as they had done -for the raccoon, but under a little more compulsion. Cooked in this way -they were so delicious as to be worth a trip to Jekyl’s Creek merely to -get. We almost lived on Jekyl Creek oysters, and if any one of the party -got out of spirits, if Mr. Green or the Doctor wanted to propitiate one -of the queens of the yacht, and the Doctor especially was continually -engaged in that way, he never failed with a roasted raccoon oyster. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -IN FLORIDA. - - -And now we are at Fernandina, in Florida at last. It has been a long but -a delightful trip. Of all the yachting we ever did, and all of us have -been more or less followers of the sea, that is, the inland sea, since -childhood, we agreed unanimously this sail from New York to the South by -the inland navigation, was the most delightful. It was an unbroken charm -from the beginning to the end, with no more of real danger about it than -would have been encountered on Broadway under falling bricks and over -caving vaults. The variety of scenery was charming, the oddity of the -trees and plants most interesting, and had we had the time to devote to -it, the fishing and shooting would have been superb. - -We had passed old Fernandina, and came to anchor opposite the new town -of the same name, which had been selected on account of its having a -better harbor in a norther, that terror of southern latitudes in winter, -and which must have raked the old town pretty thoroughly. We had to go -ashore at once. The tides have a great rise and fall, and we were glad -to avail ourselves of the boat club landing which was kindly placed at -our disposal. We found Fernandina a quaint old town, with a mixture of -newness and age about it. Northern men coming for their health had -brought Northern ways and extravagances; there were modern villas and -trim gardens, but the old mansions were still to be seen, and a few of -the ancient houses built of coquina, a combination of lime and shell. No -innovations could do away with the Southern foliage, which here was in -rank growth and profusion. We saw orange trees in full bearing; palmetto -trees in abundance, from the scrub saw-palmetto to the lordly cabbage -palm, and cactuses six feet high, together with all the other trees and -plants of the warm latitudes. - -There is a fine shell road to the sea beach that is so hard that the -wheels of a wagon scarcely make a mark upon it. This beach is the -favorite promenade drive of natives and visitors in the season which had -not come quite yet, although near at hand. Boys in the streets were -selling sugar-canes at five cents a stick, and banana bushes, which are -herbacious plants, were growing in many of the gardens. Mr. Green -proceeded first to indulge in the entire luxuries of a barber’s -establishment that he found, and then to interview the whole population. -He came to the yacht in time for supper, laden with information and two -fine Southern weakfish, which are much better to eat than our Northern -variety, and which are locally known as trout. - -The fishing around Fernandina is exceedingly good, and we found the -colored population, which takes to fishing as naturally as the bee is -nautically supposed to take to a tar bucket, everywhere, pursuing the -finny tribes through the numerous creeks and arms of the sea. Here we -saw for the first time the circular cast net. It was used for catching -the enormous shrimp or prawn, which, while shaped like the common -shrimp, has a body six inches long, and feelers still longer. This -curious creature is mostly used for bait, though it is excellent eating -when boiled. There is good sheepsheading in the creek opposite the last -house before reaching the cut, and as it was impossible to keep Mr. -Green quiet longer without a day’s fishing, we had to let him go while -the rest of us enjoyed the mere pleasure of existence in the delicious -climate. We ate oranges and sucked sugar-cane in true childhood style, -and wandered through the village while he was pursuing science. We were -not a little ashamed of ourselves when he returned with a magnificent -string of sheepshead, both the large and small kinds, sea trout, and a -dozen other varieties, victualling the ship for several days. Then our -sails were once more set and we were off for the further South, for -there always is a higher height and a deeper depth; so there is a -further south, a further west, and a more inaccessible north. We did not -go far, however, before we had to stop. Not that there was any dire -necessity, not that any member of our party was sick, nor that the wind -or the bread had given out; not that we had lost our course or were -actually impeded in any wise, but still we had to stop--in order to -catch crabs. I take it for granted that there is none of my readers so -unfortunate as never to have eaten that most delicious of table -luxuries, the hard-shell--for I have never given my allegiance to the -soft-crab. If that is so, then I will have no occasion to make further -explanation, when I say that the finest crabs which we got in the -Southern waters, we caught at Fernandina, or rather between that place -and Jacksonville, for the crabbing was good all the way. Mr. Seth Green -is especially fond of these strange animals, who insist on wearing their -bones outside of their skins, and no inducement except satiety will -persuade him away from good crabbing ground. The Doctor is also fond of -crabs, and so were all the rest of those on board, and hence there was -not the slightest objection when Mr. Green made the following sensible -remark: - -“Well now that we have got to Florida, don’t you think it ’most time to -begin to enjoy ourselves? You have kept us all hard at work as if our -lives depended on it, driving away through good weather and bad, through -rain and shine in order to get here, and now that we are here don’t you -think that you might let up for a few days at least till we could have a -little of the pleasure we came after?” - -The wild ducks which we had killed in Currituck were gone long ago, the -snipe we had found on the way down, had lasted only a short time, but -Mr. Green had supplied us with all the fish we could eat, oysters lay -around us begging to be picked up and roasted, and now we had an -unlimited supply of crabs, which merely requested us to offer them a -piece of refuse meat in exchange for their luscious bodies. If a man -wants to live well and cheaply let him go to Florida, there certainly -never was such a place for a yachting expedition. When we had boiled a -reserve of nearly a hundred crabs, and we had all eaten as many as we -could, we ceased crabbing and went to sailing once more. - -Instead of going through the Sisters Creek, which is the shorter course, -we stood out to sea from Fort George Inlet and ran into the St. John’s, -a thing which I would advise no man to do unless he was well acquainted -with the bars, or had like myself a very light draft vessel, for both -the channels are narrow and shoal. When we were once inside the St. -John’s we got out our nets in order to ascertain just what the waters -contained. Although net fishing is not so stimulating as that with the -hook and line, it is more certain even if both are in skilful hands. - -We were rewarded by some small yearling mossbunkers and bluefish, which, -while the Doctor looked on them as a disappointment, were valuable as -settling the question that both of these fish spawn in the Southern -waters. A further result of our efforts was, that we hurried on to -Jacksonville as fast as we could. On the way we ran over a shad net. It -was early in the morning, and there was a sort of haze on the water, so -that we did not see the log that the fishermen tie to the end of their -nets, to point out where it is. The owners of it were taking it in from -the other side of their boat, and even so old a fisherman as Mr. Green -was deceived as to the direction in which it was stretched. We carried -a piece of it away with us, and had to cut it off from our rudder. For -this we were sorry, but were miles off before we had even got an idea of -the extent of apology we would have to make, or of the damage for which -we would gladly have paid. - -At Jacksonville we felt almost as much at home as if we were in New -York. We found friends there, we made others, and enjoyed ourselves so -thoroughly that it was only the imperative demands of sport that -compelled us to move on. Just in the neighborhood of so large a city -there is naturally not much to shoot or to catch. There are innumerable -cat-fish which Mr. Green was never tired of taking, and which weighed as -much as ten pounds each. He insisted they were excellent eating, a -matter in which we allowed him to have his opinion without contesting -the question. The water on the surface is fresh, and some black-bass can -always be caught in the vicinity. The condition of the water in the St. -John’s is different from that of any other stream with which I am -familiar. Even as high up as Pilatka, eighty miles above, the surface -water is absolutely fresh, while near the bottom there is a current so -salt that crabs are caught in the shad nets. The salter fluid seems to -be denser and heavier than the other, and will not mingle with it, so -that we have the anomaly of both fresh and salt-water fish being caught -at the same time and place. - -Into the St. John’s there empty at every few miles tributary streams -that are rarely ascended by the visiting sportsman, and where the birds -and fish exist in their primeval abundance and fearlessness. It is -unnecessary to specify these by name, or to particularize any as better -than others, for they are essentially alike. We could not explore them -all, but those which we did, we found filled with fish and with a fair -amount of game. It was too early in the year for alligators, if they can -be called game, to show themselves, but birds were to be had -plentifully, and fish were simply innumerable. Of these we killed so -many that we had to salt them down. There is an additional interest, the -interest of new explorations, in ascending the secluded rivers, and I -advise every tourist who visits this portion of Florida in his own -conveyance, not to omit going up one or more of them. - -This was a late season, shad were running, and we had them continually -on our table, but roses were not in full bloom in the open air, and as -for strawberries, which are usually abundant by New Year’s, they had not -come in at all yet. We had bought up all the curiosities that we could -distribute among our Northern friends; we had played with the baby -alligators in the jewelry stores; we had listened to the first -installment of the wonderful Florida stories; we had dined at all the -excellent Jacksonville hotels, and were ready to withdraw once more from -civilization. So the Heartsease spread her sails again, and started up -the river. I say “up,” because by the current our course was up stream; -but it was down by the map. We were going south, the St. John’s being -one of the few of the North American rivers which seem to run the wrong -way, that is, from the south to the north. In our short stay in -Jacksonville we had learned that alligator-tooth jewelry is occasionally -made of celluloid; that one of the best drinks in the world of -bar-keeping is a punch compounded from the native sour orange; that -Florida stories are always reliable, even when they assert that -mosquitoes are so abundant that hogs make meals of them, or inform us -that the favorite game fish of Florida, the tarpon, jumps six feet out -of water when he is hooked, or that sharks will seize a man if they have -to leap as high as the deck of the yacht to do so. In leaving -Jacksonville, we supposed we were leaving all this behind us, not -knowing that Florida is full of quaint jewelry made, as the jewelry of -no other part of the world, out of fish scales, saurian teeth, sea -beans, shells, orange tree woods, and sharks’ molars; that everywhere -there are wonderful stories which only differ from one another in size; -that palmetto hats were to be bought in every village store, and that -sour oranges hang from innumerable trees, valueless for traffic, and -only begging to be made into nectar fit for gods. - -By the time the Doctor had made these philosophical reflections, -Heartsease was tearing along before a favoring breeze past Mandarin, -past the Magnolia Hotel and Green Cove Spring; past Tocoi, the terminus -of the St. Augustine Railroad, till she made anchorage by nightfall off -Pilatka. On the way we had put up many ducks, had seen the cows up to -their backs in water feeding off the cabbage at the bottom, and -thrusting their heads clear under to get it, and we began to realize -that in the end we might come to believe anything of the wonders of this -wonderful land. On the last day of our stay in Jacksonville, we had -given a little lunch on board, and to show what dinners can be got up -there, and how easily, I will reproduce the bill of fare. Everything had -been prepared on board, and although our cabin could only seat twelve, -we placed before the guests cold turkey, beef and tongue, chicken salad, -prepared by the Doctor in most artistic style, stewed oysters, roast -potatoes, radishes, and for dessert banana salad--an invention of the -better part of the party,--Dummit Grove oranges, sapidillas, and grape -fruit, with _pieces montées_ of palmetto leaves and sour oranges _en -branches_. There was a little _paté de foies gras_ also, but that need -not be counted, because it came from the North. - -We found that when we had reached Pilatka the stories, instead of -diminishing, developed yet more astonishing proportions. The mosquitoes, -that the hogs fed on at Jacksonville, put out the head light of the -locomotive at Pilatka, extinguished a bonfire, and made nothing of the -negroes “light wood torches;” the tarpon of Jacksonville could only jump -six feet high when hooked, while the tarpon of Pilatka, without being -hooked, bounded clear over the rail of the steamboat Seth Low, which was -ten feet from the water, struck the captain in the stomach, and knocked -him down. We had not been at Pilatka two days, before we were ready to -swallow any mental hallucination, so rapidly does faith grow in the -glorious, and balmy air of Florida. - -If Jacksonville had been attractive, Pilatka was equally so. Opposite to -if is the famous orange grove of Mr. Hart, which we had to visit, and -where we ate our first oranges, plucked by ourselves from the trees, -beside tasting mandarins and tangerines, lemons, limes, guava and -bananas, and that best of all oranges, the grape fruit. There were great -plantations of bananas, which grow by suckers from the roots, and -increase like weeds. They have to be three years old before they bear, -and the development of the flower and fruit, which was going on while we -were there, was a pretty sight. The top of the stalk turns over and -produces a huge purple flower of a single leaf, as large as the hand of -a giant. From under this large leaf starts a circle of small sprouts -like fingers. The big leaf falls off, but from the ends of the fingers -burst other, much smaller purple flowers. Then below the row of fingers -grows another large flower like the first, and it also uncovers another -row of fingers, so on till the entire bunch of bananas, as we know it in -the market, is formed. Even then the flower point does not cease -growing, but exhibits flower after flower, which are merely ornamental -and do not result in fruit. Sprouts start so freely from the roots, that -the young bushes have to be cut away every year with scythes, or they -would become crowded, and the fruit degenerate. Every day, that was -spent studying the wonderful productions of Florida, every new tree or -bush, which attracted our attention by its beauty, or its oddity, every -new species of fruit, which charmed our palate with its originality of -flavor, made us more in love with this interesting country, and wish -that it and its accompaniments could only exist in a colder climate. -There was but one feeling in the minds of the party on leaving Mr. -Hart’s plantation, which was that each of us could own an orange grove, -and have it close at home. - -One evening as we were returning after a sailing excursion to visit the -neighborhood, we heard cries which sounded like cries of distress. The -negroes were so in the habit of laughing at, and jibing one another, -that we at first took no notice of these. It was nearly night, so dark, -that objects could not be distinguished at any considerable distance; -but the cries continuing, we determined to see whether they meant merely -fun or something more serious, and kept away in the direction from which -they came. That moment’s delay cost at least one man his life, and -brought sorrow to one household. After sailing a few minutes, we were -able to distinguish an object in the water, which looked like a boat -capsized. Such it turned out to be, and as we approached, we could make -out a number of men clinging to its sides. It was a launch belonging to -the crew of a steam ferry boat, and was used by the men after their -day’s work was over to take them across the river, as they left the -steamer on the other side. It was abundantly able to carry the number -that started in it, and more, but some of them had been pouring out -libations to Bacchus, or had been carried away by foolish animal -spirits, we could not exactly determine which, and the result was, that -the party of merry-makers was suddenly turned into one of mourners. - -We luffed up alongside, and lay to, while our men lowered the boats, and -picked up all the poor fellows who were left. Two were unaccounted for, -one of whom had been seen to let go his hold and sink. Several of the -others would have soon followed his example, except for our timely -arrival, for the water happened to be cool that evening, and quickly -benumbed their warm southern blood, although they were whites, and not -blacks, as we at first supposed. After they were all on board, and it -was apparent that there was no use in looking for their lost comrades, -we hitched a line to their boat, and towed it behind us towards the -shore. As the men crowded on our deck, they seemed so miserable, and did -so tremble with the cold, that the hearts of the ladies were touched, -and nothing would do but they must be brought into the cabin, and warmed -at the stove, there being not room enough for so many in the forecastle. -Their clothes dripped and drained over our pretty carpet, and left -stains, which never were to come out, but we felt only too glad that we -had been able to be of some use to any of our fellow “toilers of the -sea.” We finally warmed their blood, and put fresh life into them with -liberal rations of rum, which was fifty years old. Amid their sufferings -what caused them the most pain, was, that they would have to tell the -wife of the engineer, who was lost, of his death. This they dreaded as -much as they would have dreaded another struggle in the water. - -There is often danger from the heavy fogs, which roll up dense, and dark -on the St. John’s in the night time, and we saw several accidents from -that cause. We took the precaution of always anchoring, when not in -port, on some flat, and making sure of a well filled anchor light. The -steamers invariably follow the channel, for their own protection, and -the pilots run at full speed, as in that way alone can they be sure of -their position, a knowledge which comes to them by habit. There was, -however, one annoyance, which no lights would prevent, no mosquito nets -keep out, and no preparation mitigate, the plague of gnats; they come, -when they make up their minds to come, in myriads, pour down the -companion way, preferring the inside of the cabin to the outside, make -themselves at home, push into the state-rooms, and do not care in the -least how many millions of their number you immolate. I had been advised -that insect powder, if burned in the cabin, would drive them out. On -their first visitation I tried the remedy. It is to be feared that the -heartless person who gave me that recipe was a practical joker. There is -nothing in the nature of gnats to specially provoke merriment so far as -I could ever see, or feel, but there are persons who extract pleasure -from a funeral. I placed a small quantity of the powder on a piece of -paper, which I lighted. The paper was soon consumed, but the powder -remained intact, in fact it preserved that part of the paper, which was -directly under it. Then I added some chips, and laying the whole on an -old plate, tried it again; failure number two, the powder was still -unconsumed, and the gnats, who had not neglected these opportunities, -while I was busy, to pay their respects to me, were as happy and lively -as ever. Determined not be foiled, I then built a fire in the stove, and -leaving the stove holes open, poured the powder on the flame. In vain, -it only put out the fire. After that I lost faith in the virtues of -insect powder, and had to endure as well as I could, lamentations coming -faintly through the doors of the state-rooms “Oh what are these strange -things that are biting us so.” Patience seems to be the only cure for -gnat bites, and we did not carry that article with us. - -“Doctor,” said Mr. Green one morning, after we had spent a couple of -weeks in the delightful laziness of sight seeing and curiosity buying, -“how much longer do you think the skipper intends to keep us idling -here?” He had devoted his attention lately to dragging the Doctor with -him on his interviewing expeditions, and they had just returned from -their tenth call upon the northern shad fishermen, who, having brought -their nets from their homes to try and catch the earliest run of shad, -were camping in the woods beyond the town. - -“I am afraid,” replied our medical associate with base dishonesty, for -he was fully as fond of the _dolce far niente_ as myself, “that he -intends to remain here for the rest of his natural life.” - -“What, going to stay here for ever!” came from the pretty mouth, which -belonged to a pretty head, that just then appeared above the companion -way, “I do like to go fishing, and get away from people.” - -“Yes,” came faintly from another in the bowels of the cabin, “I am -always fond of a change.” - -“We havn’t caught a fish since day before yesterday,” continued Seth in -a most injured tone of voice. “I should like to catch something beside -cat-fish once more.” - -This is the sort of thing that the yachtsman has to bear from his -mutinous crew, and there is but one way of dealing with it. I went -forward without a word, called my men, and we were underway so soon, -that the breath was nearly taken from the party, and I heard low -grumblings about provisions, which ought to have been laid in, and -curiosities, which were to have been bought, and which never could be -got again, for an hour afterwards, as we were rapidly running up the -river. - -The weather had become hot, the thermometer marking eighty-nine in the -shade, and mosquitoes made their appearance in the evenings; for those -we were prepared, as the yacht was especially fitted with mosquito -screens. But the heat was too much for us, and it was unanimously -determined that we must take a bath. We had brought our bathing dresses -more by good luck than good management, for we had no expectation of -quite so summery a time in the midst of winter. We had been assured -that snakes never enter the waters of a sulphur spring, and that there -was a sulphur spring at Welaka on our way. So we stopped where we -thought it must be according to the chart, and in that instance, as in -all others, the chart was right. In fact from the beginning of our trip -to the end we found ourselves, by the aid of the charts, masters of the -situation, and generally much better informed than the natives. - -We anchored the yacht at the bend of the river just below Welaka, and -taking the small boats rowed into the spring, which was only a hundred -yards away. What a glorious sight it was, no puling little affair, such -as is called a spring at the North, but a basin two hundred feet across, -the water boiling up in the centre in a jet as large round as a -hogshead, and rising a foot above the surface, clear as crystal, and -gleaming like gems, the irridescent waves spreading away from the -central source in lines of glistening transparency, the sunlight -reflected from every ripple, as from a thousand prisms. Such a perfect -bathing spot we had never seen before, it was a bath-room fit for Diana -and her nymphs. We had put on our bathing clothes before leaving the -yacht, and it took us but a few moments to fasten our boats and plunge -overboard. - -Snakes are one of the drawbacks of this warm tropical State. On some of -the keys on the Gulf side, they are so numerous that no man is safe in -landing. The most deadly is the rattlesnake, but the most disagreeable -is the mocassin, which, although not so fatal, sometimes attacks a man -in the water without provocation. The latter’s bite produces paralysis -more frequently than death, but as his attacks cannot be guarded -against, he is really a more unpleasant enemy. The traveller’s safety in -bathing consists in seeking one of these wonderful sulphur springs, into -which snakes do not enter, although fish abound in them, looking like -moving motes in liquid amber. The temperature of these springs is not -cold, being the same as that of the rivers, but there is something -exceedingly exhilarating in bathing in them. The feeling of the water is -different from that of any other bath. There is a peculiar sense of -cleanliness, and a lightness of spirits, which may account for the fancy -of Ponce de Leon, that he had at last found the source of eternal youth. -Many of these springs are brought within the destructive dominion of -man, and are open to every passing tourist, but the one where we were -was sacred to him, who has his own conveyance, and was not to be defiled -or polluted by the common wayfarer. - -We had a delightful bath. There is a common delusion that the water of -the sulphur springs is so thin and light, that it will not support the -best swimmer. We soon ascertained that this was a totally unfounded -fancy, so far as the Welaka spring was concerned. We not only swam to -and fro without difficulty, but enjoyed an additional pleasure in -getting directly over the boiling spout itself, and being buoyed up by -it, where the water was ten feet deep. All of us were sorry, when -evening and hunger compelled us to return to the yacht. - -The stories concerning the dangerous nature of the snakes of Florida are -probably exaggerated, as we saw no more of them, than we would have seen -in the same amount of country life at the North. The negro children -bathe off the docks of Pilatka and Jacksonville as a common thing, and -later in the year, when the peril from snakes is greater. There are -spots, where, as I have said, they are to be dreaded, and we heard well -authenticated stories of men being snake bitten, but on the other hand -old hunters, who were in the woods most of their time, told us they were -never troubled by their attacks, and the camping out parties, which we -encountered all over, seemed not disturbed by them. Still, while on the -subject, I will give the prescription which was kindly furnished us by -Dr. Kenworthy of Jacksonville, and which will doubtless prove a better -cure than the common one of getting drunk on whiskey; mix two -tablespoonfuls of the carbonate of ammonia with enough spirits of -camphor to make a paste. Apply this on a rag to the bite, changing the -rag as often as it gets discolored. Our medical associate gave his -approval to the remedy, and if those two authorities could not cure a -snake bite, no one can. - -As our little yacht shot out from the St. John’s River, nearly two -hundred miles above the place where we had entered it, and came into -full view of that beautiful sheet of water, Lake George, thousands of -wild ducks rose three gunshots off, and flew away. The sight rejoiced -our eyes, for we had passed several days on the river without seeing any -large birds except the strange water-turkeys, or snake-birds. -Unfortunately we had no battery with us, and had to trust to finding a -point of land that the ducks would approach. This was no easy thing to -do, and we sailed half the length of the north shore, before reaching a -promising spot, a narrow point running out between two bays, and at the -outer end of which the birds were crowded together in flocks of -thousands. There was nothing to be done till the next morning, and -seeing a farm house on the neck of land, Mr. Seth Green went ashore to -get what information he could from the owner. This gentleman was at the -moment working in his garden, and although the thermometer stood at -eighty in the shade, he wore the encumbrance of a pair of long India -rubber boots. As these seemed rather out of accord with the torrid -temperature, he was delicately asked his reasons for wearing them; -“well,” he replied philosophically, “they cannot strike over those.” -This sounded ominously, for although, as I have said, we had heard a -good deal about snakes, we had seen nothing of them yet. Our doubts were -removed when the gentleman pointed out an immense dead rattlesnake -hanging on the limb of a bush, and added, “I killed him yesterday.” We -returned promptly to the yacht, contented to make our explorations by -water thereafter, till we should get over the effect of so sudden an -introduction to a new acquaintance. - -Next day we devoted to the ducks, but we were not properly rigged for -them, and soon learned that without a battery we could not expect to -kill many in the wide waters of Lake George, they were mostly -broad-bills, but did not seem to be as healthy as our Northern ducks. -One of my men, who was an old gunner, said that their feathers appeared -to be burnt, as though they had been scorched by the sun. They are -continually chased by all the visitors to Florida, silly shooters, who -fire at them from every passing steamboat, or who pursue them in the -small steam yachts, which are becoming a feature of Southern travel. The -day following, we sailed across the lake to the south-west corner, -intending to ascend the Juniper Creek, which empties into it there. Mr. -Green and myself were all of the party who cared to make the -exploration; we took one of the small boats, and struck into the outlet, -which we had found without difficulty and commenced the ascent. It was a -strange, desolate river, quite unlike our Northern streams, slow and -sluggish most of the way, half grown up with grasses, weeds, and cabbage -plants, lined on either side by a rank, tall mass of reeds, that were -yellow with age, and approaching decay, overhung here and there by some -Southern plants or bushes, and once in a while winding between groves of -palmettos. There was a sombre, savage, and deadly appearance in the -water itself. We proceeded quietly for a time, but Mr. Green, who is -more alive to the contents of a stream than to its air of gloom or -brightness, broke the silence. - -“Now,” he said, as he began setting up his rod, “I will show you my -favorite rig for catching big-mouthed bass. Look at that trolling spoon, -it is something of my own invention, although the tackle shops are -getting them lately.” - -He had a special arrangement of feathers and tin, not be described on -paper, but long experience has made me skeptical about new all-killing -inventions, and possibly my countenance betrayed my thoughts, for he -went on, as he saw me getting out a cast of bass flies. - -“I know” he observed, throwing his lure overboard, “that other rigs will -take some, but you see now, I shall have one within a minute.” - -I had no choice, as I was seated in the bow of the boat, and could not -have used a trolling spoon if I had wished, as our lines would have -fouled. I had to put on flies and fish by casting. - -“That is all very well,” I replied, “at certain times, and in a stream -like this, but if we had a large, deep river, I would rather use a -number of flies on a long leader.” - -“There,” said Mr. Green at that moment as he struck a fish, “what did I -tell you. If you want to take black-bass, particularly this kind--” - -He never finished his observation, for at that moment a four-pound fish -seized my fly, and it took our joint skill and attention to keep from -fouling. He managed, however, to get his fish in quickly, as it was a -small one, and give me an opportunity to play mine with the light tackle -that I was using. We saved them both, but they were only the forerunners -of an unlimited number. The spoon did undoubtedly kill the most, but -there were all that we both wanted, ten times over, and we had to stop -fishing, to avoid destroying more than we could use. I had the -satisfaction of catching the largest, however, with the fly. - -We had brought a gun, as well as our fishing tackle. Suddenly from out -the bushes there rose with much noise and flurry a large bird. I had -hardly time to grab my gun, before he was out of range, and although I -fired, it was ineffectually. - -“Oh, I am sorry you missed him,” said Mr. Green sadly, for he always -takes a dejected view of other people’s failures, “that was a Limpkin, -and I should like to have got him.” - -“I thought it was a water turkey,” I replied, referring to the queer -creature that we had seen on ever stick and stump in the St. John’s. -“But whatever it was, it was out of range when I fired.” - -“I think he was a Limpkin,” persisted my companion, “don’t you, -Charley?” - -The stream was becoming rapidly narrower, and as that made the fishing -more difficult, and we had all the fish we wanted, we took in our lines. -Soon Charley had to cease rowing and resort to poling. We finally came -to where it was so narrow that there was scarcely room for the boat, and -the overhanging branches and bushes swept against our faces. We were -just about to give up any idea of further advance, when suddenly we shot -out from the small brook into a broad river. Instead of having ascended -to the head waters of the Juniper, we had hardly been in it at all, -having mistaken one of its mouths for the stream proper. The hour was -growing late, but this new river seemed so attractive, we were so sure -that it was the one we had been looking for, and that it must lead into -the lake not far from where we had left our yacht, that we determined to -descend it instead of retracing our course by the way we had come. Here -it was that I fired at and wounded a real Limpkin, as I have already -related. We went down with the current, having in the broad stream a -good chance to use the oars. The sun dropped behind the trees, which -were more numerous on the banks of this stream than they had been on -those of the other. On and on, and still we did not come to the outlet. -It began to look as though we had made a mistake, and this river was a -different one from what we had supposed. The prospect of spending the -night in the woods now forced itself upon us. My coat was thin, and -already the evening air felt chill; we could make a fire, for we were -too old stagers to be caught without matches, but the thought of snakes -was not pleasant, in spite of the assurances of their rarity, and the -excellence of our antidote. - -Charley had been rowing a long time and was getting tired, so I offered -to “spell” him. This I did till the sun had gone entirely and darkness -was closing in upon us fast. Still no signs of the lake, or of an end -to this apparently endless river. Strange noises rang through the -forest, cries like those of wild beasts, but such as we had never heard -before, often as we had passed the night in the woods. I recalled what I -had read of the puma, the dreaded Southern tiger, and realized the fact -that against him number four duck shot would be a feeble defence. The -noises grew louder and louder, the forests fairly reverberated with the -unearthly screams till, when one more than usually horrible burst upon -our ears, Mr. Green inquired with a composure, which seemed slightly -assumed: - -“What sort of an animal do you think it is that makes a noise like -that?” - -I had never heard anything so appalling in my life before, but was not -to be outdone by my associate in coolness, and replied in a hollow -mockery of jest: - -“That? Oh, that is a Limpkin. There can be no doubt of that.” - -To this reply Mr. Green made no direct response, though his face -intimated that jokes on some occasions were out of place. The unnatural -stillness of the country made these noises perhaps more ominous and -unearthly. There was not a breath of air to stir the trees, no ripple or -current to the stream which might have diverted our thoughts by its -musical babble, and deathlike silence hung over the land, except when -broken by the ringing screams. The night was getting darker and darker, -and at last we came reluctantly to the conclusion that we had better -stop, in order to prepare our camp and make sure that there were no -rattlesnakes while there was light enough to do so. - -“Let us go to the next turn,” said Seth, who had even a greater dislike -than the rest of us to spending the night in the woods. “If we do not -see any signs of an outlet there we may as well give it up.” - -“Agreed,” I replied, as I bent once more to the oars, “let us keep up -hope.” - -We proceeded, but with little expectation of any good results. What was -our surprise and joy then, on reaching the point, to behold the broad -waters of the lake spread out before us, and the Heartsease lying in -full view with her light up. The sight gave me such vigor that I rowed -the rest of the way, although Charley announced that he was rested and -wanted to take the oars. - -In spite of the beauty of the country, there is a sense of desolation -about the wilder parts of Florida. The great trees, covered with moss, -and many of them going to decay; the dull, sluggish rivers with slow -discolored current, the low lands never rising above a shell-mound of -twenty feet height, combine to produce a feeling of dreary solitude. -This was particularly noticeable on the journey to and from Florida, -through the endless swamps, marshes, and reedy islands, which border the -narrow inland passages, and was only occasionally broken by passing a -town, or one of the few country seats that are to be found on the -unhealthy shores. Nor do there seem to be many water fowl on the -Southern Atlantic Coast, until you pass to the south of St. Augustine -and reach the neighborhood of Indian River. In making the trip to and -from the St. John’s, we only saw, beside the ducks and English snipe the -bay-birds, of which I have spoken, and a number of the handsome and -imposing white herons. These stood in solemn grandeur on the shore of -some creek, and seemed too glorious to shoot. Occasionally, however, we -could not resist, and had to murder them for their loveliness. Then one -of us would hide himself among the reeds on the shore, while the other -would go to the extreme end of the line of stately creatures, and put -them up. They fly slowly along the edge of the water, and if the -sportsman is well hid, there is no difficulty in getting a shot at them. -They should never be killed, unless it is to set them up and preserve -them, as was done for us by the Doctor. - -In Lake George there were millions of mullets jumping continually out of -water, like dancing silver arrows, they would not take the fly, or -trolling spoon, and as we had all the fish we could use, we did not try -the net. We visited a splendid spring, called by a name which seems to -be given by common consent to most of the sulphur springs of Florida, -that of “silver.” It empties into the lake on the western side, about -half way down. A bank of snail shells, which must have been cast up by -the waves, marks the outlet. Many of them are in good - -[Illustration: WILD TURKEY TRAP] - -preservation, and quite pretty. Several sorts of fish were swimming -hither and thither in the spring, and the stream from it was filled with -a thin green moss, which the ladies converted into a becoming head -covering, and dubbed the “mermaid’s wig.” We saw some big turtles and -alligators and enjoyed a bath. - -It was not safe to take the yacht through the narrow and crooked river -above Lake George, if we were to limit ourselves in the remotest degree -to time, for none but free winds would move us either one way or the -other, so we had to leave our pleasant aquatic mansion and descend to -the humdrum of the little stern wheel steamers, which were continually -passing us, and throwing up fountains of water from their latter ends. -By the same means we explored the Ocklawaha, which falls into the St. -John’s further north. The vessels are adapted to winding round through -the circuitous bends of the streams, where the trees nearly meet -overhead. In order to see their way, the pilots have to build fires of -pine knots at night on the top of the pilot house, which gives a -peculiarly romantic and interesting appearance to the scene. On the way -we saw no end of alligators and forest birds, especially the famous -Limpkin, which laughed, yelled and jeered at us in the security of a -regulation which forbids the discharge of fire arms on board the boats. - -But we had to be getting back, if we were to complete our explorations -of the rest of Florida, so as soon as we could finish our steamboat -travel, we hurried down stream once more to Jacksonville. The run -outside to St. Augustine is not a long one, but this coast is more -dangerous than that further north. An easterly wind strikes it more -heavily, and the inlets are shoal. Especially is this the case in the -long run below Matanzas and Mosquito Inlets. In fact I cannot do better -than quote the words of a report on the inland navigation of that -section, kindly furnished me by Mr. J. E. Hilgard, the efficient -Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, to whom I am under -many obligations for information and advice: - -“There is no inland passage from the St. John’s to St. Augustine. You -must cross St. John’s bar (with eight feet mean low water), but must -take a pilot, as the channel is constantly shifting and changing in -depth. On the whole, I would advise taking a smooth time at St. Mary’s -and going outside all the way to St. Augustine. There is excellent -anchorage off Old Fernandina (but a short distance from the bar); and -the whole run is but about fifty miles, and can be made in a few hours. - -“When off St. Augustine, a pilot will take you up to the town. There is -nine feet on the bar, but it constantly shifts. The famous ‘fresh water -springs’ in the ocean are situated eight miles S. by E half E. from the -‘entering buoy’ of this inlet. - -“Bound to the southward, Matanzas River carries you from St. Augustine -through a distance of nearly thirteen miles to Matanzas Inlet. The -channel is winding, but has deep water for a little over seven miles, -where there is a seven-feet bar. Below this, for nearly two miles, five -feet is the least water, in a crooked channel close under the eastern -bank. Thence are depths varying from nine to twenty feet until Matanzas -Inlet is reached. The route to the southward leads across this inlet -with seven feet at mean low water; and on entering the river again, on -the south side of the inlet, you will have but six feet. Matanzas River -heads in the midst of extensive marshes between five and six miles to -the southward of the inlet; and but two feet can be carried through. - -“Beyond this there is no navigation. Wishing to proceed still farther -southward, you must retrace your course to Matanzas Inlet, cross the bar -and skirt the Florida coast for about fifty miles to Mosquito Inlet. -Your pilot (for you must have obtained one at St. Augustine or you -cannot enter at all) will take you over the bar with about six feet at -mean low water--the mean rise and fall being two feet. Once in the inlet -you may go to the northward, through Halifax River to its head, twenty -miles above. While in the narrow passage, which extends from Mosquito -Inlet for over five miles to the northward, you will carry not less than -ten feet; but when the river expands you will find shoal water--the -depths varying from three to nine feet, except in occasional deep holes. -The channel is very narrow, and can only be followed by the stakes. The -small settlements of Port Orange and Daytona are situated on the western -bank of this river. Three feet at mean low water can be taken to its -head, but there is no lunar tide after you get above the influence of -the inlet--the rise and fall being governed solely by the winds. - -“Going southward from Mosquito Inlet you enter Hillsborough River; -which, through a winding course between fifteen and sixteen miles long, -brings you into Mosquito Lagoon, twelve miles to the southward of the -inlet. Two miles and a half up Hillsborough River is New Smyrna, a -pretty little settlement on the western bank among orange, fig and -banana trees. Nine feet may be taken to abreast of the village; not less -than five feet is found for five miles beyond New Smyrna; but above that -point no more than three feet can be carried through to Mosquito -Lagoon;--although there are deep holes with as much as three and a half -fathoms. The channel is narrow and very crooked. - -“Mosquito Lagoon is wide and shallow--its width ranging from one to two -and a half miles. It has a general course about S. E. by S., and is -between fifteen and sixteen miles long. A bar of three and a half feet -obstructs the entrance from Hillsborough River; but, that once crossed, -a good channel, with from five to ten feet takes you to within two miles -of its head. This terminates the inland navigation, unless the vessel be -able to pass through ‘Haul-over Canal.’ There is but a foot and a half -water in this canal. - -“Indian River may be entered from seaward by Indian River Inlet, which -cuts through the sandy strip of coast-line about one hundred miles to -the southward of Mosquito Inlet and sixty miles below Cape Canaveral. I -would not advise a small vessel to attempt to navigate this coast; as it -is very dangerous should the wind come to the eastward (which it often -does in this vicinity), and there is no shelter except the precarious -anchorage under Canaveral. The bar at Indian River inlet has seven feet -over it at low water, but shifts constantly in both depth and position, -and can only be crossed in the smoothest weather. Besides the bar there -is an ‘Inner Bulkhead’--so called, over which there is but four feet. It -is said by the natives, however, that by taking what is called the Blue -Hole Passage, five feet to five and a half may be taken safely into the -river.” - -The fishing at St. Augustine, which is a quaint old town, said to be the -oldest in America, and well worth a visit in itself, is better during -the winter months than any to be had north of it. Plenty of boatmen can -be hired who will pilot the stranger to the best spots. Around here the -foliage becomes still more tropical. The frost will occasionally -penetrate, and the most famous oranges are to be grown only still -further South, on the shell hammacks of the Indian and Banana Rivers, -where single trees bear as many as six thousand of these golden fruit -each. But we were actually tired of fishing, and looked on complacently -with the pitying superiority of accomplished success at the patient -anglers, trying their best to kill a few inoffensive finny creatures off -the bridge, across the St. Sebastian River, or bringing triumphantly -home in the native’s “dug out” the proceeds of a day’s hard work on the -bay. The Doctor was especially indifferent, and excited universal envy -when he told of the wondrous sport we had had during our two months of -recreation. While I do not for a moment intend to impugn his absolute -veracity, some of the adventures which he related had passed from my -memory or had grown since I heard them last. He would make no more -violent sporting effort than repeating these tales, and preferred to sit -on a chair upon the plaza, retailing them, with the encouragement of a -sour orange punch, or wander through the coquina built Fort Marion, -visit the old Cathedral, or roam the narrow streets. We laid in a supply -of native preserves, sketched the graceful date palm, and never ceased -wondering at the odd and extravagant beauty of the semi-equatorial -foliage and plants. There is interesting, although not very extensive -sailing in the harbor, and many varieties of bay snipe to be killed. A -yachting club, which will show every courtesy to brethren from the -North, has a boat house on the shore. - -The further one goes South the better the shooting and fishing become, -and I would advise any one, who feels as if it were impossible ever to -get enough of either, not to stop in the St. John’s, or short of St. -Augustine. There he can spend several weeks profitably, and should -thence go on South to Halifax River and New Smyrna, where he will think -nothing of catching a hundred sheepshead in a day, no tiny fellows -either, but weighing from six to ten pounds a piece, or half as many -channel bass of fifteen to twenty pounds each, together with as many -sharks thrown in as he has stomach or tackle for. By the way, I forgot -to mention that among our outfit was a couple of shark hooks and a line -of a hundred fathoms, as thick as the little finger, all of which did -good but rather brutal service. Back of New Smyrna, the woods are full -of venison and bear meat, turkeys, and other feathered game. The best -duck shooting is in the southern part of the lagoon or river, but the -bars and beaches everywhere are alive with bay snipe, herons, cranes, -pelicans, and a thousand smaller birds. - -But a truce to this everlasting repetition of sport, which was growing -monotonous even to Mr. Green’s insatiable sporting appetite, and turn to -something pleasanter. The royal lady of the house had resolved to give -us such a feast as we had not had before. The supplies laid in at St. -Augustine enabled her to carry out her idea, but the selection of the -day and date for the event was a mystery. I supposed it must have been -to celebrate my birthday, which, it is true, had come and gone six -months before; but as it had not yet been kept, needed commemoration as -badly as though it had never taken place at all. No matter what was the -moving inducement, the banquet was worthy of it. We men had been -smuggled out of the way while the preparations were being made, so that, -while we had a general idea of the drift of things, we had no -conception of the gorgeousness of the result. It was not a feast fit -for a king merely, but a sufficient banquet had all the gods been -invited. There were raw oysters, two kinds of fish, sheepshead boiled, -and channel bass baked, chicken soup, and turtle soup, from turtle -caught on the spot, roast wild turkey, and boiled mutton, scalloped -oysters, venison, and wild ducks, bay snipe, potato salad, peas, -tomatoes, beans, and baked sweet potatoes, while for dessert there was -such an array of goodies, that the room in my log book was in danger of -running short, and I could only record a few, such as fresh cake, -strawberries, spiced figs, and all the preserves and spiced fruits that -the table would hold, closing with cheese and coffee. The only wonder -was, that after such a dinner to which our appetites and our loyalty -both pressed us to do more than ample justice, any of the party -survived. If you have doubts of our state of minds and bodies, go on a -three months’ cruise and wind up with such a dinner and “you will know -how it is yourself.” - -Of all places on the eastern shore of Florida, the Indian and Banana -Rivers are the most delightful and interesting. Here, when you are once -inside the bar, which, as I have said, is a little perilous, there is -room and occupation for a winter. The salt water fishing is mainly near -the inlet, but in the tributary streams is an unlimited supply of the -fresh water varieties. The sailing is splendid, and the climate, except -for its warmth, delicious. By the time the reader peruses these pages, -it is probable that inland communication will have been opened with the -Indian River, either by the “Haul-over,” which in the year 1882 was only -twelve feet wide and one foot and a half deep, or from the St. John’s, -by the way of Lake Washington; and that there will be finished another -canal from Indian River to Lake Worth and Biscayne Bay, making a safe -and easy passage round the keys to the Gulf side. This was to have been -done when we were there, and if not yet finished, soon will be. - -Then if the sportsman is not yet satiated, or if he is suffering from -consumption, and wishes to regain his health, he can make the grandest -trip in the world, by either sending his yacht to Jacksonville, or to -Cedar Keys, or buying one there, and spending the entire winter in the -exploration of the southern part of Florida. As it is, the voyage from -the Indian River is not difficult or dangerous. Numerous keys or islands -make a shelter from the seas, and once on the Gulf side, the climate, -the country, the water, everything is delightful. Storms are rare, the -Gulf is generally smooth, harbors are numerous, and the shooting is -unsurpassed by any in the world. If the sportsman does not take his own -vessel, he can go by railroad directly to Cedar Keys, and thence take -what conveyance he prefers farther south. At Cedar Keys small sail -boats, suitable to those shallow waters, can be hired, as well as -guides, if they are needed. To enjoy a visit to Florida in its full -scope and meaning, and to make it an expedition never to be forgotten, -make up a pleasant party, hire a sailing vessel, and her master as -pilot, and coast along from Cedar Keys in water mostly not more than two -feet deep, between forests of primeval wildness, in company with -countless water-fowl and over unnumbered fish, taking toll from turkey, -bear, and alligator, as you go. Sail around the Gulf shore and Cape -Sable, and finally up the eastern shore of Florida, into the Indian -River. Remain there till your heart is glutted with sport, and your -palate with fruit, and thence return to the North by rail or boat. Such -a trip makes a date of delight in one’s life. - -On the Gulf side the most interesting spots are the rivers which flow -into the sea, the Caloosahatchee, Crystal and Hamosassa, all of them -full of fish and game. Alligators, the sport of killing which is indeed -more to be honored in the breach than in the observance, are so abundant -as to be almost troublesome. The only difficulty with Florida is that -the sport is excessive, and that any one except sporting gourmands will -get tired of it. Even Mr. Green, who, as I have said, is almost -insatiable, became surfeited, the Doctor and myself being long before -content. The voyager, whether by sea or land, must bring certain books -with him, such as will not so much help him pass the time, as assist him -in his researches. He will find a thousand things to amuse and occupy -his hours, but will need information which he can not obtain on the -ground. The vast and quaint variety of shells which he will pick up, the -new and curious birds and fish he will kill, but above all, the strange -mass of tropical flowers, plants, and trees, which he will meet at every -foot of the route, require to appreciate them not only all the books -which have been written specially on this portion of our country, but a -well selected assortment of popular botanical and conchological works, -and ichthyological also, if he is not up in that subject. - -There is no shooting and little fishing directly around Cedar Keys, -where the wayfarer doth very much abound, but some twenty miles south -Colonel Wingate keeps a sportsman’s hotel, and he can ensure the land -traveller a good time, without separation from his family for an -extended period. His place is at Gulf Hammock, and to reach it, the -sportsman leaves the cars at the station just short of Cedar Keys. From -his house parties are made up to explore the waters further south with -the aid of boats and guides. I mention his place because he is well -known to many of my Northern readers. - -I have spoken mostly of the coast shooting, because it was what we -mainly had in view in our trip, but it must not be imagined that it is -the only kind of sport to be had. We took no dogs, but meeting a party -of Northern sportsmen at Gainesville, we tried the quail. The sport was -magnificent, with a single drawback. There was no trouble in killing -seventy-five birds to three guns, and several times the bag exceeded a -hundred, once reaching a hundred and six; but the weather was so hot -that it did not seem like quail shooting, and the true exhilaration of -the sport, as we Northerners know it, was lost. Deer are plenty -everywhere, but to hunt them to any advantage, you must put yourself -under the guidance of the native hunters. We only tried it once, and -then could use but a small part of our venison on account of the heat of -the weather. Bears are occasionally shot; we did not see any, probably -because we were not looking for them, and if any one has the patience, -he can kill wild turkeys. Good water-fowl shooting is also to be had on -the uplands in any of the innumerable lakes which dot Florida from one -end to the other, if they are not too near civilization. A very capital -house was kept by a former employee of Delmonico, at a town called -Waldo, where inland sport of all kinds could be had in reasonable -amounts. It seems almost invidious to specify particular places, as so -far as I could judge, there was shooting and fishing everywhere off the -regular beaten track of tourists. - -“Doctor,” remarked Mr. Green with a quiet subdued intonation which long -practice enabled me to recognize as malice aforethought, “Do you know -what bird I prefer to eat?” - -“I should presume from your past actions,” replied the learned gentleman -thus addressed, “that of all the birds, which swim, fly, or have -feathers, you give a decided preference to broiled duck.” - -“Especially,” I interposed, in order to head off the coming attack if -possible, “provided that the duck is cooked over an open fire in the -cabin when the rest of the party are at breakfast.” - -“Broiled duck is good,” Mr. Green responded, uncrushed, “if -unreasonable people do not deprive it of its natural flavor by -complaining of the manner in which it is cooked. But there is a better -bird than even a wild duck.” - -“Yes,” said the doctor, “there’s the woodcock, but what is the use of -exciting our minds, and aggravating our palates by referring to -abstractions, which cannot be realized as there are no woodcock in -Florida?” - -“There is a good bird in Florida, the very one I refer to, and which -could be killed, if a person was allowed to stop on hour or two and not -be kept forever on the move like the wandering Jew,” persisted Mr. -Green, cocking back his chair on its hind legs, a favorite position of -his, although he had already reduced two of them to kindling wood by the -operation. - -“You don’t mean bay snipe!” exclaimed the doctor in a disgusted tone, -“we have had enough of them.” - -“He probably alludes to water-turkey,” I observed quietly, “he has -tasted every thing else.” - -“I don’t mean water-turkey either, although for all you can tell it may -be a good bird to eat. I mean turkey without the water.” With that he -brought the front legs of his chair to their natural position with a -thud that shook the deck. - -“Turkey,” shouted the doctor with enthusiasm, “just talk turkey to me, -tell me where and when and how. I would swim ashore, if there was a -chicken much more a turkey in sight, or the hut of a darkey, who might -have either to sell.” - -“Well then suppose we go ashore and kill one,” remarked Seth with quiet -complacency, as though such a feat were the simplest everyday occurrence -of life. - -That settled it. “Oh dear, I should so like a piece of turkey” came from -the cabin. “Yes, I am so tired of fish,” was the chorussed approval, and -although I felt assured that, strangers as we were to the country, and -without a guide accustomed to the work, there would be no chance of -success, I had to give in and come to anchor. - -Mr. Green got out his rifle, and the doctor his breech-loader, taking a -dozen cartridges loaded with buck-shot. Our head man Charley was to -accompany them, while I remained in charge of the yacht. None of us knew -by experience much of the habits of turkeys, and as it was still early -in the day it was determined to start at once, and return again on the -following morning if it should be deemed advisible. - -“Now,” said the doctor, “if we only had a turkey call, we would be sure -to succeed.” - -“Can you use the call?” I inquired. - -“Oh no,” he answered promptly, “but I dare say Mr. Green can.” - -Seth said nothing when I looked at him for a response, leaving me to -imply what I pleased as to his accomplishments. I had suddenly -remembered that I had one aboard among some old shooting traps which had -been thrown in together as a sort of refuse addition. Being perfectly -confident that neither of the turkey hunters could use the “strange -device,” it was with a malicious pleasure that I went below, and after a -short search found it. An odd-looking affair it was, which I had once -been able to use, but time had utterly obliterated the recollection of -the way to manage it. At one end was a piece of bone about four inches -long with a hole through it, and a larger mouthpiece of wood at the -other. Blowing through it had no effect whatever, as I had previously -found out, and the memory of the proper labial pucker had passed from my -mind and my lips. I handed it calmly to the doctor without a word. He -held it in his hand regarding it with puzzled uncertainty, evidently to -make up his mind, which end was to go in his mouth, till noticing the -knob on the smaller, he correctly concluded that that was the part to -blow through, and applied it to his lips. Then he blew, at first mildly, -producing no result other than a gentle hissing of air; he increased the -force, the hissing was louder, but that was all, no sound which by the -most vigorous imagination could be construed into the cluck of a gobbler -issued. He next tried to pucker up his lips like the trumpeter breathing -into his trumpet, but with worse effect if possible than before. -Dismayed at his futile efforts, he gazed critically into the end as -though some of the machinery must have been lost, but finding nothing to -encourage such a supposition, gave up the attempt and held it out to Mr. -Green, who had been watching the operation with interest. The latter -gentleman was not to be caught, and waving it indifferently aside said -with admirable assurance: - -“We won’t need that, turkeys are too plenty, all we shall have to do -will be to keep our eyes open to kill as many as we want.” - -In that happy state of confidence they departed. We were anchored some -little distance from the shore on account of the shallowness of the -water, but I thought I heard several shots and wondered what they had -found to fire at, as the probability of their killing a turkey was too -slight to be worth considering. Early in the afternoon they returned -with an air of curious self gratulation in their behavior, the manner of -persons who had done an act on which they plumed themselves, but which -would bear a good deal of concealment. This was noticeable even before -they had reached the yacht, and prepared me in a measure for what -followed--the production of a fine fat gobbler from the stem of the -boat. Charley handed it up to me with an air of deprecation quite in -contrast to the truculence with which Seth climbed on deck and -exclaimed: - -“There, what did I tell you, are you satisfied now? Where would the -supplies come from to keep us alive, except for me. You would have had -us down to hard tack and salt junk long ago, if it hadn’t been for the -fish and birds I have had to kill. Have you anything to say against -that?” - -I was examining the turkey critically. I had heard of turkey pens, and -suspected that this came from one of them, but did not see how to prove -the fact. Its head had been shot nearly off. - -“That is where the ball hit him, and I call it a pretty good shot at -twenty rods,” continued Mr. Green, referring to the wounded spot. - -“Was he as far off as that?” I inquired, as I handed him over to be -picked. I was not familiar enough with a trapped turkey to detect the -deceit if there was any, and Seth, seeing my inability, made the most of -it. - -“What is to be our reward for the hard work we have been doing? I tell -you it is no easy thing to stalk a turkey, and if any other of the party -had done as much, I wouldn’t grudge them the nicest sour orange punch -that could be made.” - -Turkeys are caught in parts of the country by a curious trap or pen, and -I had heard that such a pen was used in Florida. It is built of logs on -the four sides and over the top, a hole being left at one side just -large enough to allow the bird to enter in a stooping posture. Corn is -strewed on the ground leading to this hole, and scattered about so as to -attract attention, and the way the trap works is this: the turkey finds -the food and follows it, picking up grain after grain, keeping his head -bent down, and in that posture enters the pen without trouble. There he -remains without a suspicion of wrong till he has consumed all the corn. -After the food so kindly supplied is gone, he begins to think of moving -on, when to his surprise he discovers that man rarely does any factor -without expecting a return, no less in this case than the toothsome body -of the recipient. The turkey never stoops, even to save his life, he -looks upward and not downward, he will not bow his royal head to escape -by the road through which he entered. Becoming alarmed he springs up, -dashing himself against the logs, he thrusts his head between the -crevices and tries to fly through the roof by main force, but in vain, -the pen is too strong, and the only method of escape which is open he -will not condescend to take. - -The owner of such a pen does not visit it regularly, and the turkeys are -often shut up in it for days, frequently falling a prey to wild cats -that find them before their lawful proprietor comes to claim them. My -unholy suspicions were that the doctor, the Superintendent of the New -York Fishery Commission, and the captain of the yacht Heartsease had -accidentally found such a pen, and acted the part of the wild cat. For -although I could see nothing suspicious about the bird, it was strange -that persons who had stalked a wild turkey through a dense Southern -forest hardly seemed to be tired, and wished to sit up half the night to -smoke and talk. Still the bird proved to be delicious, and the entire -party were grateful for him whether honestly obtained or not, so little -does hunger weigh questions of morality. - -Two days after the turkey adventure, when we were sailing along before a -mild breeze, Mr. Green steering, the doctor smoking, and the rest of us -reading, Charley suddenly called out from forward where he was standing: - -“Look at that large bird flying over the woods to the west.” - -We all looked in the direction indicated, and saw an immense bird -moving grandly and steadily, with slowly beating wings and extended neck -and legs. - -“What an enormous creature,” exclaimed one of the ladies. - -“It must be a rock,” chimed in the other. - -“Here take the stick, while I get the glass,” saying which, Mr. Green -let go of the tiller, and plunged into the cabin to reappear with the -binocular, which he fixed on the wondrous bird. - -“What do you make out of him?” inquired the doctor, who had forgotten -his pipe in the excitement till it had gone out. - -“It is a crane,” replied Seth, “but the largest one ever I saw. -Charley,” he asked our captain, “did you ever see such a crane as that -before?” - -“No, I never did,” was the answer. “It must be something of the sort -however, from the way it flies and holds its legs.” - -“I wonder whether it can be the whooping crane?” I inquired, “I have -heard that they are occasionally seen on the coast, although supposed to -be more numerous in the interior.” - -“Oh can’t you shoot it, what feathers it must have for hats.” The origin -of this remark was obvious. - -“If you want feathers a yard long! Why it is nearly as large as an -ostrich.” - -“Well, don’t we use ostrich feathers? Oh do shoot it, I want some long -white feathers.” - -“It is a little too far off,” I replied. - -“How far?” was the persistent inquiry. - -“I should say about a mile.” - -“That is the way always,” was the disgusted response, “you pretend to be -great sportsmen, but you say every bird we meet is too far off. If I -knew how to shoot, I wouldn’t be making excuses all the time. If we ever -come to Florida again, I hope we will have somebody with us who can hit -his mark, and not pretend that every bird is too far off.” - -At this the fair speaker retired below just as the crane disappeared -over the distant trees. - -It was several days after this occurrence that we saw what we took to be -another whooping crane standing at the edge of the water, not far from -some bushes. He was quite white, and towered up against a back ground of -grass and sand-bar till his head seemed to come in line with the trees -beyond, and his body to be as tall as that of a man. The yacht was -slowly approaching him by the aid of a light breeze, and Mr. Green was -growing more excited the nearer we came. The crane stood motionless, not -alarmed at the bigger bird, which was gradually swooping down upon him, -and apparently quite tame. - -Mr. Green had redeemed his reputation with the rifle of late, my sarcasm -about the Limpkin, and some ironical allusions from the doctor had -improved his aim, so that we no longer smiled incredulously when he -brought out his rifle. In fact he was a splendid shot, as his -innumerable prizes taken at tournaments abundantly proved, but the -motion of the yacht had at first unsettled his aim. There was not more -than half a mile between us and the bird, - -[Illustration: GREEN TURTLE.] - -which seemed to loom up higher and higher as we approached. - -“Hadn’t we better make sure of him,” asked Seth anxiously, “we may never -have such another chance. You tell me these cranes are very scarce!” - -“Perhaps we had,” I answered, “what do you think we had better do?” - -“By all means,” interrupted the doctor, who was roused out of his usual -equanimity, “let us make every effort to kill him as a specimen. They -are exceedingly rare.” - -“If you lay to,” replied Seth, “and let Charley row me ashore, I will -get behind those bushes, and think I can crawl within range of him.” - -“If you are willing to take the trouble on the chances,” I answered. -“Do, Mr. Green,” begged the ladies both together, their hopes of such -feathers as had never yet graced bonnet quite carrying them into -enthusiasm. - -Seth did not consider the labor of crawling through the matted dense -undergrowth in the hot sun, nor the danger of snakes in the long grass, -all that he saw was the immense bird and all that he wanted was to kill -it. In a moment he and Charley were off in the boat, and pulling for the -shore. Heartsease was luffed up into the wind, and lay motionless on the -scarcely ruffled water, contrasting by its apparent indifference with -the eager excitement of the party on board. We watched the small boat -till it reached the bank, and was hastily concealed by Charley, while -Mr. Green disappeared immediately in the bushes. Then we could see -nothing further except the big bird, which had not been alarmed by the -preliminaries, and which there was now every probability would become -our prize. The ladies were in their hearts already priding themselves on -the loves of bonnets to which his gorgeous attire was to contribute, the -doctor had already dissected and stuffed him in imagination, and I was -wondering whether he was good to eat. We waited till our patience was -more than exhausted. Crawling through the tangled mass of a Southern -swamp is no easy matter, and we could do nothing but watch the imposing -bird standing there, unterrified, and as still as though he were a -graven image, instead of being a thing of beauty and vitality. - -Suddenly he gave a great leap into the air, and then fell upon the sand -in death throes which had almost ceased before the report of the -discharged rifle came booming over the water. In a moment the deceitful -calm of the previous moment passed away, we hauled aft our sheets, and -swinging round her head, got Heartsease under way. Charley shoved out -the dinkey which he had concealed in the bushes, and in another minute -Mr. Green pushed his way through the underbrush to the side of his -magnificent victim. When our boatman joined him, the two stood for some -time gazing at and handling the crane, while we waited impatiently for -their return. - -At last they threw the game, it seemed to us irreverently, into the -bottom of the dinkey, and pushed off. We awaited their approach with -eagerness, arising from the fact that none of us had ever seen the -American whooping crane, and were proud of being the participants in the -capture of one. The two fortunate sportsmen did not hurry themselves to -gratify our desires, but appeared exceedingly at their ease, and it was -not till they had nearly arrived that we discovered the cause of their -indifference by perceiving in the boat not a whooping crane at all, but -an ordinary white heron. The clearness of the atmosphere, the bright -rays of the sun, or the nature of the background had tended to mislead -us and had added immensely to the stature of the bird. The ladies -retired to the cabin hatless, so to speak, the doctor was for throwing -the deceiver overboard instead of skinning him, and to this day I am -uncertain as to the taste of the great American whooping crane. - -The Indian River is so shallow in places, that the direction on the -chart of Currituck Sound could be applied to it: “Only three feet of -water can be carried, and that with difficulty.” In other parts it is -deeper; it varies in width from one mile to three, and as a general rule -where it is narrow, it is deep, and where it is wide, it is shallow. -Although it approaches nearly to Mosquito Lagoon, it does not join the -latter unfortunately, and a canal has been cut called the Haul-over, of -which I have already spoken. In the Haul-over, which is only fourteen -feet wide, there is but one foot and a half of water, and for some -distance below not much more than two. There are many rivers emptying -into the Indian River on the west or shore side; these are generally -deep and full of fish, and well repay the explorer. The only inlets are -in the southern end, Jupiter Inlet at the lowest extremity, and Indian -River Inlet a short distance above. - -Banana River, which is rather a branch of Indian River than a distinct -stream, is in places broader and deeper; it connects with the main river -at its southern extremity, and by Banana Creek at the northerly end. The -creek of the name is both narrow and shallow, and can only be used by -small craft. There is most interesting yachting in the Halifax and -Hillsborough, north and south of New Smyrna, which is situated on the -Hillsborough, about three miles from Mosquito Inlet, as well as in -Mosquito Lagoon, which is reached through a narrow and tortuous channel -among innumerable islands from the Hillsborough. So also do the Indian -and Banana rivers furnish safe and delightful cruising grounds, with -plenty of harbors or shelter for even small open vessels, the only -danger being that of running on oyster shoals. - -A narrow strip of sand separates Indian River from the ocean, and the -yachtsman can occasionally, by climbing into the rigging, see the blue -waves of the Atlantic. On this bar the bay-birds often collect in large -flocks, and may be killed in numbers more than needed. They are of the -same kinds which have already been described, and are found in the -summer at the North. Bear are occasionally met with, and now and then a -wild-cat; deer are more plenty, but the sportsman will be fortunate if -he finds any of these unless he goes especially after them. - -A yacht-club has been established at New Smyrna, with headquarters in -Indian River, where the members expect to do a large part of their -yachting. An excellent choice was made at the first election of -officers, and its prospects for introducing the sport into the waters of -Florida are promising. The president is Mr. Herman Oelrichs, and the -vice president Mr. Girard Stuyvesant, both of New York. - -In extended yachting trips there is often trouble in getting fresh -water, a difficulty which is increased at the South, where the land is -low, and there are none of what at the North would be called springs; -the ice-cold jets of water bubbling from the ground. It is not generally -known that sand is so effectual a filter, that drinkable water can be -obtained by digging down into it almost anywhere. To take advantage of -this, and for many other purposes, it is advisable to carry a spade on -board. Water so obtained may be a little brackish, but by boiling it -will be made, if not quite palatable, at least healthy. Rain falling on -the deck is apt to take up portions of the paint, infinitesimally small, -perhaps, but sufficient to give an unpleasant and unhealthy taste. On -the western keys a bush with a peculiar rich leaf, easily -distinguishable by those who have once seen it, often grows where water -is to be found. - -It would be easy to go on recounting the attractions of Florida -indefinitely; there is always something more to say, a fresh point of -interest to speak of, additional beauties to describe, other and still -other reasons for visiting this strange and delightful country. There is -but one way in which even a slight appreciation of the charms of Florida -can be obtained; and that is, to go there as often and stay there as -long as possible. For health, for recreation, for sport, no place in the -world can be compared with it. A vast portion, that of the Everglades, -the “Grassy Water” of the native Seminoles, has never been explored, and -there are thousands of rivers, lakes, and ponds which have rarely been -disturbed by the presence of a white man, and which would amply reward -the adventurous spirit who would explore them. - -When we first arrived in Florida, the flowers, which its name promised -us, were not to be seen. Deceived by the temperature and a thermometer -that recorded rarely less than eighty degrees, we failed to recognize -the season of the year, or recall the truism that, as all nature must -have its spring, it must also have its winter. The climate and the -foliage were as summer-like as we had ever seen them. The grand orange -trees, with their brilliant shining green, flecked with spots of golden -yellow, were the most gorgeous sight that our eyes had ever beheld in -field or forest. The moss-covered forest evergreens, although turned -slightly brown, were still magnificent in their richness of foliage. -There were bare limbs here and there of deciduous trees, but their -nakedness was nearly covered by the unfading leaves of their neighbors. -The shrubs and undergrowth were as bright in hue, seemingly, to our -uneducated eyes as possible. But by the time we were leaving, even we -could notice a decided change. The green had put on a deeper verdancy, -the brown had disappeared, and suddenly there sprang into life a myriad -of flowers. The yellow jessamine covered the swamps and filled them with -a mass of perfume as well as an array of loveliness. Scarlet lobelias -thrust their bright heads boldly from the water-side, along with white -lilies and arrow-heads, and on the higher grounds hundreds of wild -flowers, many of which we could not name, charmed us with their beauty. -The magnificent magnolia was bursting into bud. As the orange trees were -being denuded of their ripe fruit, the tiny sweet smelling blossoms made -their appearance, till the branches bore at one and the same time, buds, -flowers, and green and ripe fruit. The inland lakes and ponds were -covered with pond lilies, which are called “bonnets” by the natives, and -made a delicious picture with the broad green leaves and the bright -yellow flowers. Language fails in describing the exquisite beauty of the -verdure of the country. We found Florida laden with fruit; we left it -covered with flowers. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -CURRITUCK MARSHES. - - -Duck shooting has held its own better than any other kind of sport in -the States east of the Mississippi. Ruffed grouse have almost -disappeared, woodcock have grown scarcer and scarcer, English-snipe -visit us less abundantly, while the bay-birds have nearly ceased to be -in sections where they were once overwhelmingly abundant, but it is -possible still, on Lake Erie, along the coast, and at many inland places -to make a fair, if not, as often happens, an excellent bag, of ducks. -But the best place, one where the birds seem to exist in their original -abundance, and where magnificent shooting is still to be had, is on the -eastern shore of North-Carolina. Of this favored locality Currituck is -the most famous. So celebrated is this county that the entire marshes, -the duck-haunted lowlands, have been purchased, and to-day there is -absolutely no free shooting to be had. A stranger is as thoroughly -debarred as if he were in the most barren portion of our land. No one is -allowed to shoot from a battery unless he is a native, and to get a -chance to go out at all after the innumerable flocks of wild-fowl that -temptingly cover the water, the visitor must belong to one of the -numerous sporting clubs which have so wisely and assiduously secured all -the shooting grounds, and most of which are so particular that they -exclude invited guests. - -But if you are one of the favored shareholders you can have a glorious -time. Fifty ducks a day to each gun is no unusual average, and while a -hundred is a large bag, a hundred and fifty is nothing uncommon, and as -many as two hundred and fifty have been killed by a sportsman and his -gunner in a single day. Moreover the birds are of the best possible -kind; there are canvas-backs in the open water, red-heads in still -greater abundance, and broad-bills or blue-bills so plenty that they are -rarely shot at, while in the pond holes black-ducks, mallards, and -widgeons abound. These are all well-fed and fat, and such a thing as a -poor duck is unknown. The law wisely forbids shooting before sunrise or -after sunset, and the club members are wise enough to keep the law, -knowing as they do that one gun fired after sunset is more injurious -than a dozen during the day, so that the ducks do not seem to diminish -but rather to increase and multiply, and as fine a day’s sport has been -had by the members of the club during the past few years as at any time -in the history of the country. A result partly due to breech-loaders -perhaps, while from a battery it is nothing unusual to kill a hundred -brace of red-heads or canvas-backs, and some times twice as many. - -This favored spot is, as it ought to be, of no easy access. The -sportsmen must first go to Norfolk and thence take either the little -steamboat Cygnet, endeared to so many of us by the memory of pleasant -excursions in the past, or travel by a new railroad just finished which -passes twenty miles from the traveller’s destination, a place known from -the name of the enterprising widow lady who formerly owned it, as Van -Slyck’s Landing. By boat the entire day is spent in the journey, and by -rail it is not much shorter, but the boat arrives so late that it is not -always possible to make the trip across from the landing to the club -house the same night. Opposite Van Slyck’s are the two most famous and -successful sporting clubs in that section of the United States, the -Currituck and the Palmer’s Island clubs. They own or control immense -tracts of land, and below them to the southward the bay widens out so -that there is no chance to kill ducks to advantage. There are a few good -stands at Kitty Hawk Bay, thirty miles further south, and at the lower -end of Roanoke Island Raft ducks can be shot from batteries. Then again -along the eastern shore of Pamlico Sound, at Hatteras and Ocracoke -inlets and in the western part of Core Sound, to the south of Harker’s -Island, there is good duck, and in its season brant shooting, but these -places can only be reached by the fortunate sportsman who has his own -private conveyance. Therefore it may practically be said that the Palmer -Island marshes are the _ultima thule_ of duck shooting. - -As a general thing, there is attached to every sporting club some old -experienced gunner full of wild-fowl lore and quaint and curious -phrases, who is a mine of interesting information to him who will -explore the vein. Such a one belonged to the Palmer Island club, in the -person of William S. Foster, a resident of Long Island, who had followed -Shinnecock Bay for many years, knew the ways and habits of the birds as -well as if he were one of them, and was as fond of shooting as the most -inveterate sportsman. Honest to a farthing, faithful, anxious to give -the person he was with the best sport he could, he was ready to take any -amount of trouble, endure any labor for a good day among the ducks, the -members of the club looked on him, rather as a friend than a paid -employee. Many is the hour I have spent with him on the Currituck -marshes, many a day of splendid shooting have I had, many the big bag -have I made with his aid. One of his peculiarities was that he never was -in a hurry. No matter how thick the birds were, how easy it seemed to -choose a point, he would stand quietly in the bow of the boat with the -sea-glass in his hand scanning the movements of the flocks and -deliberately selecting the best place. I would often grow impatient and -fear he was losing valuable time, but the result rarely failed to -justify his judgment and vindicate his deliberation. - -The first and most important object, as he explained it under such -circumstances, was to so arrange the stools that the ducks would “come -right,” that is would approach without fear and would offer the -sportsman a fair shot. This is a matter of the greatest moment and is -not understood by men who consider themselves expert wild-fowlers. -First, there is the question of the wind to take note of, then the -position of the sun, next the cover, and last, but by no means least, -the nature of the species of ducks that are flying. It will not do to -string out the decoys dead to lee-ward of a point as is so often seen, -except perhaps when canvas-backs and red-heads are alone expected, -mallards, sprigtails, and especially the wary black-duck will never or -rarely approach a point. If a point, with the wind blowing directly off -from it has to be chosen, it is better to stretch the decoys around to -one side of it so that the wind “will catch the birds under the wing” as -he expressed it and swing them in farther than they expected. Points -projecting far out into the open water are the favorites of tyro -gunners, but they are especially unsuited for any of the marsh ducks, -the black-ducks, mallards, sprigtails, and even the widgeons, all of -which give a wide berth to such spots, especially after they have been -shot at a few times, and most of which prefer to alight close under the -lee of a bank, in the “slick” as it is called. - -There are two great divisions of ducks, the deep water, diving or raft -ducks, and the shoal water or marsh ducks, which reach down for their -food and can never feed in water more than two feet deep. The habits of -these two varieties are remarkably dissimilar. The open-water birds, -fearless of ambush, are less timid than their pond-loving brethren, who -dread an enemy in every tuft of grass or bunch of reeds, when -canvas-backs once make up their minds to come to the stools, they come -straight on regardless of deficiences in the gunner’s blind, and very -frequently pass completely over the stools. On the other hand, a -black-duck in approaching the stand is a model of caution, he is all -eyes and ears, the slightest movement by the sportsman, the least -evidence of danger will arouse his suspicions, and he will veer suddenly -off. Black-ducks and mallards rarely cross the stools to alight at the -head of them, but if they reach them at all, drop in at the lower end, -or more often stop short and alight at a distance just tantalizingly out -of shot, where they remain to lure off every fresh arrival unless they -are driven away. Their noses are especially keen, and care must be taken -to so arrange the stand that the wind will not carry the scent of the -gunner across the water to the lee-ward of the decoys, and the birds get -it before they reach them. If they come in contact with such a warning -they jump into the air as if they had been shot at, and flee with all -the speed that terror can lend to their usually vigorous wings. It is -desirable to set the stools under the lee of a bank of reeds or rushes, -for none of this class of ducks likes the open water, and the most -convenient plan is to place the stools to one side of the stand, -quartering as it were across the wind, so that even if the birds alight -before actually reaching them, they may be within gun-shot. - -The location of the stand is most important. I remember once when I was -shooting from what is known in the club as “Kidder’s Point,” that I was -particularly impressed with this fact. The day had been dull and rather -quiet, with but a few birds stirring all through the morning; a haze lay -upon the marshes, not dense enough to prevent the ducks flying if they -had been so minded, which they did not seem to be, the wind scarcely -stirred the reeds or rippled the surface of the bay, which was spread -out before me. I was making a poor bag and hardly expected to do better, -when about midday there came a change over the spirit of the earth and -air, the clouds began to condense, the wind commenced to blow, the air -became rapidly colder, a thin steak of gray faintly marked the sky in -the northwest, while in the south the clouds grew blacker and denser. -Then the rain fell in spits and flurries viciously. The atmosphere -intimated a decided change in the weather, which the ducks were the -first to recognize and regulate their proceedings by. Evidently a vast -mass of widgeons were bedded to the lee-ward of us. They commenced to -fly not in their individual capacity, but as the part of a great -movement, as if suddenly they had made up their minds all to go. In -whisps of threes, fours, tens, twenties, in large flocks, or solitary -and alone, they came heading towards me directly across the marsh and -visible for miles. Then it was that I learned that I was not in exactly -the right place, that the birds for some reason best known to themselves -did not care to cross that spot in their migration. Most of them, -especially the largest flocks, passed outside of me and just beyond the -range of my gun. I was in the wrong place, I knew it, but I had no time -to move, the ducks - -[Illustration: FLORIDA “CRACKER.”] - -were flying too fast and too many of them came within range as it was -for me to lose the time necessary for a change. The rain that was -falling, although not heavy, interfered, and would have wet our guns and -clothes which were pretty well protected so long as we remained still. -So we stayed where we were, and as it was the sport was splendid. The -entire mass of widgeons had determined to change their feeding grounds, -and that at once, there was no moment when some of them were not visible -in the air, they came from one quarter and flew in one direction. I had -learned to whistle for widgeon as well as a professional, and did my -best with the aid of William Foster to inveigle them within range. Very -often we were successful, and it was an afternoon of excitement. Not a -minute passed that we did not have the prospect of a shot, and although -the larger flocks mostly kept on their course outside of us, the smaller -whisps and the single ones came in freely. - -“Why is it that the birds seem to be all moving at once?” I asked of -William during the first moment of partial leisure that we had, “and why -are they all going in the same direction?” - -“It is a question of food with them,” he replied, “as is the case with -most other animals. Widgeon can only get their food by reaching down for -it, so they must keep where the water is not over their heads; that is -so that they can touch bottom with their bills by tipping up, as you -have often seen tame ducks do. Now in these shallow marshes a change of -wind means a change of depth of water, it is shallower to windward, the -water being piled up to lee-ward and the ducks, knowing this, fly -against the wind, all the shoal feeding birds do so. The canvas-backs, -red-heads, and broad-bills make little account of the wind.” - -“But,” I answered, “this wind cannot as yet have affected the depth of -water.” - -“No, but the birds know that it soon will, and they are getting ready -for to-morrow. There will probably be a greater change than we expect, -wild animals know much more about the weather than man can ever learn, -they have a sort of instinct that is given to them for their protection. -I have always observed that the ducks sought the windward side of the -marshes. If the wind is blowing from the south, I make it a rule to go -to the southward to choose a stand, if from the west I look through the -western marshes and so on. Of course I am not always right.” - -“No,” I interrupted him to remark, “but we have observed that the member -who goes out with you generally brings in the most birds, so the results -tend to demonstrate the theory.” - -“Well, I have studied these marshes as thoroughly as I could; there is -not a tree that I have not climbed, nor an island that I have not -explored.” - -“Can you see much from the trees when you do climb them?” I asked. - -“Yes. A little elevation will enable you to see over the entire marsh, -and many a pond hole have I found in that way that is not known to most -of the gunners, and not always to the natives.” - -“Keep still,” I remarked at this point of our conversation, “there comes -a magnificent flock of ducks, if they would only turn this way what a -shot they would give us.” - -We were silent except for whistling, which we did with the finest -touches and the utmost skill. The flock, spread out against the distant -sky in an angle-pointed line, was headed directly for our hiding place. -We had crouched down on their first appearance, and grasping our guns -and watched them, waiting with increasing impatience and anxiety. Nearer -and nearer they came, over the distant marsh undisturbed by any other -gunner, and unattracted by other decoys until they were directly in -front of us and not more than three hundred yards distant. It was a -moment of intense excitement, for if we could once get our four barrels -into those serried ranks, there was no telling how many we might not -kill. - -On they came still nearer, we whistled more softly and they answered -with undiminished confidence. Now they were over the meadow just beyond -our stools, a few minutes more of the same course and they would be in -our power. But alas, just as they struck the open water they deflected -their course a little, not much, but enough to carry them beyond fair -reach of our guns, so that when we fired we were only rewarded with -three birds that plunged from the flock headlong into the water. As they -were being retrieved by our four legged companion, William sagely -remarked: - -“I have observed that generally there is some misfortune connected with -what would make the finest shots, and that at such times something is -sure to go wrong; either the birds do not come in right, or a twig or -reed gets in front of you, the gun misses fire, or something else -happens, so that the best chances usually prove the worst.” - -“There is an awful deal in luck,” I replied, “after all is said, -Napoleon’s star was not an imaginary planet by any means. I never was a -lucky sportsman, and have had to earn my game by the sweat of my brow.” - -“Did you ever know a sportsman who would admit that he was lucky?” -inquired William, calmly. - -“I can’t say that I ever did; but if you will keep still and not fluster -me with unnecessary generalizations, I will kill that pair of widgeons -that are coming over the marsh, luck or no luck.” - -After uttering that boast, I had to make my words good, and though I -detected a twinkle in my companion’s eye, as if he would not mind should -I happen to miss just that once, I took care to aim straight, not the -sort of excessive care that invariably results in a miss, but the rapid -and confident deliberation that first holds the gun right and then pulls -it off when it is right, without waiting until it gets wrong. - -“Good,” said William, _sotto voce_, in his quiet way, as the two ducks, -doubled up by the full charge of shot came down splash into the mud, -close to our stand, “I have seen a good many misses when a man was most -sure of hitting; I hardly expected that you would kill them both so -neatly.” - -The sport kept up. It is useless to describe each individual shot that -we made. There is endless variety in every one that is fired, for no two -birds come to the decoys precisely alike. There are never the same -conditions of wind, sun, position, readiness, and what not, so that each -is more or less of a surprise. These the sportsman enjoys at the time, -they constitute the great charm of shooting; but they would tire in the -repetition in the cold blood of white paper and black ink. It is enough -that we had a magnificent day’s sport; “magnificent” is not -hyperbolical; we had sport that will be a memory through life, and until -the age-weakened arms can no longer wield the faithful fowling piece, -nor the time-dimmed eyes note the birds approach. Our store of game lay -in a pile uncounted; we knew there was a goodly number, and when at last -the tired sun had performed his allotted task and gone to bed, we were -not surprised to add up nearly a hundred of what is one of the finest of -all the ducks, the handsome little widgeon. Few of our gunners, even the -oldest of them, know that there was a time when the widgeon was valued -more highly than the canvas-back, when in fact in firing a sitting shot -the market gunner would “shew” the latter out of the way, in order that -he might have a better chance at the former. Had we been in exactly the -right spot, there is no doubt that I would then have reached the bag of -two hundred, which it has been the ambition of my life to attain. - -On another occasion I had the same misfortune, although from a different -cause. I was with Jesse that time, Jesse who, or Jesse what, I cannot -tell. So faithful and trustworthy a fellow must have another name, a -full name; but often as I have availed myself of his care in the marshes -of Currituck, I am ashamed to confess that I have forgotten it. Every -one calls him simply “Jesse,” out of kindly feeling no doubt, for a -better fellow never set out a stand of decoys; so as simply Jesse he -must go down to the immortality that this book will give him. He is -devoted to the pleasure of his employer, and never more delighted than -when the latter brings home a fine bag of birds; but he is not quite so -skillful as his older associate, William Foster. He had observed, when -out the day previous, that the birds had a favorite feeding place in a -little bay near what in club nomenclature is designated as “the -horse-shoe.” To this place we wended our way as soon as we could cross -the intervening three miles of distance. The bay was not large, and at -its mouth was contracted into two narrow points which were hardly a -hundred yards apart. I had never shot at this particular point, and -Jesse did not think of the effect of the sun when he made his selection. -One point was probably as favorable as the other, with that exception, -but the one he selected brought the birds directly between me and that -luminary when he shot his burning and blinding rays from mid-heaven. -The result was, that before the day was over, reeds and ducks and spots -swam before my eyes in prismatic hues. The heavens become alive with -them, mixed up with grasses and flowers, the gorgeous colors of -condensed sunlight. Scarlet ducks, golden ducks, fiery ducks floated -before my bewildered vision, interwoven with such flaming reeds and -rushes as were never seen by mortal eye before. To say that under the -circumstances I could not shoot with my accustomed skill, is -unnecessary; I could not help occasionally mistaking the flaming bird -for the natural one, and no doubt would have killed him, had he only -been real enough to kill. This was the second occasion when I might have -reached my stint of two hundred, if I had only been so fortunate as to -locate properly in the first place, or even had had the courage to -change when I found out that I was wrong. - -There are myriads of wild geese and swans in Currituck Sound and its -adjoining waters. The swans are hard to kill, and it rarely falls to the -fortune of any sportsman to bag more than two or three of these -beautiful birds in a season, but the geese are shot in immense numbers -on favorable days--“goosing days,” as they are called. Such days are -made by a southwesterly wind blowing hard enough to constitute a gale, -and the harder the better, which causes the water to rise and enables -the geese to reach the beaches where they go to sand. For this shooting -a “stand,” as it is called, of tamed wild geese are required. The -sportsman hides himself in a large, water-tight box, which has been sunk -in the sand at the spot which the birds frequent, and the “stand” of -living decoys are tethered in front by stout strings fastened to their -legs and pinned to the ground. The geese come to the stools in flocks, -and the slaughter at times is enormous, as many as two hundred being no -unusual bag, and that is often rounded out with forty or fifty ducks. It -is customary on such occasions to put a live swan or two with the geese -decoys, if the sportsman happens to be so fortunate as to possess them, -and I never shall forget seeing four swans come to a stand which was -located some distance from my own, but in full view from it. I have -always believed that birds could converse and had a language of their -own, and on this occasion my theory received confirmation strong as holy -writ. When I have sat listening hour after hour to the unceasing -conversational cacklings of geese, who appear to be the most talkative -of birds, I fancied that I could almost make out the words they uttered, -and which were certainly understood by the fowls themselves, as the -dullest observer would be convinced by their actions. Their expressions -of comfort, their mild observations about the weather may not have been -quite comprehensible, but their cries of alarm, their notes of warning, -no one could mistake. Ignorant hearers not versed in goose language, and -a very pretty tongue I have no doubt it is, may call it contemptuously -“gabble,” but so is the language of any foreigner “gabble” to those who -do not understand it. - -In the instance that I am about to mention with the swans, there could -be no difficulty in understanding every word. There were four of them, -the wise father, the inquisitive mother, and two pretty, innocent, -dove-colored cygnets. They were sailing along far up in the heavens, -away out of danger, when the attention of the young ones was attracted -to a nice, gentle old swan seated happily among a body of geese that -were evidently having a good time and abundant food. In all the -innocence of their uncorrupted hearts they uttered a shout of joy and -started to join him, the mother who was curious to understand the -meaning of so happy a combination, following eagerly behind them. In -vain the cautious father warned them to “go slow.” They would not stop -to listen or to heed. On they flew or swam after alighting on the water, -giving free expression to their feelings of pleasure. Louder and louder -grew the warning notes of the head of the house, who hung back and tried -to keep the others back, but his efforts were useless, the young were -guileless, and the foolish wife inquisitive. He was too devoted to leave -his family, although the danger into which they were running was -apparent to him. Soon his worst fears were realized. He was out of -gunshot, but his wife and children were within the fatal reach of the -deadly gun. Several loud reports followed one another, and all was over. -In an instant he was childless and wifeless. The two cygnets were killed -dead, but the mother was able to fly a hundred yards, and it was pitiful -to see him go to her, braving all danger, and to hear his cries of -lamentation. He could not save her, however, and when the boat -approached with a gunner to complete the deadly work, the poor old swan -had to leave her. Still he kept circling round for some time and filling -the air with his bitter lamentations. - -In wild fowl shooting it is essential to learn the various calls of the -different species of ducks and of the geese and swans. These it is -impossible to reproduce on paper, and about all that can be said is that -the raft ducks make various modifications of the word “pritt,” if it can -be called a word; that the widgeons whistle, the geese honk, and the -mallards and black-ducks quack. Jesse had a curious way of calling the -shoal-water ducks by uttering in rapid succession the word “Kek-kekkek, -kek-kek-kek-kek;” and he seemed to attract them as well as the patent -duck-call which I had purchased in the gun store for a dollar. For -black-ducks, however, I prefer the manufactured duck-call, and in going -out for them, I cannot too strongly impress upon the reader the -necessity for the utmost caution and the most careful hiding. When -shooting at some small pond hole in the middle of the marshes, it is -better to only use one or two decoys and to be covered entirely, except -for a single opening in front, just large enough to fire through, -overlooking the stools. A single tamed wild duck for this kind of sport -is worth all the wooden decoys in the world, and his quack is better -than Jesse’s “kek” or my “squawk.” Some gunners can set up the birds -they have killed so as to be almost as natural as the living bird, and -to deceive even the elect, but it is not an easy knack to acquire. -Usually such imitation stools look so fearfully and abnormally dead, -that they would drive any duck, with the fear of ghosts before his mind, -out of the country. It is only the most experienced gunner that can take -such liberties with the dead. - -At the North, where the winters are colder than they are at Currituck, -it is customary to shoot in the ice. No waters that ducks frequent are -ever entirely frozen over; there are always what are called “breathing -holes,” where the gunner can place his stools, and which the ducks -frequent for food. He dresses himself in white linen over his other -clothes, so as to be as near the color of the ice as possible, and he -uses a light skiff provided with iron runners underneath. This he shoves -rapidly over the ice without much labor, carrying his dozen or so of -stools aboard, and using an iron-pointed pole to propel himself with. He -has his oars stowed under the narrow deck, so that he can row across -open water, and is safe in case his skiff should break through the ice. -When he has reached the open hole that he has selected, he throws out -his stools and cuts a place in the ice at the edge of the hole, to hide -himself and his boat, piling the cakes that he takes out alongside of -him, to further assist in hiding him. The decoys he uses are black-ducks -and whistlers, which will stool to one another indiscriminately. He must -then lie down on his back in the skiff, and no matter how cold he may -be, he must not move or stir. Though his blood chills and the marrow of -his bones freezes, he must bear it, for there is no telling at what -instant the birds may dart down upon him from the heavens, as they have -a way of doing without giving the sportsman the least warning. Shooting -in the ice has sent many a healthy man to a consumptive’s grave. - -In closing this article, let me give a final bit of wisdom in the words -of William Foster. It is well known to every wild-fowler, but his way of -putting it covers in a few words the whole ground: “Remember, that as a -general rule, the shoal-water ducks go with the shoal-water ducks, and -the diving ducks go with the diving ducks, so they will pretty well -stool in the same way. Each prefers his own kind a little the best, I -think, but not enough to make a decided difference, provided the stools -are of the same class. Widgeon like widgeon, and canvas-backs will only -stool to canvas-backs or red-heads, but broad-bills will come to -canvas-back stools almost as well as they will come to broad-bill -stools. Black-ducks prefer black-duck stools, but sprigtails and -mallards will come to black-duck stools nearly as readily as they will -to their own. Don’t, however, use canvas-back stools for black-ducks, -nor, above all, black-duck stools for canvas-backs.” - - - - - PART II. - - GAME WATER BIRDS. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -GAME AND ITS PROTECTION. - - -By the ancient law of 1 and 2 William IV., chap. 32, under the -designation of game, were included “hares, pheasants, partridges, -grouse, heath or moor game, black game, and bustards.” - -Hunting and hawking date back to the earliest days of knight-errantry, -when parties of cavaliers and ladies fair, mounted on their mettlesome -steeds caparisoned with all the skill of the cunning artificers of those -days, pursued certain birds of the air with the falcon, and followed the -royal stag through the well preserved and extensive forests with packs -of hounds. The term game, therefore, had an early significance and -positive application, but was confined to the creatures pursued in one -or the other of these two modes. - -The gun was first used for the shooting of feathered game in the early -part of the eighteenth century; it soon became the favorite implement of -the sportsman, and was brought into use, not only against the birds, -but the beasts, of game. The huntsman no longer depends upon his brave -dog and cloth-yard shaft, but upon his own powers of endurance and of -marksmanship. Instead of watching the savage falcon strike his prey far -up in the heavens, he follows his high-bred setters, till their -wonderful natural instinct betrays to him the presence of the game. - -Where he once rode after the yelping pack, sounding the merry notes of -his bugle horn, he now climbs and crawls laboriously, until he brings -the wary stag within range of the deadly rifle. No more brilliant -parties of lovely dames and gallant men, chatting merrily on the -incidents of the day, ride gaily decked steeds; no more the luxury of -the beautiful faces and pleasant companionship of the gentler sex is to -be enjoyed; the ladies of modern times--except in England, where they -occasionally follow foxes, which are rather vermin than game--preferring -the excitement of ball-room flirtations to outdoor sports and pleasures, -take no part in the pursuits of the chase. - -Together with the change in the mode of capturing game, comes a -necessity for a change in its former restricted meaning. Who would think -of not including among game birds, the gamest of them all--the -magnificent woodcock; nor the stylish English snipe, nor even possibly -the brave little quail--unless he can be scientifically proved to be a -partridge--which is at least doubtful! Migratory birds were not included -in the sacred list, and the quail in England, as the woodcock and snipe -of both England and America, are migratory, although the mere temporary -character of their residence does not, in our view, at all alter the -nature of their claims. The larger European woodcock is by no means so -delicious or highly flavored a bird as our yellow-breasted, round-eyed -beauty, and is much scarcer; while the foreign quail, on the other hand, -is smaller than ours, and in southern Europe is found in vast flocks; -but both are entitled to high rank among modern sportsmen. - -The term Game Birds, therefore, should be, and has been by general -consent, greatly extended in its application, and applied to all the -numerous species which, whether migratory or not, are killed not alone -for the market, but for sport; and which are followed on the stubble -fields, in brown November, with the strong-limbed and keen-nosed setter, -or shot from blind in scorching August; slain from battery in freezing -December, or chased in a boat, or misled by decoys. All wild birds that -furnish sport as well as profit are therefore game; and the gentle -dowitchers along our sea-coast, lured to the deceitful stools, are as -much entitled to the name as the stately ruffed grouse of our wild -woods, or the royal turkey of the far west. - -To constitute a legitimate object of true sport, the bird must be -habitually shot on the wing, and the greater the skill required in its -capture, the higher its rank. The turkey, therefore, although frequently -killed on the wing, is more a game bird by sufferance than by right, and -partly from his gastronomic as well as from his other qualities. Under -this classification, then, we must include, not merely the ruffed and -pinnated grouse, which, although the only species in our country coming -within the ancient definition, furnish far less sport than many other -varieties, but woodcock, snipe, quail, geese, ducks, bay birds, plover, -and rail; without regard to the fact that all, except the quail, are -migratory, and most were unknown to our British ancestry. It has been -even supposed that the quail, in parts of our country free from deep -rivers and impassable barriers, are also in a measure migratory; but -this has no other foundation than their habit of wandering from place to -place in search of food, and collecting late in the season, as they will -do where they are numerous and undisturbed in large packs. - -To the protection of this vast variety of game it is the sportsman’s -duty to address himself, in spite of the opposition of the market-man -and restaurateur, the mean-spirited poaching of the pot-hunter, and the -lukewarmness of the farmer. The latter can be enlisted in the cause; he -has indirectly the objects of the sportsman at heart; and with proper -enlightenment will assist, not merely to preserve his fields from -ruthless injury, but to save from destruction his friends the -song-birds. - -As the true sportsman turns his attention only to legitimate sport, -destroying those birds that are but little if at all useful to the -farmer; and as at the same time, out of gratitude for the kindness with -which the latter generally receives him, he is careful never to invade -the high grass or the ripening grain--so also, from his innate love of -nature, and of everything that makes nature more beautiful, he spares -and defends the warblers of the woods and the innocent worm-devourers -that stand guardian over the trees and crops. The smaller birds destroy -immense numbers of worms; cedar-birds have been known to eat hundreds of -caterpillars, and in this city have cleared the public squares in a -morning’s visit of the disgusting measuring-worms, that were hanging by -thousands pendent from the branches. And who has not heard the -“woodpecker tapping” all day long in pursuit of his prey? - -With the barbarous and senseless destruction of our small birds, the -ravages of the worms have augmented, until we hear from all the -densely-settled portions of the country loud complaints of their -attacks. Peach-trees perish; cherries are no longer the beautiful fruit -they once were; apples are disfigured, and plums have almost ceased to -exist. Worms appear upon every vegetable thing; the borers dig their way -beneath the bark of the trunk and cut long alleys through the wood; -weevils pierce the grain and eat out its pith; the leaf-eaters of -various sorts punch out the delicate membrane by individual effort; or -collecting in bodies, throw their nets, like a spider-web, over the -branches, and by combined attacks deliberately devour every leaf. While -these species are at work openly and in full sight, others are at the -roots digging and destroying and multiplying; until the tree that at -first gave evidence of hardiness and promise of long utility to man, -pauses in its growth, becomes delicate, fades, and finally dies. - -The destruction of these vermicular pests is a question of life or death -to the farmer. He may attempt it either with his own labor, by tarring -his trees, fastening obstructions on the trunks, or by killing -individuals; or he may have it done for him, free of expense, by -innumerable flocks of the denizens of the air. The increase of worms -must be stopped; the means of doing so is a question of serious public -concern, and none have yet been invented so effectual as the natural -course--the restoration of the equipoise of nature. It is true that the -robin, as we call him, now and then steals a cherry, and has been blamed -as though he were nothing more than a cherry-thief; but surely we can -spare him a little fruit for his dessert, when we remember that his meal -has been composed mainly of the deadly enemies of that very fruit! -Swallows are accused of breeding lice, which, if true, would not be a -serious charge, considering that their nests are generally in the -loftiest and least accessible corner they can find; but when we consider -how many millions of noxious flies and poisonous mosquitoes they -destroy, how they hover over the swamps and meadows for this especial -purpose, and how much annoyance their labors save to human kind, we owe -them gratitude instead of abuse. - -Every tribe of birds has its allotted part to play; and if destroyed, -not only will its pleasant songs and bright feathers, gleaming amid the -green leaves, be missed, but some species of bug or insect, some -disgusting caterpillar or injurious fly, will escape well merited -destruction, and increasingly visit upon man the punishment of his -cruelty and folly. - -The beautiful blue-birds, the numerous woodpeckers, the tiny wrens, the -graceful swallows and noisy martins, are sacred to the sportsman, and -constitute one great division of the creatures that he desires to -protect. It is true that enthusiastic foreigners, with cast-iron guns, -are seen peering into trees and lurking through the woods, proud of a -dirty bag half filled with robins, thrushes, and woodpeckers; but let no -ignorant reader confound such persons with sportsmen. Their satisfaction -in slaying one beautiful little warbler, as full of melody as it is bare -of meat, with a deadly charge of No. 4 shot; or in chasing from tree to -tree the agile red squirrel, who, with bushy tail erect, leaps from one -limb to another, emulating the very birds themselves with his agility, -is as unsportsmanlike as to kill a cheeping quail, that, struggling from -the thick weeds in September before the pointer’s nose, with feeble -wings, skirts the low brush; or to murder the brooding woodcock, that -flutters up before the dog in June, and, with holy maternal instinct, -endeavours to lead the pursuer from her infant brood. - -From such acts the veritable sportsman turns with horror; they are -cruelty--the slaughter of what is useless for food, or what, by its -death, will produce misery to others; and no persons in the community -have done more to repress this wantonness of destruction than the -Sportsmen’s Clubs. It was at their request that the killing of -song-birds was prohibited altogether; and they are the most earnest to -restrict the times of lawful sport to such periods as will not, by any -possibility, permit its being followed during the season of incubation. - -Not alone by obtaining the passage of appropriate laws and their -vigorous enforcement, have these clubs effected a great reform; but by -their personal example and social influence, often, too, at considerable -loss to themselves. For while the poacher, taking the chance of a legal -conviction as an accident of business, and but a slight reduction of his -unlawful profits, anticipates the appointed time, true sportsmen, -restrained by a feeling of honor and self-respect, although they know -that the birds are being killed daily in defiance of the statute, wait -till the lawful day arrives, and thus often, especially in woodcock -shooting, sacrifice their entire season’s sport for a principle. - -This honorable spirit, if encouraged and extended, is the best -protection for song-birds and game that can be had. The laws are only -necessary to deter those who are dead to honor and decency, and to fix -the proper times--which ought to be uniform throughout our entire -country. But to enforce them requires the assistance of public opinion. -Every encouragement should be given to sportsmen’s associations. The -absurd prejudice that has originated from confounding them with a very -different class of the community should be overcome, and their efforts -to have good laws passed, and to make them effectual, should be -sustained. The vulgar idea, that confounds laws for the protection of -the wild creatures of wood, meadow, lake, and stream, with the monstrous -game-laws of olden time--that made killing a hare more criminal than -killing a man--should be corrected. - -In this country, where every man is expected to be a sort of -volunteer-policeman, all should unite in enforcing the laws; and then, -in spite of the irrepressible obstinacy of the German enthusiast, and -the mean cunning of the sneaking poacher, our cities would soon be rid -of the disgusting worms that make their trees hideous, our farms -protected from the devastations of the curculio, the weevil, the borer, -and the army-worm; the country would once more be populated with its -native feathered game, and our fields would resound with the glad songs -of the little birds that there build their homes. - -So long as the ignorant of our _nouveaux riches_, imagining themselves -to be epicures, will pay for unseasonable game an extravagant price, so -long will unscrupulous market-men purchase, and loafing, disreputable, -tavern-haunting poachers shoot or otherwise kill their prey. It must be -made a disgrace, and if necessary punished as a crime, for any modern -Lucullus to insult his guests by presenting to them game out of season; -and eating-house keepers should not only be taught--by persistent -espionage, if necessary--that illegal profits will not equal legal -punishments; but their customers should also discourage, by withdrawing -their patronage, conduct that is so injurious to the public interests. -Woodcock would not be shot in spring, nor quail in summer, unless the -demand for them were sufficiently great to pay both the expense of -capture and the danger of exposure; and, with a diminution of -purchasers, will be an increased diminution of the number of birds -improperly killed. - -Birds and fish, except in their proper seasons, are always tasteless, -and often unhealthy food. A setting quail or a spawning trout is -absolutely unfit to eat, and to do without them is no sacrifice; but for -the sportsman to restrain his ardor as the close-time draws towards an -end, and when others less scrupulous are filling their bags daily, or -when in the wilder sections of country there is no one to complain or -object, requires the heroism of self-denial. Nevertheless, the effect of -example should not be forgotten, and the duty of the true sportsman is -clear and unmistakable: he must abide by the law; or, where there is no -law, must govern himself by analogous rules. - -In the wilderness, it is true, where birds are abundant to excess, he -may without blame supply his pot with cheeping grouse or wood-duck -flappers, if he can offer hunger as an excuse; but not even there, -unless driven by extremity, can he slay the parent of a brood that will -starve without parental care. In the settled regions, no matter how -great the provocation, the true sportsman will never forget the -chivalric motto, _noblesse oblige_. - -The close-times of the present statutes are not altogether correct; and -in so extensive a locality as the United States, where diverse interests -are to be considered, it is nearly impracticable to make the laws -perfect. For instance, where quail are abundant, as in the South, there -is no objection to killing them during the entire month of January; but, -as at that period they are often lean and tough, and have to contend, in -the Northern States, against dangers of the elements and rapacious -vermin, with not too favorable a chance for life--it is undesirable, -where they are in the least scarce, to continue the pursuit after -December. - -If it were possible to make a uniform law for the entire Union, and to -enforce it everywhere, English snipe and ducks should not be killed at -all during the spring. The latter at the time of their flight northward -are poor and fishy; but if they can be slain in New Jersey, it is hardly -worth while to protect them in New York. For every duck or snipe that -passes towards the hatching-grounds of British America in the early part -of the year, four or five return in the fall and winter. Could proper -protection, therefore, be enforced, the sport in the latter season would -be four times as great as in the former. - -As matters stand, however, the seasons for killing game birds should be: -For woodcock, from July fourth to December thirty-first; for ruffed and -pinnated grouse, from September first--and quail from November -first--to the same period, both days inclusive; for wood-duck from -August first till they migrate southward. It is desirable to fix upon -anniversaries or days that are easily remembered. Woodcock are often -young and weak in early summer, and the three days gained between the -first and the fourth of July are quite an advantage. Although the first -brood of quail may be fully grown in October, a vast number of the birds -are too small, and the brush is too dense and thick before the first of -the ensuing month; whereas it is simply monstrous to slay pinnated -grouse, put up by the panting, overheated pointer from the high grass of -the western prairie, in the month of August, ere they can half fly. But -the migratory birds of the coast--the waterfowl and snipe, the waders -and plovers--may continue to be shot when they can be found, till their -rapidly diminishing numbers shall compel a more sensible and considerate -treatment. - -The bay-snipe lead the advancing army of the game birds that have sought -the cool and secluded marshes of Hudson’s Bay and the Northern Ocean to -raise their young, and are hastening south from approaching cold and -darkness to more congenial climes. Next come the beautiful wood-duck, -and, almost simultaneously, the English snipe; then the swift but -diminutive teal; after him the broad-bill or the blue-bill of the west; -and then a host of other ducks, till the hardy canvas-backs and geese -bring up the rear. From July, when the yellow-legs and dowitchers -abound; throughout August, in which month the larger bay-birds are -continuously streaming by; during September, when the English snipe are -on the meadows and the wood-ducks in the lily-pad marshes of the -fresh-water lakes; in October, when the teal and blue-bills are abundant -in the great west; all through the fall and into winter, when the geese -and canvas-backs arrive, the bayman finds his sport in perfection. - -Many of the upland birds are disappearing; the quail is being killed -with merciless energy, and his loved haunts of dense brush are cleared -away from year to year; the woodcock can hardly rest in peace long -enough to rear her young, and finds many of her favorite secluded spots -drained by the enterprising farmer; the ruffed grouse disappears with -the receding forest, and the prairie chicken with the cultivation of the -open land. But although innumerable ducks, snipe, and plovers are killed -every season, and by unjustifiable measures are driven from certain -localities, their vast flights throughout the whole country--amounting -to myriads in the west--are apparently as innumerable as ever. - -From the first of August to the last of December they stretch athwart -the sky from the Atlantic to the Pacific; and although in localities -they may appear scarce, still constitute countless hosts. Were it -possible to stand on some peak of the Rocky Mountains, and take in at a -glance the vast stretch of heavens from ocean to ocean, with the moving -myriads of migratory flocks, the mind would be astonished; and it would -seem impossible ever to reduce their numbers. This is to a certain -degree true; for so long as the lagoons of the South shall remain -undisturbed, and the shores of the bays and rivers unoccupied to any -great extent, this abundance of the migratory birds will continue. - -But who can tell how long this will last? The methods of destruction are -being perfected, the number of destroyers is increasing, until now the -reverberation of the fowling piece accompanies the water-fowl from the -rocky shores of Maine to the sandy coasts of North Carolina with the -unceasing roar of threatened death. Twenty years ago, and “batteries,” -as they are called, the sunken floats which are the most fatal ambushes -of the gunner, were almost unknown south of Havre de Grace; now they are -so abundant throughout the waters of North Carolina that the migratory -bird is never out of ear-shot of them during his entire journey. - -It would be better for the permanence of wild-fowl shooting never to use -batteries where fair sport can be obtained from points or blinds. Ducks, -geese, and, above all, swans have great faith in the sharpness of their -eyes and the acuteness of their noses. Dangers that they can see they -are rather tempted to scorn. They learn to shun points where man may -conceal his murderous propensities, and are not to be inveigled by the -apparent security of the deceitful likenesses of themselves which are -innocently nestling near by. They seek the safety of the open water, -and feed in the narrow bays and marsh-encompassed ponds during moonlight -nights, if they belong to the tribes that are compelled to gain their -living by grubbing at the bottom, with heads down and tails up. And no -matter how they are harried in certain places, they feel safe in others -close at hand. But the battery, sunken to a level with the water and -hidden by the stand of decoys around it, placed on their favorite -feeding grounds and in the broad bosom of the open bays, is too much for -their courage or sagacity. To see a man, a merciless and murderous -mortal, arise in all his horrid aspect from the depths of the sea, from -the middle of a body of their fellows, is a terror that custom never -stales. After a few such experiences, they lose faith in themselves, -and, if possible, take flight to safer and more propitious realms. - -To those who are accustomed to it, there is no more delightful method of -shooting than from a battery, but a novice will find much trouble in -becoming accustomed to the confined position and the awkwardness of -motion. I remember, years ago, hearing Mr. Dominy, who then kept the -famous sporting hostelry at Fire Island, say that if he was to shoot on -a wager for his life, he would prefer to shoot from a battery rather -than in any other way. To one not used to the narrow box and constrained -position, lying on one’s back does not seem to be the most cheerful -manner of killing any species of game. There is everything in habit, and -certainly the exhilaration of watching the approach of the birds as -they come nearer and nearer, and grow larger and larger, from mere -specks on the horizon to the size of broad-bills, canvas-backs, or -perhaps brant or geese, is hardly to be surpassed by any kind of sport. -In most of the Southern waters the destructive nature of these machines -is so well recognized, that non-residents are not permitted to use them, -and the natives keep this method of wild-fowling to themselves. - -The shooter lies on his back in this modified coffin, and whenever a -flock approaches he rises to a sitting posture and fires. He cannot -leave his floating home, and is unable to retrieve his ducks without the -aid of an assistant. There have been many accidents arising from -carelessness or inexperience, not merely in the use of the machine -itself, but from the fault of the tender; and so many guns have blown -holes in the bottom of the box, that it is the habit of the gunners on -the south side of Long Island always to warn green hands, and instruct -them how to rest and hold their guns. In two instances within my own -knowledge, the sailing boat that accompanies the shooter, and serves as -his tender and protector, was unable to return to him. In one case it -was driven to leeward, and could not work back to windward, and in the -other it went aground on a falling tide just before dark, when the -thermometer ranged but little above zero. In both cases the sportsmen -were saved, but in both the hand of death grazed them closely. - -Night shooting is a still more deleterious practice. Wild fowl must be -allowed to rest at night; indeed, the same might be said of most other -animals, including the human family. If they are not, they will -inevitably wend their way elsewhere. The discharge of one shot at night, -with its accompaniment of flame, and its noise reverberating more -horribly in the still and silent hours, will do more to frighten away -the marsh ducks than any amount of daylight shooting. As the night -begins to fall, the fowl begin to seek the marshes. They rise from the -open water where they have been resting, perhaps without being able to -feed at all, and move towards the shore, coming on in a steady unbroken -flight, until they have all found nesting and feeding grounds in the -shoal water. Drive them from such places in the night, and there will be -no shooting during the day. - -The use of pivot-guns is another reprehensible practice that has been so -earnestly condemned, even among market-gunners, that it has been in a -great measure abandoned. Still, however, in some quiet bay of one of the -great lakes of the West, where there is no one to observe the iniquity, -or of a moonlight night on the Chesapeake, the poaching murderer, -sculling his boat down upon an unsuspicious flock crowded together and -feeding or asleep, will discharge a pound or two of coarse shot from his -diminutive cannon; and wounding hundreds, will kill scores of ducks at -the one fatal discharge. The noise, however, reverberating over land and -water, scatters the tidings of the guilty act far and wide; and often -brings upon the criminal detection and punishment. To avoid this the -pivot-shooter will sometimes, as soon as he has fired, throw his gun -overboard with a buoy attached to it, and if pursued, pretend he has -used nothing but his small fowling-piece. The practice of -pivot-shooting, however, has almost ceased, never having been -extensively adopted; and has nothing whatever sportsmanlike about it, -being a mixture of cruelty and theft. - -Another mode of pursuing ducks, which is at the same time attractive, -exciting, and injurious, is by the use of a sail-boat. Not only is there -the excitement of the pursuit, the rushing down wind with bellying sail -and hissing water--the crested waves parting at the prow and lengthening -out behind in two long lines of foam--but there is the free motion and -the pleasant breeze to stimulate the sportsman. This is really a -delightful sport, combining the excitement of shooting with the -exhilaration of sailing; but as it disturbs the flocks upon their -feeding-grounds, as it gives them no rest during the noontide hours, -when it appears that ducks--like all other sensible people--love to -indulge in a quiet nap, it eventually drives them away; and not only -makes them shy of the locality, but injures the sport of the -point-shooter, who depends upon their regular flights for his success. -It is not often very remunerative, but is uncommonly attractive, and is -only condemned with great reluctance on proof of its injurious results. - -But while sailing for ducks is wisely forbidden by the laws of New York -and of most of the older States, that prohibition should not be -stretched beyond the true meaning and intent of the statute. Coots, the -big black sea coot of the coast and his congeners, not the little mud -coot or blue peter of the fresh waters, may be ducks from a scientific -point of view, but they were never intended to be included in the -prohibition. These dusky gentlemen are wonderful divers, they swim under -water almost as readily and rapidly as they fly above it, and seek their -food at the bottom. They do not so much live on fish, in fact I have -never noticed fish in their stomachs, although some authorities say that -they feed on them, but they devour incredible numbers of small clams and -oysters. They are not content to take the full grown bivalve, two or -three of which would make a solid meal even for a voracious coot, but -they invariably select the tiny fellows just starting in life, and of -whom it takes a great many to furnish forth a breakfast or dinner. There -is little sport in shooting these tough fellows, and no sport except in -killing them from a sailboat when underway. - -In this chapter on the obligations that man owes to his feathered -friends, his naturalized assistants must not be forgotten. The imported -sparrow, though small in himself, has done a great work for our country, -and still more for our cities. We all know that gratitude is a fleeting -sentiment, and looks rather to things hoped for than to those which -have already been conferred, and it is somewhat the fashion to decry the -bustling busy immigrant from abroad; but those who remember the -condition of our streets and parks, hung full with disgusting measuring -worms pendent from every tree and branch, till to pass through them was -an annoyance, will not wholly forget our debt to the English sparrow. He -has been, wrongfully I think, accused of driving away our native birds, -but before we condemn him it will have to be shown, not only that he has -done so, but in addition that he has driven away birds more useful than -himself. - -It is but a few years since he was first brought among us, and already -have the caterpillars so thoroughly disappeared, that one is rarely seen -in our streets, and the trees are allowed to bear their foliage in -peace, instead of being reduced to bare boughs, as was their invariable -fate in old times. The sparrow has been accused, and has been compelled -to plead guilty of the crime of not eating the hairy as well as the -smooth-skinned caterpillar, but it ought to be urged in mitigation, -before he is condemned to condign punishment, that his adversaries do -not do so either, while they are guilty of the further crime of not even -eating the smooth-skinned kinds. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -GUNNERY--MUZZLE-LOADERS AND BREECH-LOADERS. - - -To the young sportsman, armed with the finest of implements, and -trusting much to them for his success, it is a matter of mortification -and surprise how well a bad gun will shoot in good hands; nevertheless, -no true sportsman ever lived but, if he were able by any self-denial to -scrape the means together, would purchase a valuable and necessarily -expensive fowling-piece. Not only is a well made and handsomely finished -gun safer and lighter than a cheap affair manufactured for the wholesale -trade; not only does it ordinarily carry closer and recoil less; but it -needs fewer repairs, lasts infinitely longer, and is always a matter of -pride and delight to its owner. - -Many guns of inferior workmanship throw shot as strongly as those turned -out by the best makers--although this is not the fact in general--but -greater weight has to be given to insure tolerable safety, and the -locks, if not the barrels, are sure to give out in a few years; whereas -the high-priced article will be as perfect at the end of a dozen -years--which have accustomed its owner to its easy, rapid, and effective -management--as it was in the beginning, and will endure until failing -sight, wasting disease, or accumulating years, shall compel its -transfer into younger hands. - -Unless a man has continual practice, or is an excellent shot, it is a -serious undertaking to change his gun and accustom himself to another, -which, although apparently identical in weight and shape, will -inevitably differ in some slight point that will be sufficient to -destroy, for a time, accuracy in aim and prompt execution in cover. Some -persons require months to acquire the effective use of a new gun under -difficult circumstances; and in those dense thickets where so much of -our shooting is done, and where it is by instinct founded upon long -habit that the sportsman is enabled at all to kill his game, and where -he cannot indulge in the deliberate care that more open shooting -allows--this deficiency will be most painfully apparent. For such -persons to purchase a new piece, is equivalent to throwing away the -sport of an entire summer or fall, and when we consider that few of us -can expect to average more than forty summers or falls, the loss of -one-fortieth part of life’s enjoyment is no trivial deprivation. - -A very cheap gun is dangerous; but it is not expected that any person -reading these lines will trust his life with an instrument that common -sense tells him is manufactured to kill at both ends. A gun of moderate -price, that is, from forty to fifty dollars, is as safe as the most -expensive--the iron is not so tough, but more of it is used; but in a -short time the barrels will wear away; the locks, losing their original -quick spring and sharp click, will become dull and weak, till they will -scarcely discharge the cap; and the stock, warping with the weather, -will exhibit yawning fissures between itself and the iron lock-plates or -false breech. - -In lightness, however, is the great superiority of the highly wrought -implement; and in hard tramping through a dense swamp of a hot July day, -or deep wading in a soft snipe-meadow, or in a wearisome trudge over -hill and dale after November quail, a pound will make itself felt in the -additional weight of the fowling-piece, and not only so, but a light gun -can be handled more readily. In open shooting, especially for the wild -fowl of our bays and coasts, mere weight is a positive advantage; but in -the tangled thickets, where birds flash out of sight like gleams of -party-colored light, and the instantaneous use of the piece can alone -secure success, a light gun is an absolute necessity. - -Moreover, on certain occasions, when the barrels are exposed to an -extraordinary strain, when the piece built for light charges and upland -shooting is used temporarily upon the larger game of the coasts or -woods, and the two and a half drachms of powder and ounce of fine shot -are replaced by a dozen buck-shot, or an ounce and a half of No. 3 -driven by five drachms of powder--then it is pleasant to feel that the -iron is of the utmost possible tenacity and the workmanship in every way -faultless. - -A learned dissertation on the science of gunnery is neither appropriate -to the occasion nor possible to the author, and would probably prove as -little entertaining as instructive to the reader. The majority of -purchasers cannot form an exact opinion relative to the merits of a gun -prepared with the utmost skill and ingenuity to deceive them, and must -rely mainly on the word of the seller or reputation of the maker. There -is something, to be sure, in the smooth working of the locks, and still -more in the perfect fitting of the stock; but after all, even to the -experienced sportsman, there is little difference in appearance between -the Shamdamn and the purest laminated steel. - -American importers have a peculiarly moral and respectable habit of -vending German guns stamped with the names of English makers, and pacify -their consciences with the idea that the manufactures of Germany are not -inferior to those of England; but they would give more satisfaction to -the public and more ease to their consciences by proving this in open -contest, and establishing the reputation of the German makers, than by -appropriating the names and reputations that good work has made famous. -So far is this deception carried, that some houses even order from the -Belgian manufacturers a certain number, nominally, of each of the -leading gun-makers. It may be that there is little real difference, -although on the continental guns you sometimes pay for useless ornament, -money that should have been expended where it would tell, on locks and -barrels; but the mode of proceeding is certainly not creditable. - -In a highly finished article the locks usually work with a smooth -oiliness that can be distinguished with a little practice, and are -fitted with great accuracy into the stock, so that projections of wood -will be left standing not thicker than a piece of blotting-paper. The -barrels will be without flaw or indentation, and if looked through with -the breech removed, will exhibit a perfect ring of light flowing up -evenly, as they are raised or lowered. The mountings will be faultless, -and the cuts in all the screw-heads will point in the same direction; -the screws will work easily and yet perfectly, and the triggers and -trigger-plate, which are invariably neglected in a poor gun, will be -admirably finished and fitted. Examine all these particulars, but -especially the last, and you can form some judgment whether the piece -comes from a good maker or a spurious imitator. - -The greatest attention, however, in the selection of a gun should be -paid to the form of the stock and the pull of the triggers; if the -former is unsuited to the shape of the purchaser, or the latter are -stiff or dissimilar, the consequence will be utter failure that no -amount of practice will remedy. If the purchaser’s arms and neck are -long, the stock may be long and crooked; but if the contrary is the -case, the stock must be short and straight. - -If possible, the person intending to use a gun should select it for -himself; and if it does not “come up right” the first time he brings it -to his eye, he should refuse it positively. He must not allow himself -to be persuaded to try it again and again; for after one or two trials -he will instinctively adapt his eye to its construction, and will -imagine the gun suits him--an impression that the rapid flight of the -first quail he endeavors to cover will dissipate. The triggers should -give back at a weight of four or five pounds; the hammers of a -muzzle-loader at ten or twelve, and of a breech-loader at twelve or -fourteen. For the former, the best cone is what is called the inverted, -where the bore is larger at the top and receives the entire flame from -the cap. - -The shape of the breech for the muzzle-loader formerly gave rise to much -learned disquisition and many plausible theories; but, in all -probability, had no influence on the shooting, which is due mainly to -the form and quality of the barrels. Joe Manton founded his fame on the -idea that the lines of force, if reflected from a hollow cup, like rays -of light from a reflector, would be directed parallel to one another and -lengthwise of the barrel; but later experiments have tended to destroy -this theory. The simple fact appears to be, that powder exerts just so -much force, and, as it cannot escape sideways, it must go out at the end -of the barrel; and that the shape of the breech, except so far as it may -affect the rapidity of ignition, has no influence whatever. - -These questions, however, are being effectually disposed of by the march -of events and the general diffusion of breech-loaders; to the latter, as -they are not universally known or appreciated in our country--to which, -by its nature and its game, they are peculiarly adapted--the writer’s -remarks will be mainly confined. Feeling entirely convinced, even from a -short experience, of their superiority in most particulars, and their -equality in all, he regards the consequence as inevitable that they will -utterly supersede the old-fashioned fowling-piece; the few defects that -were originally alleged to exist in them having been either removed or -remedied, and the supply of ammunition for them in this country having -become sufficient. They have won their way slowly into public favor -against the interested opposition of gun-makers on one hand, and the -ignorance and superstitious dread of change of gun-users on the other. - -They are a French invention of forty years’ standing, and proved their -superiority long ago; but prejudice was too strong for them, as it has -been for many another good thing. Their merits, nevertheless, slowly -conquered opposition, convinced the intelligent, and confounded the -obstinate; till at last in England--the very hot-bed of prejudice and -the favorite abiding-place of antiquated ideas--there are now sold fifty -breech-loaders to one muzzle-loader. As they are not universally used -with us, the description of them will have to be somewhat minute, and -would be better understood if the reader would take the trouble to -examine one for himself. - -The best and most generally adopted of the various kinds is the -_Lefaucheux_, or some slight modification of it; and to that the -attention will be principally directed. In this gun the breech, which -in the muzzle-loader screws into the barrel, is omitted, and the -barrels are open at both ends; they are fastened to the stock by a pin -and joint a few inches beyond the guard. When free, the muzzle hangs -down, and the breech end presents itself several inches above the stock, -so that the cartridge can be readily inserted; when the barrels are -pressed back into their place for firing, they are caught by a bolt that -can be opened or closed by a lever lying along the under part of the -stock, between the guard and the joint. The false breech is flat, solid, -and heavy, and completes the barrels, taking the place and performing -the duty of the breech in the muzzle-loader. The hammers have a flat -surface on the striking end, and the locks are back-actioned, to avoid -interfering with the other mechanism. - -The pin cartridge is made of paper, shaped like a short section of the -barrel, with a brass capsule on one end and open at the other; it is two -or three inches long, and has a pad of thick paper beneath the capsule. -In this pad a hole is punched on the inside and the percussion-cap is -inserted, with a brass pin resting in it and projecting above the -capsule on the outside. The percussion-cap is entirely within the -cartridge-case, and the brass pin passes through a hole drilled in one -side of the capsule, just large enough to admit it and exclude moisture -entirely. A blow on the projecting end of the pin drives the other end -into the cap, and discharges the latter. The cartridge-case is prepared -already capped, and is sold in England for from thirty to fifty -shillings the thousand; it may be recapped by an instrument made for the -purpose with a peculiar cap, and may be used, on an average, three -times. - -The cartridge must be loaded as the gun would be, only by the use of a -short ramrod or a special loading implement; the powder is poured in, a -wad placed above it, and the shot and another wad follow. The cartridge -may then be trimmed down and the end bent over, so as to retain the load -securely, if it is to be carried for a considerable distance; but where -the shooting is from a boat or stand, the case should be left untrimmed -and of full length. A chamber is cut away in the lower part of the -barrel, which corresponds exactly with the cartridge-case, so that the -latter fits perfectly in it; but, if there is an interval between the -end of the cartridge and the shoulder in the barrel, no injury to the -charge or the shooting appears to result. A small notch is cut in the -upper edge of the barrel to contain the brass pin, and allow it to -project so as to receive the blow from the hammer. - -When the bolt is withdrawn and the barrels are allowed to fall so as to -bring the open breech fairly into view, the loaded cartridge is -inserted, the barrels are sprung back to their place with a sharp snap -that sends them home at once, and are ready to be discharged. To allow -the cartridge to be inserted, the hammers must be drawn to half or full -cock; and when the trigger is pulled, they fall upon the pin, which -penetrates the cap and fires the load. The entire mechanism is so simple -that it can hardly become deranged, and will last as long as the -barrels. The greatest care is necessary in making the chamber that -receives the cartridge of a proper shape, for if this is faulty the -cartridges are apt to stick after explosion. - -There is no decided improvement on the original Lefaucheux model, except -in the modification of the machinery, and a convenient method of -separating the barrels from the stock; and no other innovation of a like -character need be particularly described. The needle-gun, which is made -on a somewhat similar principle, is more curious than valuable, being -both dangerous and complicated, and possesses no advantages over the -other pattern. In it the cartridge has a percussion-cap so disposed at -its base that it is penetrated by a needle, which is projected by a -spring through a hole in the lower end of the cartridge; but the -composition of the cartridge, and the manner of its insertion, are -altogether different from the same in the Lefaucheux gun. - -According to the arrangement of some English guns, on a plan invented by -Jeffries, the lever, instead of closing forward, lies under the -trigger-guard, when the barrels are closed; and provision is made for -tightening the bolt, in case it wears loose by long usage. This -invention permits of the use of forward-action locks, and the easy -separation of the barrels from the stock, and has come into vogue in -England; it is undoubtedly convenient in both these particulars, and has -as yet developed no corresponding drawbacks. - -Personally, the writer has always preferred British to French or Belgian -guns, although chance has compelled him to own as many of the latter as -the former. The English gun is made for work; even when cheaply -manufactured, it will be found effective where efficiency is necessary; -and it is far more beautiful to the eye of a true sportsman, with its -plain blued lock-plates, and total deficiency of ornament, than the -Continental weapon, covered with engraving and ornamentation, but -defective in some of those minutiæ that lend nothing to its beauty, but -add much to its usefulness. This is particularly the case with -breech-loaders, which, if not manufactured carefully, are almost -useless, and which, although originally invented in France, are at this -day produced in more serviceable style--unless where the highest-priced -article is obtained--in England than in the country of their origin. -Great discredit was brought upon breech-loaders among us at their first -introduction, in consequence of the importation of inferior articles, -and they still labor under the disadvantages of that failure, although -rapidly overcoming all objections. - -There are a few implements that are necessary to the use of a -breech-loader, which are much simpler than they at first appear. To load -the cartridge is required either a short ramrod and a machine for -turning over the edges of the case upon the wad, to retain it in its -place, or an apparatus, also invented by Jeffries, that combines all the -requisites for loading, and by the aid of which a hundred cartridges -can be loaded in an hour. As the case can be used several times, and the -cap, which is of a peculiar size, has to be placed in its exact position -to receive the pin, a capper invented for the purpose is employed, by -which the cap is inserted, and the pin pressed into it without the least -difficulty; a pair of tweezers are used to withdraw the pin after a -discharge, in order to free the old cap and make room for the new, and a -large gimlet will be found useful for extracting any discharged caps -that may happen to stick. - -A cleaning-apparatus is also occasionally used, consisting of a brush at -one end of a string and a small weight at the other; the weight is -dropped through the open barrel and the brush drawn after it; but, as -the gun may be fired ten times as often as a muzzle-loader without -fouling, a plain rag and cleaning-rod will answer. Cartridge-cases, of -course, cannot be obtained like powder and shot at every country store, -and to obviate the danger of finding oneself, after extraordinary -good-luck with a gun, without the means of firing it, it is well to -carry a couple of brass cases, which can be used with a common French -cap, and reloaded indefinitely almost as quickly as a muzzle-loader. - -The sportsman, by the aid of these implements and a couple of scoops -with handles for powder and shot, recaps the cartridges which have been -discharged, loads them as he would a gun, only much more rapidly, and -lays them aside for future use. In the field, he carries them in a -leather case, or, which is the preferable plan, in a belt round the -waist, or in his pockets, being able to store in the pockets of his vest -alone at least twenty. The English sportsmen carry them loose in the -pockets of their shooting-coats; but a belt is convenient and -commodious, holding from thirty to fifty, and distributes the weight -pleasantly. Where the shooting is to be done from a boat or stand, of -course they will be kept in an ammunition-box, without having their -edges turned over, as there will be nothing to loosen the wads. - -The reader may naturally suppose that there is risk in carrying a number -of loaded cartridges about the person; but in this he is entirely -mistaken. In the first place, the difficulty of discharging a cartridge, -except in the gun, is surprising; no pressure will explode the cap, and -no ordinary blow, unless the cartridge is retained in a fixed position; -and if one falls, the weight of the shot compels it inevitably to fall -on the end: but in case these difficulties are overcome, the result is -merely the discharge of a large fire-cracker. - -The writer instituted a number of experiments, and having succeeded, -after many trials, in setting off the cartridge, found that the powder -burst the paper, but failed to drive the wad out of the case. This was -tried with cartridges in all positions, horizontal and perpendicular, -but produced invariably the same result, with unimportant modifications; -and it was further ascertained that the fire from one would not -communicate to another. So that, if a cartridge does explode -accidentally, it may scorch the clothes or even burn the person -slightly, but can inflict no serious injury. These remarks, however, do -not apply to the brass cartridge-cases, which must be handled more -carefully. The common paper-cases may therefore be carried with perfect -impunity, and transported, if carefully packed, without risk. - -A more curious idea--for the dread of danger from the loaded cartridge -is natural--prevailed at one time, that the barrels were weakened -because they were open behind, instead of being closed by the -breech-screw; as if a cylinder would be rendered more cohesive by -screwing another piece of metal into one end. In fact, if the -breech-screw has any effect whatever upon the strength of the gun, its -presence is probably an injury. The charge, it will be observed, presses -against the shot on one side and the false breech on the other, and -would not be retained any more securely by the addition of a -breech-screw, which tends to separate instead of closing the barrel. So, -also, it must be borne in mind there is no strain worth mentioning on -the hinge-bolt, and no danger of the barrels blowing away with the -charge; while the disposal of the metal at the false breech, and the -omission of the ramrod, tends to make the gun light at the muzzle--a -great advantage in snap-shooting. - -There is absolutely no escape of gas at the break-off; none can escape -unless the brass capsule, which closes the joint hermetically, can be -driven out, and this is a sheer impossibility. The gas cannot penetrate -the paper of the cartridge, and if it bursts the latter, still cannot -escape except through the brass; and although the least perceptible -amount may come out alongside of the pin, it is scarcely traceable, and -nothing like what is lost at the percussion-cap in the common gun. These -cartridges are wonderfully close, as the reader may conclude when he is -informed that a loaded breech-loader, left entirely under water for -fifteen minutes, was discharged as promptly as though it had never been -wet; while a muzzle-loader, that had not been half so long exposed, -would not go at all, and required an hour’s cleaning. In fact, the -breech-loader is entirely impervious to any ordinary wetting, will not -fail in the worst rain, and the average number of miss-fires, in well -made cartridges, is one in a thousand. - -In the handling of this gun there is one peculiarity: the pins rise from -the middle of the cartridge, and not at one side, like the ordinary -cones, thus bringing the hammers closer together. To the beginner this -may appear awkward, but is no real disadvantage. It would seem also -desirable to use more powder with a breech-loader, although this is not -necessary to so great an extent as it was formerly; but, on the other -hand, the weight at the breech appears either to diminish the recoil or -reduce its effects on the shooter; as the testimony of persons using -breech-loaders is unanimous that the recoil is less perceptible than -with muzzle-loaders, although the scales have refused to verify their -impression. - -One immense advantage of the breech-loader is its safety in loading, -especially in a confined position, as on a boat or in a battery. -Whereas, in the muzzle-loader, immediately after the discharge, while -the smoke is still pouring from the barrel, and while the fire may be -smouldering invisible below, the sportsman deliberately pours in a fresh -charge of powder, holding his hand and the entire flask over the muzzle, -endangering his life, and incurring injury far more frequently than most -persons suppose; with the breech-loader, the barrels are opened and fall -into such a position that no discharge can take place, and never point -towards the person of their owner. - -Several of the writer’s friends have been maimed for life by the -premature discharge of a load in the muzzle-loader from a spark -remaining in the barrel; the risk connected with it has always seemed -very great; and even with the patent flasks, which are hardly practical -inventions, more or less unavoidable. This danger is entirely obviated -by the breech-loader, which cannot go off until the barrels are restored -to position after the charges are inserted; cannot leave hidden sparks -to imperil the owner’s life or limb; never expose the hand over the -loaded barrel, that may have been left at half-cock, if the sportsman is -liable to thoughtlessness or over-excitement; and which can be loaded -without difficulty in the most confined position. So, not only do we -have rapidity, but entire safety in loading. - -[Illustration: GATES OF ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA.] - -The objections, however, urged against breech-loaders have not been few, -and, if well founded, forbid the use of the gun; if, as has been said, -the target is not so good, nor the shot sent with as much force, the -requisites of a first-class sporting implement are wanting. These -charges, freely advanced, have been sustained in a measure by the -wretched performance of poor guns, but were early been brought to the -only true test--actual experience, under equal conditions; and by this -test have been so utterly annihilated that their discussion is only -necessary on account of popular ignorance of the experiments. When -breech-loaders first came prominently before the English public, their -supposed merits and demerits were discussed in the sporting papers in an -animated and violent manner; and in order to settle the questions at -issue, the editor of the London _Field_ determined to have an open -trial, where the breech-loaders and muzzle-loaders could be fairly -matched against one another. The contests took place in 1858 and 1859, -and being carefully conducted, settled the dispute for the time being, -and, even before the latest improvements, established more fully the -superiority of the breech-loader. The best guns and gun-makers of -England were represented; and in spite of occasional variation and -accidental luck--as in the pattern of the first muzzle-loader--the -prejudices against the modern arm were so entirely dissipated that the -old-fashioned guns are at present rarely sold. - -Since that trial considerable advance has been made in the minutiæ of -the manufacture; and now it is the general impression of those -acquainted with the arm, that the breech-loader, with a slight -additional increase of powder, shoots both stronger and closer than its -rival. In the pigeon-matches, with scarcely an exception, held both in -this country, of late years, as well as in Great Britain, where it is to -be supposed that the best implements the country could furnish would be -used, and where some of the shooting was done at thirty yards, the -favorite and most successful weapons have been breech-loaders. With all -allowance for the quality of the marksman, the quality of the gun that -wins a match at English “blue-rocks” must unquestionably be good; and -this, the universal experience of those matter-of-fact John Bulls, who -test everything by success, has entirely confirmed. - -A trial of guns was made in 1859, and the results were published in -tabular form in _The Shot-Gun and Sporting Rifle_, by Stonehenge, p. -304. The targets were made of double bag-cap paper, 90 lbs. to the ream, -circular, thirty inches in diameter, with a centre of twelve inches -square, and were nailed against a smooth surface of deal boards. The -centres were composed of forty thicknesses for forty yards, and twenty -for sixty yards, and weighed eighteen and nine ounces respectively, with -such slight variation as will always occur in brown paper. The powder -was Laurence’s No. 2, the shot No. 6, containing 290 pellets to the -ounce, and the charges were weighed in every instance. - - - TABLES OF THE FIELD TRIAL. - ---------------+----+-------+------+-------+------+> - | | | | | | - | |Length |Weight|Charge |Charge| - | | of | of | of | of | -Kind of Gun. |Bore|Barrel.| Gun. |Powder.|Shot. | ---------------+----+-------+------+-------+------+> - | | | lb. | | | - | | in. | oz. | drs. | oz. | ---------------+----+-------+------+-------+------+> -Muzzle-loader | 12 | 30 | 6.11 | 2-3/4 |1-1/4 | - | | | | | | - " | 12 | 30 | 7.6 | 2-3/4 |1-1/4 | - " | 12 | 29-1/2| 6.8 | 2-3/4 |1-1/4 | -Breech-loader | 12 | 30 | 7.8 | 3 |1-1/4 | - " | 12 | 30 | 7.2 | 3 |1-1/4 | - " | 12 | 30 | 7.0 | 3 |1-1/4 | -Muzzle-loader | 13 | 30 | 7.0 | 2-3/4 |1-1/4 | -Breech-loader | 13 | 29 | 6.10 | 3 |1-1/8 | -Muzzle-loader | 13 | 28 | 6.14 | 2-3/4 |1-1/8 | - | | | | | | - " | 12 | 29-1/2| 6.10 | 2-1/2 |1-3/16| -Breech-loader | 16 | 30 | 7.4 | 3 |1-1/4 | - " | 16 | 28 | 7.4 | 2-3/4 |1 | - " | 13 | 28-1/2| 7.4 | 3 |1-1/3 | - " | 12 | 31 | 7.8 | 3 |1-1/3 | - " | 12 | 30 | 7.4 | 3 |1-1/4 | - " | 13 | 28 | 5.4 | 3 |1 | - " | 14 | 29-1/2| 7.8 | 3 |1-1/3 | - | | | | | | -Averages | | | | | | ---------------+----+-------+------+-------+------+> - ---------------+---------------------+-----------+> - | | | - | | No. of | - | No. of Marks on | Sheets | -Kind of Gun. | Face of Targets. | pierced. | ---------------+---------------------+-----------+> - | | | | - |at 40 yds.|at 60 yds.| at 40 yds.| ---------------+-----+---------------+-----+-----+> -Muzzle-loader | 158 | 118| 68 | 60 | 28 | 33 | - | | | | | | | - " | 148 | 98| 52 | 65 | 28 | 22 | - " | 116 | 129| 46 | 40 | 25 | 28 | -Breech-loader | 144 | 90| 32 | 58 | 28 | 30 | - " | 103 | 93| 60 | 62 | 24 | 31 | - " | 132 | 93| 55 | 38 | 26 | 33 | -Muzzle-loader | 117 | 71| 47 | 61 | 29 | 37 | -Breech-loader | 65 | 135| 24 | 54 | 29 | 39 | -Muzzle-loader | 113 | 113| 24 | 46 | 23 | 34 | - | | | | | | | - " | 106 | 103| 35 | 31 | 22 | 32 | -Breech-loader | 95 | 105| 50 | 31 | 20 | 27 | - " | 73 | 99| 22 | 42 | 30 | 40 | - " | 97 | 95| 31 | 20 | 22 | 26 | - " | 100 | 77| 32 | 28 | 33 | 25 | - " | 88 | 91| 37 | 31 | 22 | 27 | - " | 90 | 87| 20 | 28 | 20 | 31 | - " | 60 | 48| 31 | 40 | 25 | 23 | - |-----+----+-----+----+-----+-----+> -Averages | 106 | 97| 33 | 43 | 26 | 30 | ---------------+-----+----+-----+----+-----+-----+> - ---------------+-----------+--------+--------+---------+ - | No. of |Total on| Tot’l | | - | Shots | face |thro’gh | | - | through | of 4 | 4 |Recoil in| -Kind of Gun. | 20 sheets.|targets.|targets.| pounds. | ---------------+-----------+--------+--------+---------+ - | | | | | - | at 60 yds.| | | | ---------------+-----+-----+--------+--------+----+----+ -Muzzle-loader | 5 | 2 | 399 | 68 | 68 | 62 | - | | | | | | | - " | 1 | 2 | 363 | 58 | 66 | 65 | - " | 1 | 1 | 331 | 55 | 68 | 64 | -Breech-loader | 0 | 2 | 324 | 60 |untested.| - " | 2 | 4 | 318 | 61 | " | - " | 2 | 3 | 318 | 64 | 70| 68 | -Muzzle-loader | 4 | 8 | 296 | 78 |untested.| -Breech-loader | 0 | 1 | 278 | 69 | 64| 62 | -Muzzle-loader | 0 | 1 | 296 | 58 | 68| 68 | - | | | | | | | - " | 0 | 0 | 275 | 54 | 59| 61 | -Breech-loader | 2 | 0 | 281 | 49 |untested.| - " | 0 | 1 | 236 | 71 | 64| 66 | - " | 0 | 0 | 243 | 48 | 65| 61 | - " | 0 | 0 | 237 | 58 | 72| 69 | - " | 2 | 1 | 247 | 52 | 76| 73 | - " | 1 | 0 | 225 | 52 | 64| 68 | - " | 0 | 0 | 179 | 48 | 74| 68 | - |-----+-----+--------+--------+----+----+ -Averages | 1 |1-1/2| 285 | 59 | 67| 66 | ---------------+-----+-----+--------+--------+----+----+ - ---------------+----+-------+------+-------+------+> - | | | | | | - | |Length |Weight|Charge |Charge| - | | of | of | of | of | -Kind of Gun. |Bore|Barrel.| Gun. |Powder.|Shot. | ---------------+----+-------+------+-------+------+> - | | | lb. | | | - | | in. | oz. | drs. | oz. | ---------------+----+-------+------+-------+------+> -Muzzle loader | 15 | 30 | 6.14 | 2-3/4 |1-1/3 | - " | 14 | 28-1/2| 6.11 | 2-1/4 |1-1/3 | - " | 14 | 27 | 5.14 | 2-1/2 |1 | - " | 16 | 31 | 6.12 | 2-1/2 |1 | - " | 14 | 29 | 6.0 | 2-1/4 |1-1/3 | -Breech-loader | 15 | 30 | 6.14 | 8 |1-1/4 | - " | 15 | 29 | 6.8 | 8 |1-1/4 | -Muzzle-loader | 14 | 29 | 6.4 | 2-3/4 |1-1/3 | -Breech-loader | 15 | 30 | 7.0 | 8 |1 | -Muzzle-loader | 14 | 30 | 7.0 | 2-3/4 |1 | - " | 15 | 30-1/2| 6.8 | 2-3/4 |1-1/3 | -Breech-loader | 15 | 28 | 6.4 | 2-3/4 |1-1/3 | - | | | | | | - Averages | | | | | | ---------------+----+-------+------+-------+------+> - ---------------+---------------------+-----------+> - | | | - | | No. of | - | No. of Marks on | Sheets | -Kind of Gun. | Face of Targets. | pierced. | ---------------+---------------------+-----------+> - | | | | - |at 40 yds.|at 60 yds.| at 40 yds.| ---------------+-----+---------------+-----+-----+> -Muzzle loader | 101 | 121| 48 | 55 | 38 | 22 | - " | 147 | 85| 42 | 48 | 24 | 19 | - " | 180 | 92| 30 | 60 | 25 | 27 | - " | 122 | 86| 36 | 57 | 27 | 28 | - " | 101 | 103| 30 | 55 | 21 | 25 | -Breech-loader | 105 | 106| 63 | 26 | 29 | 33 | - " | 129 | 57| 45 | 52 | 20 | 28 | -Muzzle-loader | 99 | 99| 34 | 42 | 32 | 27 | -Breech-loader | 77 | 100| 41 | 31 | 33 | 26 | -Muzzle-loader | 71 | 92| 52 | 27 | 20 | 29 | - " | 83 | 55| 44 | 24 | 28 | 29 | -Breech-loader | 83 | 101| 34 | 7 | 18 | 28 | - |-----+----+-----+----+-----+-----+> - Averages | 104 | 92| 42 | 40 | 26 | 27 | ---------------+-----+----+-----+----+-----+-----+> - ---------------+-----------+--------+--------+---------+ - | No. of |Total on| Tot’l | | - | Shots | face |thro’gh | | - | through | of 4 | 4 |Recoil in| -Kind of Gun. | 20 sheets.|targets.|targets.| pounds. | ---------------+-----------+--------+--------+---------+ - | | | | | - | at 60 yds.| | | | ---------------+-----+-----+--------+--------+----+----+ -Muzzle loader | 8 | 5 | 325 | 68 | 63 | 58 | - " | 0 | 0 | 322 | 48 | 53 | 54 | - " | 2 | 0 | 312 | 54 | 65 | 63 | - " | 2 | 0 | 301 | 57 | 64 | 62 | - " | 0 | 1 | 289 | 47 | 60 | 44 | -Breech-loader | 6 | 1 | 300 | 69 | 69 | 76 | - " | 0 | 3 | 283 | 51 | 64 | 60 | -Muzzle-loader | 0 | 8 | 274 | 67 | 68 | 74 | -Breech-loader | 5 | 0 | 249 | 64 | 71 | 78 | -Muzzle-loader | 0 | 0 | 242 | 49 | 69 | 64 | - " | 5 | 0 | 206 | 62 | 68 | 67 | -Breech-loader | 0 | 0 | 225 | 46 | 68 | 72 | - |-----+-----+--------+--------+----+----+ - Averages | 2 |1-1/2| 277 | 56 | 65 | 64 | ---------------+-----+-----+--------+--------+----+----+ - -The guns were classified according to their weight. The breech-loaders, -which used one quarter of a drachm more powder, showed about an equal -recoil; the recoil differed surprisingly, ranging from 44 to 76 lbs., -and was no indication of the power with which the shot was driven--a -greater number of sheets being pierced where the recoil was under the -average. The patterns produced by the muzzle-loaders varied from those -of the breech-loaders less than they did from one another, and far less -than that of one barrel differed from that of the other; in fact, the -right-hand barrel seems to have shot much the best, and some of the guns -that excelled at 40 yards fell far behindhand at 60 yards. - -In penetration, which is a more valuable quality in a gun than even -pattern, the breech-loaders took the lead; one pierced through 40 sheets -and another through 39 sheets, so that the vaunted superiority of the -old gun in this particular was found not to exist. It was further noted -that a great improvement in this particular had taken place in the -breech-loaders since the trial of the year previous, which improvement -has been going on steadily since. The trial also proved that, although -the breech-loaders required an extra amount of powder to give them -force, it caused in them no additional recoil, and was objectionable in -so far only as it entailed extra expense and weight of ammunition. The -muzzle-loader was left, to offset its numerous inferiorities, nothing -more than a claim to diminished weight of gun and ammunition, and a -trifling saving in expense; in force and pattern it was equalled; in -safety and handiness it was far surpassed by its competitor. - -These trials were continued afterwards, but none were or could be more -conclusive than the first which I have given, and there is no need of -troubling the reader with them. Indeed, it would almost seem unnecessary -to give time and space to the consideration of the superiorities of -breech-loaders over muzzle-loaders at this day, so universally are the -former accepted in the better informed localities, but in so extensive a -country as ours, there are parts which are late to learn and hard to be -convinced. To-day, while the muzzle-loader has nearly disappeared from -the Northern and Eastern States, it still holds its own in the South and -far West, and there are at present as many of them in service throughout -the length and breadth of our land, as there are of breech-loaders. - -One change that was early made in the cartridges was to do away with the -pin and substitute a central fire, and so much was this change admired, -that pin-fire guns have almost gone out of use. Nevertheless, I have -never been convinced that this was any improvement, and believe, that if -the pin-fire gun had come into general use before it was introduced, it -would not have been accepted. However, admitted facts cannot be ignored, -and to-day the pin-fire system has been almost as fully and far less -intelligently relegated to the past, as the muzzle-loader itself. I am -also no admirer of the snapaction, which has to a certain extent been -substituted for the lever, on the ground that, while the lever never -gets out of order, the spring of the snap often breaks. I may say, that -no guns could have been more severely tried than mine that were -manufactured by _Lefaucheux_, one of which was the second that was ever -permanently used in this country, and that they have never given out in -their working parts, while the oldest and most hardly used has never -given out at all, although shot in all weathers and under very trying -circumstances. - -Indeed I go farther and insist that there have been no important -improvements made in breech-loaders since the original _Lefaucheux_ -pattern until the introduction of the hammerless guns. These are still -imperfect, but they will probably be soon perfected, so that the last -serious danger from a breech-loader will be removed, that of premature -discharge in the field. Were it not for this discovery, it is my belief -that sportsmen would yet give up the central-fire, and return to the -pin-fire, there being no advantages in a central fire, while there are -several disadvantages. The principal of these consists in the fact that -no one can tell whether it is loaded or not, and a secondary danger lies -in the loading of the cartridges, which has already cost several lives. -As yet, however, the hammerless gun is not entirely safe. It is thrown -back to full cock in opening, and when closed with a hard snap it will -sometimes jar off. This happens very rarely, but often enough to make -the gun dangerous. - -It will foul about the working parts of the breech when it is used hard -without cleaning, so that the springs will not act, and a premature -discharge may follow, and it sometimes catches on the edge of the bent -in the tumbler without slipping into it. As soon as these defects are -absolutely remedied, the graceful and convenient hammerless gun will -take the place of all others. I know very well it is claimed that these, -and all other defects have been removed by the introduction of the -safety block, which interposes before the tumbler, and thus between the -strikers and the cap, and I do not intend to enter into an argument -which would lead to no practical result. There are men ever ready to -take certain risks in order to be ahead of their fellows. Let such -disregard the advice, which common sense suggests, and make experiments, -from which they cannot be dissuaded, and by which others may profit. I -would, however, say that I am sustained in my objections by so high an -authority, as “Stonehenge,” but am willing to admit that even as they -are, I think a hammerless gun is safer than a central fire, for they -avoid one of the greatest risks which the sportsman runs, that of the -trigger catching on a twig as he is going through the bushes. Those who -have used them sufficiently to get accustomed to them, say that they can -shoot better with them than with the old gun, a fact which they -attribute to the absence of the hammers. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -BAY-SNIPE SHOOTING. - - -The various writers on the different kinds of sport in our country have -generally devoted their attention to upland shooting; to the quail, -woodcock, English snipe, ruffed grouse of the hills, dales, and meadows, -to the prairie-chicken of the far west, or to the larger game--the -ducks, geese, and swans of our coast; and the few suggestions to be -found in _Frank Forester’s Field Sports_, or _Lewis’s American -Sportsman_, are of little assistance in discussing the mode of capture -of their less fashionable and less marketable brethren called bay-snipe. -I shall inevitably make mistakes and omissions. The later works on -water-fowl shooting are limited to the consideration of ducks, geese, -and brant, as though bay snipe belonged to the upland. But I consider -them nearly as much of a water-bird as the black duck, for, like the -latter, they are shot mostly at pond holes in the marshes or from sedgy -points. - -The birds that are shot along our shores upon the sand-bars or broad -salt meadows, or even upon the adjoining fields of upland, are among -sportsmen termed bay-birds or bay-snipe; and although including several -distinct varieties, present a general similarity in manners and habits. -They are ordinarily killed by stratagem over decoys, and not by open -pursuit; different varieties frequent the same locality, so that many -species will be collected in the same bag; they are for the most part, -except the upland birds, tough and sedgy, and at times hardly fit for -the table; and they arrive and may be killed at certain periods in vast -numbers. - -Although despised by the upland sportsman, who regards the use of the -dog as essential to the pure exercise of his art; and by the pot-hunter, -because they do not generally bring high prices in market;--to the -genuine lover of nature and the gun they furnish splendid sport, -requiring, if not as high a degree of skill as may be needed to cut down -a quail in the dense coverts, at least as many fine qualities in the -sportsman, and as thorough a knowledge of their habits as any other -bird. In upland shooting the dog does the largest part of the work, and -invariably deserves the credit for a super-excellent bag; and truly -glorious is it to follow the dog that can make that bag, and wonderful -to watch his powers;--but in bay-snipe shooting there is no trusty dog -to look to, who can retrieve by his superiority his master’s -blunderings. The man relies upon himself, and himself alone; he it is -that must, with quick observant eye, catch the faint outline of the -distant flock, and with sharp ear distinguish the first audible call; -his experience must determine the nature of the birds, his powers of -imitation bring them within gun-shot, and his skill drop them -advantageously from the crowded flock. To excel in all this requires -long patience, much experience, and great qualities of mind and body; -and few are the sportsmen who ever deserve the compliment paid by old -Paulus Enos of Quogue, when he remarked, “Colonel P. is a werry -destructive man--a werry destructive man in a flock of birds.” - -It is true that quail-shooting is almost a certainty; and day after day -of fair weather, with well-trained animals and good marksmen, will -produce nearly the same average, so that an entire failure will be -almost impossible; whereas, with bay-snipe everything, in the first -instance, depends upon the flight; and if there are no birds, the result -must be a total blank; but when the season is propitious--and this can -be determined by the experienced sportsman with tolerable accuracy--the -sport is prodigious, and the number of shots enormous. - -Nor is it so easy to kill the gentle game that approaches the decoys -with such entire confidence, and often at so moderate a pace. The upland -sportsman, who can cover the quail through the thick scrub-oaks, or the -woodcock in the dense foliage of the shady swamp, and send his charge -after them with astonishing precision, and who will expect easy work -with the bay-snipe, will find himself wonderfully bothered by their -curious motions and irregular flight, till he has acquired the knack of -anticipating their intentions. He will learn that their speed is -irregular; that while at times they will hang almost motionless in the -air, at others they will dart past at the rate of a hundred miles an -hour; that although usually flying steadily, they will frequently flirt -and twist as unexpectedly as an English snipe; and that often they will -either suddenly drop from before his gun and alight, or, taking the -alarm, will whirl fifty feet into the air; and when one barrel has been -discharged into a flock, the rest will “skiver” so as to puzzle even the -best marksman. It is not enough to kill one bird with each barrel from a -flock, as in quail-shooting, but a number must be selected at the moment -they cross one another, so that several may be secured with each barrel; -to do this will require much practice and entail many total misses, and -is rarely thoroughly learned by the upland sportsman. It will not answer -to follow the example of an enthusiastic French gentleman, whom I once -left in the stand while I went to the house for dinner; and who, on my -return, in an excited way remarked: - -“Ah! I have vun beautifool shot, I make ze lovely shot; tree big birds -come along--vat you call him?” - -“Willet?” I suggested. - -“No, no; ze big brown birds.” - -“Sickle-bills!” - -“No, not ze seeckle-bills.” - -“Jacks?” - -“No, no; not ze jacks.” - -“Marlin!” - -“Yes, yes; tree big marlin come close by, right ovair ze stool; zay all -fly near ze other; I am sure to kill zem, it was such beautifool shot. I -take ze gun and miss zem all!” - -Moreover, the excitement of a rapid flight is intense; the birds arrive -much faster than the muzzle-loader can be charged, and a flock will -hover round the stand, returning again and again in the most bewildering -manner; as there are usually two sportsmen in each stand, and the stands -are often in sight of one another, a sense of rivalry is added to the -other difficulties of the position. - -As the birds approach, great judgment is required in selecting the -proper time to fire, both as regards the condition of the flock and -their position relative to the associate sportsman; they must be allowed -to come well within the reach of both, and yet be taken when they are -most together, and not allowed to pass so far as to endanger the success -of the second barrel. Each sportsman must invariably fire at his side of -the flock, and wait till it is well abreast of him, and never either -shoot over his neighbor’s corner of the stand or at his portion of the -birds. Nothing is so disagreeable as to have a gun discharged close to -one’s head, except perhaps to have it discharged at one’s head; the -noise and jar produce painful and dangerous effects, and unsettle a -person’s nerves for hours. No man who will fire by his associate without -presenting his gun well before him, can know the first principles of -gunnery--or who, if knowing them, wilfully disregards their effects, is -a fit companion. The concussion from the explosion is exceedingly -unpleasant, even if the gun is several feet off, and will produce a -slight deafness. - -Of the number of birds which can be bagged, it is hardly possible to -speak within bounds--more than a hundred having been killed at one -shot--but probably a hundred separate shots are occasionally fired by -each sportsman in the course of a day, and with the breech-loader even -more. There have been times when twenty-five pounds of shot have been -expended by one gun, but those days exist no longer, and it is rare to -use more than five pounds where the load does not exceed an ounce and a -quarter. - -The uncertainty of the flight is the principal drawback to bay-snipe -shooting, although experience can in a measure overcome the difficulty; -but to the citizen confined to certain days, a selection of time is an -impossibility. The height of the season extends from August 15th to the -25th for the bay-birds proper; and from August 28th to September 8th, -for golden plover; and if a north-easterly storm should occur at this -period, it will be followed by an immense flight. - -Dry seasons are never good, and so long as the weather remains warm the -birds will tarry in their northern latitudes; when the meadows are -parched for want of rain, they become too hard for the birds to -perforate, and the latter, being unable to feed, must migrate elsewhere; -but when they are soft with moisture, the older snipe that have left -their progeny at the far north, linger on the feeding-grounds and wait -for the latter to arrive. They seem to make it a point to send back -portions of their number from time to time to look after the young; and -on such occasions, both the messengers and the young stool admirably. -Thus flocks of old birds will frequently be seen wending their way -towards the north, while the main flight is directed southward; and -these flocks will invariably come to the decoys, although the main body -will take no notice of them. - -Of course when the meadows are too parched to furnish food, the birds -cannot return on their tracks, but must continue their flight to more -hospitable shores, and in this way one of the best chances for good -shooting is lost. There are probably, in addition, many ease-loving -gluttons among the troupe, who if they find the feeding-grounds well -supplied, stop for a time to enjoy the luxury after their long -abstinence in the inclement north; and in passing to and from their -favorite spots, are said by the native human species to have established -“a trade” to those places. These birds, of course, wherever they see a -flock apparently partaking of a plentiful repast, naturally pause to -obtain their share, and thus fall a prey to their appetites. - -Bay-snipe fly during the day and night high up in the heavens, or close -to the earth, in rain or shine, but especially during a cold -north-easterly storm, which, from its direction, is favorable to their -southerly migrations; and they have a vigor of wing that enables them to -traverse immense distances in a short time. In proceeding with the wind, -it is usually at a considerable distance from the earth; but when facing -an adverse current, they keep close to the surface, and consequently are -apt to be attracted by the stools. They do not move much during foggy -weather, for the simple reason that they cannot see their course, but do -not seem to be troubled by a rain. Although clear--that is to say, not -rainy--weather is preferable on many accounts, for their pursuit, good -sport is frequently had, especially on Long Island, during a rain. - -Their line of flight is peculiar. Except the plover, they do not follow -the entire coast, and are not found to the eastward of Massachusetts, -but appear to strike directly from their northern haunts to Cape Cod, -where, in the neighborhood of Barnstable, there was in former times -excellent shooting; thence they proceed to Point Judith, or even -somewhat to the westward of it, and then they cross Long Island Sound, -rarely much to the eastward of Quogue; from Long Island they make one -flight to Squan Beach, and so on along the bays and lagoons of the -southern coast to the Equator, or perhaps beyond it to the Antarctic -region. The plovers follow the coast more closely, and strike the -easternmost end of Long Island in their career. - -It is very remarkable, that these birds which generally pass northward -in May, and require only three months for incubation and growth of -young, live the other nine months apparently in comparative idleness at -the south. This peculiarity has led to the suggestion that they may -travel to the Antarctic ocean during their absence from the -north--which, although probable, is as yet, from our entire ignorance of -their habits, a mere suggestion. - -During the northward flight in May, there is often good sport, but the -time is more uncertain than in August; nor do the birds, which are old -and wary, stool quite so well as on their return. In the spring they -pursue the same course as in the autumnal flight; which, although it is -the most direct line, and follows the principal expanse of salt meadow, -necessitates considerable journeys far out at sea. But it is doubtless -the fact that these birds, in consequence of their stretch and power of -wing, could sustain an unbroken flight from north to south, and -accomplish the distance in a wonderfully short space of time. Unabated -speed of one hundred miles an hour is equivalent to twenty-four hundred -miles in a day, and portions of the flock may not pause between Labrador -and the swamps of Florida. - -When the wind is strong and continuous from the westward, it is supposed -that they pass far out to sea; and during these seasons there will be no -flight of birds either at Long Island or on the Jersey coast. At such -periods sportsmen often conclude that the entire race has been -destroyed, till the easterly winds and soaking rains of the following -year, bring them back more numerous than ever. As they must migrate, and -are not to be found anywhere on the land, it is clear that they must -have the power of completing their journey in one unbroken flight. - -The principal varieties are the sickle-bill, jack-curlew, the marlin and -ring-tailed marlin, the willet, the black-breast or bull-head, and -golden plovers, the yelper, yellow-legs, robin-snipe, dowitchers, -brant-bird, and krieker. The upland or grass-plover is pursued in a -different manner, and the smaller birds are not pursued for sport at -all. - -The sickle-bills, so named after the beautiful sweeping curve of the -bill, which has been known to measure eleven inches in length, are the -largest of them all. They are colored much like a marlin, have a -beautiful bright eye, a short reed-like call, and a steady, dignified -flight. In stretch of wings they exceed three feet, and nothing can be -more impressive than the approach of a large flock of these birds with -wings and bills extended and legs dropped in preparation for alighting -amid the stools. - -They are often shy in the first instance, but as soon as one of their -number is killed, they return again and again to the fatal -spot--apparently in blind confidence that he must have alighted instead -of fallen, or out of brotherly anxiety for his fate. I have on several -occasions attracted a large flock that was hesitating whether to -approach or not, and almost resolving to depart, by killing one of their -number that incautiously ventured within long range--for immediately on -seeing him fall, they approached, in spite of the report, with full -confidence. - -They are easily killed, by reason of their moderate speed and customary -steadiness, although they can dart rapidly when alarmed, and will often, -like all the bay-birds, carry off much shot. Their flesh is tough, very -dark, and scarcely fit for the table, except perhaps when they first -come on from feeding on the more dainty repasts famished by the uplands -of Labrador. - -The jack-curlew is a still more wary bird, and although he comes to the -stools, rarely pauses over them, and never returns after being once -fired at. He is seldom seen in large flocks, and flies rapidly and -steadily. His cry is longer than that of the sickle-bill, and, like it, -easy to imitate. From his wariness and rarity he is regarded as the -greatest prize of the sportsman, although his flesh is little better -than that of the sickle-bill. - -The marlin is quite common, very gentle, stools admirably, and goes in -large flocks. In color it is similar to the sickle-bill, but it is much -smaller and has a straight, if not slightly recurved, bill. It is -attracted by the same call, and is equally tough and sedgy as food. The -ring-tailed marlin differs from it entirely in color, resembling a -willet--except that its wings are darker, and its tail black with a -white ring--but it has the long, straight, marlin bill. It is a rare -bird, seldom collects in large flocks, and is often fat and tolerable -eating. It does not stool as well as its plainer brother, but from its -scarcity and higher gastronomic claims, it is more highly prized. - -The willet is greyish in general color, with a white belly and broad -bands of black and white across its wings. It has a loud, shrill shriek, -stools well, flies steadily, congregates in large flocks, and when fat -is quite eatable. It often associates with marlins and sickle-bills, -where its light colors make a beautiful contrast. - -The last four varieties are nearly similar in size and greatly exceed -the following, but are far less desirable in an epicurean point of view. - -The golden plover is one of the finest birds that flies; it associates -in flocks of a thousand, stools well, is extremely fat, is delicious on -the table, and has a peculiarly musical whistle. It frequents the -uplands, and feeds on grasshoppers. Its back is marked with a greenish -red that faintly resembles gold, and gives rise to its name. The young -are quite different in plumage. - -The black-breast or bull-head is a shy and rather solitary -bird--although it occasionally collects in large flocks--but it is quite -fat, and frequently killed in the salt marshes over the stools used for -the ordinary bay-birds. - -The yelper has a strong, rapid, and often irregular flight, and a loud -cry. It stools well, but escapes rapidly as soon as shot at, darting -from side to side in a confusing way, and returns less confidently than -the willet or marlin. It pursues its course generally high in the -clouds, whence it will drop like a stone when coming to the stools. On -Long Island it goes by the name of big yellow-legs; its call can be -heard at an immense distance, and is repeated continually as it flies. -Gastronomically considered, it is passable, and, when fat, really -excellent. - -The yellow-legs, or little yellow-legs, as it is termed on Long Island, -is similar in appearance to the yelper, but has a softer and more -flute-like note, and congregates in larger flocks. It stools admirably, -and is killed in immense numbers. Its flight is rapid and irregular, -especially when it is frightened; and, as food, it ranks with the -yelper. - -The brant-bird is a beautiful bird, and stools well; it rarely consorts -in large flocks, and is quite acceptable on the table. - -The robin-snipe is a graceful, beautiful, and delicious bird; its -favorite localities are the meadow-islands of the salt bays and lagoons; -its flight is steady, and it does not collect in such immense flocks as -the last named variety. Its whistle consists of two clear shrill notes, -by which it is readily attracted; and its predominant colors are grey on -the back and red on the breast. - -The dowitcher, which is considered ornithologically as the only true -snipe of them all, has the habits of the sandpiper and the distinctive -attributes of the _scolopax_; it is abundant, extremely gentle, and -excellent eating. It stools admirably, coming to any whistle whatever; -and although it can skiver when alarmed, it usually flies steadily. It -associates with the smaller birds. - -The krieker feeds on the meadows, remains till late in October, becomes -extremely fat, and is an epicurean delicacy; it utters a creaking cry, -but will not stool at all. It also flies with the smaller snipe. - -Having thus mentioned the peculiar distinctive qualities and -characteristics of each bird, of which a fuller description will be -given in another place, we will now pass to a consideration of the best -mode of their pursuit. This being by stratagem, the more thorough the -deception, the more favorable will be the result; and although they can -frequently be attracted by an accurate imitation of their call within -reach of their destroyer, crouched in the open field and unaided by -decoys, they will approach much better to the concealed sportsman and -well made stools. A stand is usually erected near some pond or bar where -the birds are in the habit of alighting--and this can be built in half -an hour of bushes or reeds--high enough to conceal the sportsman -comfortably seated in his arm-chair; and as the grass has become by the -latter part of August a dull yellowish green, he may even shelter -himself from the sun’s rays by a brown cotton umbrella, if he be -delicate or ease-loving. His clothes should assimilate to the color of -the landscape, and be as cool as possible--for the temperature is often -oppressively hot; and a waterproof should always be at hand in case of -rain, to cover, not so much the sportsman as his gun and ammunition, -which may be seriously injured by dampness and salt air combined. - -If it is impracticable to build a stand, and the locality is sandy, a -hole may be dug, with the excavated sand banked around it, and the -sportsman may deposit himself upon his Mackintosh at the bottom. -However, to one unaccustomed to the posture, it is difficult to rise and -shoot from such a position, and a comfortable seat is far preferable; -and besides, the mosquitoes are thicker near the earth; the breeze has -less effect and the sun more. - -The stools should be so placed that they can be readily seen from the -line of flight, not too high above the water, and the farthest not more -than thirty-five yards from the shooter. If too near a bank, they will -be confounded with the grass, and be invisible even to the keen eye of -the snipe. They should be scattered sufficiently to allow each one to be -distinct, and must be headed in different directions, so that some may -present their broadsides to every quarter of the heavens. They should -tail down wind, in a measure, from the stand, as the birds, no matter -what direction they come from, head up wind in order to alight, and will -make a circle to do so. In this way they reach the lower end of the -imitation flock first, and are led safely close to the sportsman, giving -him an admirable opportunity to make his selection from their ranks. - -As the tide varies according to the wind and moon, and will often cover -with several feet of water places usually dry, it is well to have two -sets of sticks--one set for deep water much longer than those for -ordinary use; otherwise, it will occasionally be found impossible to set -out the stools at all, or they will stand so high above the ground as to -resemble bean-poles more than birds. - -It is customary to have in the flock, which should not be less than -forty, imitations of the different species--some being brown to -represent marlin, others grey, with white breasts and a white and black -streak over the tail to stand for willet, and so on; but a more -important point is to have them large. Small stools cannot be seen far -enough to attract a yelper sailing amid the clouds, or a marlin sweeping -along the distant horizon; and although it is pretty and appropriate to -have them of suitable colors, size is more necessary. A sickle-bill is a -large bird, and I have seen one tethered among the stools towering above -them, so that the imitations looked puny by comparison, although larger -than they were usually made. The word stool is derived from the Danish -_stoel_, and signifies something set up on less than four legs, but of -the mode or reason of its adoption we have no record; it is in universal -use, to the exclusion of the more elegant and appropriate term, decoy, -which is confined to imitation of wild fowl. Stools are ordinarily made -of wood, and occasionally painted with great artistic care and skill; -and although a rough affair, coarsely daubed, seems often to answer -nearly as well, there are times when the birds, rendered wild by many -hair-breadth escapes, look sharply ere they draw near, and will not -approach unsightly blocks of wood, no matter how sweetly they seem to -whistle. - -As wooden stools take up much room and are troublesome to carry for any -distance, tin ones have been made that will pack together in a small -space. By heading these, different ways, they present a good view to the -snipe, except when the latter are high in air, from which position they -are invisible. To remedy this defect, it has been suggested that a strip -of tin of the width of the body may be soldered along the upper edge; -and thus, while they pack snugly, a section of the object is presented -in every direction. - -Wooden stools are decidedly the best, especially where it is desirable -that the birds should alight, and are in general use. They are made of -pine, and painted the distinctive colors of their prototypes; thus -sickle-bills, marlin, and jacks, are all brown with dark spots on the -back and wings; willet, as heretofore described; yellow-legs, dark -mottled grey on the back and wings, and white beneath; dowitchers brown -on the back and wings, and yellowish-white below; bull-head plover light -on the back, with dark breasts; robin-snipe light grey on the back and -side, and reddish beneath. But the snipe are not always discriminating, -and a few varieties will answer every purpose. - -Stools are easily made and moderate in cost, and every sportsman should -have not less than twenty-five of his own, so that in case those that he -finds at the country taverns for the public use are engaged, he may have -some to fall back upon--although twenty-five are not a full supply. They -may be carried in a bag or basket, with their feet and bills removed; -and the basket will be useful to hold lunch, ammunition, or game. - -Extempore representations can be made from the dead birds, although they -are not quite so good as the wooden ones, by cutting a forked stick with -one end much longer than the other, and thrusting the longer point into -the bird’s neck and the shorter one into its body. It may then be stood -up in the sand, and will make a decoy scarcely distinguishable by man -from the living prototype, but apparently more unnatural to the -birds--which are sometimes alarmed at its ghastly appearance--than the -ordinary stools. - -Very perfect stools are made of India-rubber, which, being compressible -and light, can be readily transported, and are a deceptive imitation; -their principal defects are their liability to injury from shot--which -is also the case with wooden ones--and the facility with which the hole -where their long leg is inserted becomes torn--an accident that entirely -destroys their usefulness. They can be packed in a small compass, and -are infinitely the best article where they are to be carried long -distances. Although of necessity undersized, their full plump shape -makes them visible at a considerable distance. - -To prevent the bills, which are the most delicate part, from being -injured, it is necessary to make them rather thicker than those of the -living bird; they are to be painted dark-brown, blue, or grey, according -to circumstances; and their loss, although it may not diminish the -attractiveness, destroys the beauty of the fictitious flock. More -important than perfection of decoys, is accuracy in whistling; this -should be a perfect imitation and answer to the call of the bird, and -will often allure him to the fowler without any decoys whatever. It is -impossible to describe the calls on paper, and long practice will alone -give a thorough knowledge of them; they are generally shrill and loud; -the shriller and louder the better--for man’s best efforts will rarely -equal the bird’s natural powers. The yelper has a clear, bold cry, and -the willet a fierce shriek that can be heard for miles; and if listened -to from a distance, it will be found that the bird’s call can be heard -twice the distance of the man’s answer. It is true that when the snipe -are near at hand and about alighting, a lower whistle is better, for the -reason that it is more perfect, and because the cry changes to a note of -welcome when the flock receives its fellows. And often, when the birds -once head for the stools, if not distracted by neighboring stands, or -alarmed, they will come straight on without any whistling, although this -is by no means invariably the case. - -Many persons find insuperable difficulty in whistling the clear, shrill, -sharp calls; and for them artificial whistles have been manufactured -with a hole at the lower end, which, being opened or closed by the -finger, like the holes in a flute, regulates the sound. These artificial -whistles are not so good as a perfectly trained natural one; the sound -is not sufficiently reed-like, and they occupy and confine one hand when -it should be free to seek the gun. They are suspended from the -button-hole by a string, so that they can be dropped in an instant; but -are only used out of necessity. - -A curious one, to be held in the mouth, has been invented of a -wedge-shaped piece of tin in the form of an axe-head, with two holes -through the sides. The sound is regulated by the tongue, and is -altogether more correct than that of any other whistle; but more time -and patience are required to learn the use of this invention than of the -lips. It will be far better for the sportsman who intends to pursue this -sport, to practise with the organs that nature has given him, however -much time or perseverance may be necessary, and then there will be no -danger of leaving his whistle at home. - -As before remarked, the great drawback to the sport of shooting -bay-snipe is its uncertainty; if the flight has not come on, or a -westerly wind has driven the birds to sea, or a heavy north-easter -carries them with it high in air and prevents their stopping--there will -be no shooting; and the most experienced hand will often receive the -comforting assurance which is always bestowed upon the inexperienced, -that if he had only come two weeks sooner, or deferred his visit two -weeks longer, he would have been sure of fine sport. There are -nevertheless certain general rules that furnish a tolerable criterion; -and laying aside the spring shooting, which occurs in May, and is -extremely uncertain, the main flight of small birds--such as dowitchers -and yellow-legs--commences about the tenth of July, and of large birds -about the fifteenth of August. Each lasts about two weeks. - -The flight of large birds usually terminates with a short flight of -yellow-legs, and is followed by the plover, which are succeeded by the -kriekers. An easterly storm generally brings the birds, either by -bearing them from their northern homes, or by forcing them in from the -sea, where the main body is supposed to fly; and if such a storm occur -at either of these periods, and be succeeded by a south-westerly wind, -it will surely be followed by an abundance of the appropriate birds. - -During an easterly blow they will be seen passing by Point Judith in an -almost unbroken line; and after it, they abound throughout the whole -length of the coast, as though they had been carried to all parts of it -at once. But if no such storm occur, the catching the flight is a mere -chance; and where the summer has been dry, the snipe will be scarce. If -the meadows have been kept moist by continual showers, there will be a -moderate supply of game the summer through; but if there has been a -drought, the surface becomes too hard for the snails and insects to -inhabit, or for the birds to penetrate; a scarcity of food results, and -there will be no flight whatever. - -Scattering birds, wandering away from their fellows and exhausted with -hunger, delighted at beholding their friends apparently feeding, will be -killed perhaps in numbers sufficient to make now and then a decent bag; -but what is known as the “flight”--when the great army moves its vast -cohorts, division after division, regiment after regiment, company after -company--will not take place. How they reach the south no one can -accurately tell; they either fly inland or out at sea high in the air, -or late at night; but their returning myriads in the spring following, -prove that in some way they did reach their southern winter homes. - -Notwithstanding the greatest experience, and despite the most favorable -signs, the oldest gunner will find that more or less uncertainty exists -in obtaining sport, and that his unlucky expeditions generally outnumber -his lucky ones. Often a flight will commence unexpectedly and without -any apparent reason; and a change of weather, after a long continuance -of wind from one quarter, will be followed by good shooting for some -days, although such weather is not intrinsically favorable. The follower -of bay-birds must therefore make up his mind to disappointment, and on -such occasions live on his hopes for the future, or his recollections of -the past. - -For this sport a heavy gun, such as is commonly employed for ducks, is -not at all necessary; inasmuch as many of the birds are small and the -flocks frequently scattered, it is rarely desirable to use two ounces of -shot and five drachms of powder; and to fire such a charge at a solitary -dowitcher, as is often done, is simply ridiculous. A light field-gun, -with an ounce and a quarter of shot and three drachms and a half of -powder, (or, as I prefer, an ounce of shot and three drachms of powder,) -is amply sufficient--will confer more pleasure and require more skill in -the use, will cut down a reasonable number from a flock, and will kill a -single bird handsomely. - -The gun should be kept at half-cock, and may be laid upon a bench beside -the sportsman; there is always time to cock it, even if a flock is not -seen till it is over the stools; and a gun at full cock in a stand, is a -danger that no reasonable man will encounter. In field-shooting, I do -not approve of carrying the gun at half-cock, believing, for certain -reasons unnecessary here to repeat, that it is less dangerous at -full-cock; but in a stand or in a house, or in fact anywhere but in the -field where it is always in the sportsman’s hand, it should be never -otherwise than at half-cock. It is common to pass in front of guns lying -on the bench in the stand, and they often fall off, and are usually -reached for by the sportsman while his eye is on the advancing flock, -and does not note whether his hand grasps the barrel or the triggers; -and there is an excitement, when the flight is rapid, sufficiently -perilous of itself in connexion with fire-arms, without uselessly -increasing it. Every precaution should therefore be taken; and if by -accident the gun which cannot go off at half-cock shall be discharged in -cocking or uncocking it, it will point forward, away from the stand, and -in such a direction that injury to human life cannot follow. - -Next in importance to care in preventing the gun’s injuring a -fellow-creature, is care in preventing its being injured. The least -dampness, whether from fog or rain, and even the salt air alone, will -rust the delicate steel and iron, and, penetrating farther and farther, -make indentations that will spoil its beauty and injure its -effectiveness permanently. To prevent this, oil frequently applied is -the only remedy; a rag well oiled, and a bottle to replenish from, -should be among the ordinary equipments, and invariably taken to the -shooting-ground; the first symptom of rust or even discoloration should -be removed, and every portion of the iron-work kept well lubricated. At -night a waterproof covering should be used, and the charge invariably -left undrawn, as the dirt prevents oxydization for a time; and during a -rain the utmost care should be taken to protect, if not the entire gun, -at least the locks and trigger-plate. Kerosene oil is excellent to -remove rust, but is too thin to form a coating, and not so good a -protection as sweet or whale oil. Varnish is highly recommended, but I -have never known any one to try it; and in case no oil can be obtained, -the gunners on Long Island are in the habit of shooting a small snipe, -which is often extremely fat, and using its skin as an oiled rag. - -Of course with a breech-loader the charge is withdrawn, and the cleaning -apparatus may be forced through every evening, although this is -unnecessary, as the dirt is rather a protection; and after the cleaning, -whether of the muzzle-loader or breech-loader, the barrels should be -well oiled both inside and out. If, however, the gun is to be left for a -long time unused and exposed to salt air, a piece of greasy rag wound -upon a stick may be thrust into the barrels to the bottom, and oil -should be liberally applied to the exposed parts. Moreover, the locks, -however well they may fit, will be injured after a while, and should be -removed and examined occasionally. The size of shot used should be -changed according to the season and character of the flight; in July, -when the yellow-legs and dowitchers are the principal victims, No. 8 is -abundantly large; but in August, when curlews, marlin, and willets are -flying, all of which are able to endure severe punishment, No. 6 is -preferable. Eley’s cartridges are often useful with grass-plover, -although they ball so frequently that the majority of sportsmen have -lost faith in them. - -Favorable seasons for snipe, when heavy or repeated rains have saturated -the meadows, and filled every hollow with stagnant pools of dirty water, -are also favorable for mosquitoes. Persons who suffer from the bites of -this pestiferous insect--and the difference between individuals upon -this subject is remarkable--should prepare themselves with mosquito-nets -and ill-scented oils, as they would for a visit to the wild woods; while -those who are much affected by the sun should bring unguents with which -to temper its intensity and assuage the pain that its burning rays -inflict. - -Shoes are the proper things for the feet, as boots become heated and -uncomfortable; and a brown linen jacket with white flannel pantaloons, -thick enough to resist the attacks of a mosquito, and with the necessary -underclothes for an exceptionally cold day, constitute the most -practical rig. - -If the sportsman use a muzzle-loader--which he should not do if he can -afford to buy a breech-loader--he must have a loading-stick which he can -extemporize from his cleaning-rod by substituting a ramrod head for the -jag. This he does by simply having a piece of brass of the proper size -and shape to screw into the place of the latter. He should also have two -guns, or he loses the chance at the returning flock, which is the most -exciting, as it is often the most successful shot. - -The powder should be coarse; the large grain of the ducking-powder being -alone fitted to withstand the deleterious effects of the moisture that -is an invariable concomitant of the salt atmosphere of the ocean. - -One great difficulty that the writer has encountered in preparing this -work, is a proper selection of names--the natural history of our country -is popularly so little understood; to copy English names and apply them -to creatures bearing a faint resemblance in general coloring, though -neither in habits nor scientific distinctions, was so natural to the -first immigrants, and the introduction of a proper appellation is so -nearly impossible, that the confusion in nomenclature of our birds, -beasts, and fishes is hardly surprising. This confusion existing in -every department of natural history--confounding fish of all varieties, -leaving birds nameless, or giving them too many names--culminates among -the bay-snipe. - -Although the bony-fish or mossbunkers of New York become the menhaden of -the Eastern States, and king-fish are transformed into barb in New -Jersey, and perch become pickerel in the west--there are rarely more -than two names, and every fish has some designation; but with bay-snipe, -after an infinite multiplication of names for certain species, others -are left entirely unnamed. Many that are frequently killed are without a -popular designation, and more still are called frost-birds, and -meadow-snipe, and beach-birds--names that might with justice be applied -to the entire class, and which are so utterly confused, that persons -from different sections of the country do not know what others are -talking about. To make matters worse, the scientific gentlemen have -stepped in, and after indulging in plenty of bad Latin, have added fresh -English appellations, more unmeaning and less appropriate if possible -than the common ones. - -From this mass of incongruities the writer has endeavored, while -preserving the best name, to select the one in general use, bearing in -mind that names are mere substitutes, and not descriptive adjectives. -The name frost-bird or frost-snipe--which belongs to entirely different -creatures--is applicable to every bird that appears after a frost, and -as nearly a hundred varieties are in this category, it is not -distinctive; the names meadow-snipe and beach-bird are ridiculous, but -the latter, being applied to an unimportant class, is allowed to stand. -The snipe that is herein called a krieker, or, as it may be spelled, -creaker, which utters a hoarse, creaking note, is called in various -places meadow-snipe--although most of the bay-birds haunt the meadows; -fat-bird, whereas others are equally fat; and short neck, in spite of -the fact that its neck is longer than some species; while ornithologists -call it pectoral sandpiper, probably because it has a breast. So also -with the brant-bird, which is called on the coast of New Jersey -horsefoot-snipe, because it feeds on the spawn of the horsefoot; -notwithstanding that the yellow-legs and several others do the same. -The name, however, is not satisfactory on account of its similarity to -the brant or brent-goose; and probably the scientific designation, -turnstone, if it were at all in common acceptation, would be better. It -is to be hoped these names will at some day be harmonized by universal, -consent, and these pages will at least make mutual comprehension open -the way for that desirable result. The sickle-bill, jack-curlew, marlin, -willet, golden-plover, yelper, dowitcher, and krieker, are excellent; -and the ring-tailed marlin, black-breast plover, yellow-legs, and -robin-snipe, are at least descriptive. Were these generally accepted, a -simple and tolerably accurate system of nomenclature would be obtained; -and it has been my effort, while placing the preferable name at the head -of the description of each variety, to collate all the other names that -in any section of our vast territory are applied to the same bird. In -this attempt I can only be partially successful; for the ingenuity of -the American people in coining new names, added to a profound ignorance -of ornithology, has produced a confusion that no one man can reduce to -order. - -Bay-snipe, except the plovers, kriekers, and a few others, are not -considered delicate eating, contracting along the salt marshes a sedgy -flavor; but on the shores of the western lakes, where the fresh water -appears to remove this peculiarity, the yellow-legs and yelpers--which -are often found in considerable numbers, and are called by the general -appellation of plovers--are almost equal in tender, - -[Illustration: FORT MARION. ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA.] - -juicy delicacy to the English snipe. Whether the same change is -noticeable in the larger varieties, I cannot say of my own knowledge. - -The gunners have an ingenious way of stringing them in bunches of a half -dozen each, on the longest feathers taken from their wings, a pair of -these being tied together by the feather ends, and the quillpoints -thrust through the nostrils of the birds. It is desirable to put them up -in small bunches, as under the warm temperature of summer they will, -unless every precaution is exercised, soon become tainted. To prevent -this, the entrails should also be carefully removed without disturbing -the plumage; and a little salt, or, as many persons recommend, coffee, -rubbed inside, and they should be at all times carefully protected from -the sun. Their sedgy flavor grows stronger with every day they are kept; -and being extremely oily, the least taint renders them, together with -all the wild inhabitants of the coast, unfit for food. - -Bay-snipe are essentially migratory, rarely stopping on our shores to -build their nests and rear their young; during the spring months they -pass to or beyond the coast of Labrador, and attend to the duties of -maternity in the vast levels and swamps that surround Hudson’s Bay, and -constitute a large portion of the northern part of British North -America. In my ramblings through the Provinces, I was frequently -informed that they abounded during the latter part of summer on the -marshes near the Bay Chaleur in New Brunswick. This must evidently have -been during their return flight; but whether they were our bay-birds in -their vast variety, or whether they were merely the flocks of golden -plover that follow the winding of the coast and subsequently visit -Nantucket and Montauk Point, I had no opportunity to determine by -personal experience. - -With us they make their appearance in the neighborhood of Boston Bay, -and thence they are found, with various intermissions, caused by the -nature of the ground, all the way to the State of Texas. The innumerable -bays, sounds, and lagoons of our Southern States, inclosed by broad -meadows and including thousands of marshy islands, are their favorite -feeding-grounds, and are visited by them in unnumbered thousands. The -larger varieties may be seen there all through the fall quietly feeding, -and scarcely noticing the approach of man. In Texas they seem to -congregate in vast bodies, and probably move off to or beyond the -equator in the early winter months, although this has never been -positively ascertained. - -They are not killed as game south of Virginia, and rarely south of New -Jersey; in fact, it may be said that only on Cape Cod, Long Island, and -the shore line of New Jersey, are they scientifically pursued. At these -places the sport has greatly diminished of late years; a few years ago -Barnstable beach was a celebrated resort; and at Quogue, parties used no -stools, but stationed themselves along the narrow neck that connects the -beach with the main land, and fired till their guns were dirty or their -ammunition exhausted. Then it was no unusual thing to expend -twenty-five pounds of shot in a day, where now the sportsman that could -use up five would be fortunate. - -Of all the locations on this extent of meadow and beach, no place is so -famous, from its natural advantages and its ancient reputation, as -Quogue. Once on a time the best pond was permanently occupied by a -famous Governor, a still more famous General, and a notorious -Colonel--although the latter was not “in the bond;” but there are other -good stands, and for small birds--yellow-legs, dowitchers, and -robin-snipe--it has no equal. Although many flocks pass it high in air, -all those that follow the coast, low down to the earth, must cross the -meadows that are compressed to a narrow strip at this point, which is -the dividing-ground between the two great bays on the south side of Long -Island. - -Unfortunately, a watering-place for the summer resort of the exquisites -of New York has been established in the vicinity, and the consequent -advantages of comfortable beds and a good table are more than overborne -by the annoyance of such companionship. If there be a flight of birds, -every unfledged sportsman takes out his elegant fowling-piece, and, -daintily dressed, proceeds to the meadow, where he would be -comparatively harmless, and dangerous only to himself, were there room -for him and his fellows. But as the ground is limited, and the favorable -points few, he is sure to interfere; and, while killing nothing himself, -ruins the prospects of those who could do better. At Quogue, decoys -were first used about the year 1850, and the best day’s sport of late -was one hundred and thirty-eight birds. - -West of Quogue there are some snipe, and occasionally a good flight at -South Oyster Bay, and more rarely still at Rockaway; but the large birds -are not numerous north of New Jersey. Squan Beach, Barnegat, Egg Harbor, -and Brigantine Beach are famous for the large birds--the sickle-bills, -curlews, willets, and marlins--that visit them; the same number of shots -cannot be obtained as at Quogue, but the bag is larger. At the former -places there is also a flight, of greater or less extent, of dowitchers -and yellow-legs, but these are not so abundant as along the margin of -the Great South Bay of Long Island. On the other hand, a bag of one -hundred of the larger varieties is not unusual; while at Egg Harbor the -robin-snipe, which affect marshy islands are exceedingly numerous. - -Twenty years ago there was good bay-snipe shooting at what is termed -“Fire Island,” and even in the year 1883 there was a remarkable flight -late in the fall. But the cry of old George, which the gunners of “long -ago” welcomed in their youth, is never heard now; George and his -salutation have departed, and “Wake up, all them as is goin’ sniping” is -a thing of the past. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE JERSEY COAST. - -“_A Girl from New Jersey._” - - -Why is it that every one who visits New Jersey comes away with an -ecstatic impression of Jersey girls that he never can forget? Lovely -they are, it is true, but not more beautiful than other fair ones of -America; affable, gentle, graceful, sprightly--but these qualities are -common in our angel-favored country. Yet no one that has been blessed -with their company can forget them, but carries for ever in his heart -the image of one, if not two or three, Jersey girls. - -These reflections were suggested to the writer by the recollection of -his first trip, many years ago, to the Jersey coast. The summer had been -oppressively hot, and being detained in town during the fore part of -August, he was glad to avail himself of the first chance to escape from -the city and betake himself to the cool, invigorating breezes of the -seashore. Not knowing precisely what route to follow, he trusted himself -on board the train without any definite destination, and, upon inquiry, -was informed that a good place for bay-shooting was at Tommy Cook’s, -near the coast, and about four miles from one of the last stations on -the road, where, under the charge of the Quaker host, considerable -comfort could be had. - -To Cook’s, therefore, upon reaching the station, the writer told the -driver of what seemed to be a mongrel public coach, that he wanted to -go; but in thoughtlessness, never conceiving that there could be two -Cooks, he omitted the Tommy that should have preceded the direction. His -surprise was by no means moderate to find, upon reaching his -destination, the supposed Quaker host slightly inebriated, dancing a -solitary hornpipe to an admiring circle. Thinking perhaps that that was -the custom of Jersey Quakers--for the State is exceptional in certain -things--he took a glass of bad whiskey with the jovial landlord, made -proposals, much to every one’s surprise, to go shooting the day -following, and retired early. - -Next morning a short walk dissipated all idea of finding game, and -having made the discovery that he was still fifteen miles from the -proper shooting-ground on the beach, he returned to the house, and in -order to enjoy a few hours ere the wagon for his further transportation -would be ready, joined a bathing party. It was quite a sociable affair; -both sexes, dressed in their bathing clothes--the girls without -shoes--crowded down in the bottom of an open wagon. But surely it is not -fair to tell how one of the flannel-encased nymphs nearly fell from the -wagon, and was caught in the arms of the writer, who had jumped out for -the purpose; nor how the rest drove off to leave them; nor how he bore -his lovely burden--plastic grace and beauty personified--bravely in -pursuit; nor how his foot chanced to trip--accidentally, of course--and -they fell and rolled in the sand together. If he would tell, he could -not; words do not exist for the purpose. - -He had, however, all he could do to explain the accident and pacify the -nymph. If she had known how much of solidity there was in her -loveliness, and how little of romance in the deep yielding sand, she -might have more readily accepted the excuse of weariness. If the -grasshopper becomes a burden under certain circumstances, why may not a -naiad? - -The road to the beach lay through a village formerly known by the -euphonious and distinctive title of Crab Town--a village of a thousand -inhabitants. It was evening ere Crab Town was reached, and just beyond, -the driver came upon a bevy of female acquaintances. In a moment the -suggestion was made that they should ride; after a little demur they -accepted, and were crowded in. The stage was not large, but there would -have been room if they had been twice as numerous; they filled every -seat, and every lap besides. - -There are days in one’s lifetime that should be celebrated as -anniversaries; and if any gentleman has carried in his arms, albeit with -true tenderness, one charming Jersey girl in the morning, and has had -another equally charming sit on his lap in the evening, he may look upon -that day as never likely to repeat itself. - -There was a hum of pleasant voices--words like, “Oh! Deb, we should not -have got in;” “Why, Mary, we may as well ride--it’s all in our way.” -“But these gentlemen are strangers, and may think it wrong of us.” “Oh, -Lib, don’t talk that way; they know better.” We assured them that -nothing could be more perfectly proper. So situated, the ride appeared -very short, and the next mile, which was as far as our delightful -freight would go, was passed seemingly in about a minute and a half, -decidedly the fastest time on record. At the end of it, on a suggestion -from the driver, who lived in that section and knew the country, toll -was taken of their rosy lips as passage-money. Jersey is a glorious -place. - -Passing Charley’s, as he is generally called, the son of the old man, -who for years was famous as the first hunter in that land, we turned off -beyond, down the beach. The bay between the mainland and the sand-bar, -known everywhere as “The Beach,” was narrow, widening slowly as we -advanced, until, at the end of our seven miles’ journey, it was nearly -three miles across. There was little vegetation beside salt grass -and bay-berry bushes; but of the animal kingdom the only -representatives--the mosquitoes--were thicker than the mind of man can -conceive; they rose in crowds, pursuing us fiercely, covering the horses -in an unbroken mass, settling upon ourselves, flying into our eyes, -crawling upon our necks, stinging through our clothes, and filling the -air. Although small, the were hungry beyond belief, and, following -their prey relentlessly, compelled us to fight them off with bushes of -bay-berry for our lives. - -Mosquitoes are found plentifully at our summer watering-places, and -still more numerously in the wild woods, grow abundantly in Canada, and -are over-plentiful at Lake Superior; but nowhere are they so merciless, -fierce, and numerous, as, on occasions, at the New Jersey beach. They -are a beautiful little creature, delicate, graceful, and elegant, but -obtrusive in their attentions; although the ardent lover was anxious to -be bitten by the same mosquito that had bitten his lady-love, that their -blood might mingle in the same body. - -One good effect they had, however, was to compel the driver to urge on -his weary team, and leave him no time to gossip at Jakey’s Tavern, over -the beach party that was to be held there next day. A beach party is -another delightful institution of the Jerseyites, and consists of a -congregation of the youths of both sexes, especially the female, -collected from the main shore, and meeting on the beach for a frolic, a -dance, and a bath. As it rarely breaks up till daylight, the pleasantest -intimacies are sometimes formed, and soft words uttered that could not -be wrung from blushing beauty in broad day. - -The establishment of the “old man”--the sporting “old man,” not the -political one--since he has been gathered to his forefathers, is kept up -by his son-in-law, usually known by the abbreviation--Bill. It is not an -elegant place; sportsmen do not demand elegance, and willingly sleep, -if not in the same room, in chambers that lead into one another; but it -is situated within a hundred yards of the best shooting ground, and is -as well kept as any other tavern on the beach. Sportsmen do not mind -waiting their turn to use the solitary wash basin, drawing water from -the hogshead, or wiping on the same towel, but are thankful for good -food, and the luxury of a well filled ice-house. - -In addition to the general directions heretofore given, it may be well -in this connexion to describe more particularly the mode of killing -bay-snipe. A number of imitation birds, usually called stools, are cut -from wood, and painted to resemble the various species; they have a long -stick, or leg, inserted into the lower part of the body, and a -sufficient number to constitute a large flock are set up in shallow -water, or upon some bar where the birds are accustomed to feed. They are -made from thin wood, or even from tin, and are headed various ways so as -to show in all directions; the coarsest and least perfect imitations -will answer. - -The most remarkable trait of the shore birds, or bay-snipe, is their -gregarious nature and sociability. A flock flying high in air, -apparently intent upon some settled course, will, the moment they see -another flock feeding, turn and join it. Their natural history, or the -object which they evidently have in thus joining forces, does not seem -to be understood; but the baymen, by imitation-birds and calls, take -advantage of this instinct. Farther south, along the shores of Florida -and Texas, these snipe collect in crowds; and either this is the first -step towards that purpose, or they are merely attracted by the feeding -birds to a promising place for a plentiful repast. - -Although ordinarily they will come to the stools of themselves, if they -happen to be at a distance flying fast and high, the gunner must trust -to the shrillness of his whistle and the perfection of his call, to -attract their attention. If they turn towards the decoys and answer the -whistle--which they will do at an immense distance--they are almost sure -to come straight on, and their confidence once gained, rarely wavers. - -There is a common expression among the baymen, that birds have a trade, -or are trading up and down over a certain course, by which they mean -that they fly backward and forward at regular hours, and to and from -regular places. Snipe that are thus engaged trading are not only in the -finest condition, but come to the decoys, or stool, as it is termed, the -most readily. They are probably stopping on the meadows, and fly to -their feeding-grounds in the morning and back at night. The great -migratory bodies, which frequently stretch in broken lines almost across -the horizon, and which are pursuing their steady course to their -southern homes, rarely heed the whistle, or turn to the silly flock that -is eating while it should be travelling. - -The best days are those with a cloudy sky, and a south-westerly wind. On -such occasions the birds often come in myriads, delighting the -sportsman’s heart, testing his nerves, and filling his bag to -repletion. When the object is to kill the greatest number possible, they -are permitted to alight among the stools and collect together before the -gun is fired; then the first discharge is followed rapidly by the -second, which tears among their thinned ranks as they rise; and, if -there be a second gun, by the third and fourth barrel, till frequently -all are killed. The scientific and sportsmanlike mode is to fire before -they alight, selecting two or three together and firing at the foremost. - -It is a glorious thing to see a flock of marlin or willet, or perhaps -the chief of all, the sickle-bills, swerve from their course away up in -the heavens, and after a moment’s uncertainty reply to the sportsman’s -deceitful call and turn towards his false copies of themselves. As they -approach, the rich sienna brown of the marlin and curlew seems to color -the sky and reflect a ruddy hue upon surrounding objects; or the black -and white of the barred wings of the willet makes them resemble birds -hewn from veined marble. The sportsman’s heart leaps to his throat, as -crouching down with straining eye and nerve, grasping his faithful gun, -he awaits with eager anxiety the proper moment; then, rising ere they -are aware of the danger, he selects the spot where their crowding bodies -and jostling wings shut out the clouds beyond, and pours in his first -most deadly barrel; and quickly bringing to bear the other as best he -may among the now frightened creatures as they dart about, he delivers -it before he has noticed how many fell to the first. Dropping back to -his position of concealment, he recommences whistling, and the poor -things, forgetting their fright and anxious to know why their friends -alighted amid a roar like thunder, return to the fatal spot, and again -give the fortunate sportsman a chance for his reloaded gun. - -It was for such glorious sport as this, with fair promise of -success--for the flight was on, as the saying is, when the snipe are -moving--that I prepared myself the next morning. Rising at earliest -daybreak, a friend, the gunner, and myself sallied out to the blind, and -having set out our stools, possessed our souls in patience for what -might follow. A blind is another ingenious invention of the devil--as -personified by a bayman, in pursuit of wild fowl--and is constructed by -planting bushes thickly in a circle round a bench. Seated upon this -bench and concealed from the suspicious eyes of the snipe by the dense -foliage of the bayberry bushes, the sportsman, in comparative comfort, -awaits his prey. In less civilized localities he hides himself among the -long sedge grass or scoops out a hole in the sand and lies at length -upon a waterproof blanket. - -The wind had hauled, in nautical language, to the south’ard and -west’ard, and the sun’s rays driving aside the hazy clouds, illuminated -the eastern sky with fiery glory. The land and water, dim with the heavy -night fog, stretched out in broad, undefined outline, and the heavens -seemed close down upon the earth. Through the hazy atmosphere and -sluggish darkness the rays of light penetrated slowly, bringing out -feature after feature of the landscape, lighting the tops of distant -hills, and revealing the fleecy coursers of the sky. - -Amid the fading darkness we soon heard the welcome cry of the bay-snipe -pursuing his course, guided by light that had not yet reached our -portion of the earth’s surface. Instantly we responded with a vigor and -rapidity on behalf of each, that must have impressed the travelling -birds with the belief that we constituted an immense flock. Again and -again, long before our straining eyes could catch the outline of their -forms, came the answering cry. Our eagerness increased with the -approaching sound, until from out the dim air rushed a glorious flock of -marbled willet, and swooping down to our stools dropped their long legs -to alight--we feeling as though little shining goddesses were descending -upon us. - -Without pausing to discuss their angelic character, but mercilessly -bringing our double-barrels to bear upon the crowded ranks, we poured in -a destructive broadside that hurled a dozen upon the bloodied sand. -Startled at the fearful report and its terrible consequences, they rose, -darting and crossing in their alarm, and fled at full speed; but hearing -again the familiar call, after flying a few hundred yards, they turned -and came once more straight for the decoys. Then my friend thought -highly of me and my breech-loading gun, for ere he had reloaded I had -discharged my two barrels three times, adding six birds to those -already upon the sand. Eighteen willet from the first flock, and ere the -sun was fairly up, gave us a good start; and after the birds were -gathered, the favorable send-off was duly celebrated in a few drops of -water with enough spirit to take the danger out. - -And now myriads of swallows made their appearance, skimming close along -the water, but in one steady course, as though they were going out for -the day, and would not be back till night-fall. They were followed by -scattering snipe that furnished neat but easy shooting till six o’clock, -when the regular flight began with a splendid flock of marlin that came -rapidly from the south’ard, and after hovering over the stools and -giving us one chance, returned for two more favors from the -breech-loader, and left sixteen of their number. - -Sportsmen of any experience know that nothing is easier than to select -from a flock a single bird with each barrel; but in bay-shooting, a man -who claims to excel, must kill several with the first barrel, and one, -at least, with the second. If, however, to the ordinary excitement be -added the natural emulation arising from the presence of several -sportsmen in the same stand, the foregoing desirable result is not -always attained. If, therefore, the reader shrewdly suspects we should -have killed more birds than we did, let him place himself in a similar -position, and record his success. - -Shore birds of the various species, beginning with the magnificent -sickle-bill, and including the wary jack-curlew, the noisy, larger -yellow-legs or yelper, and the smaller one, down to the pretty -simple-hearted dowitcher, went to make up our morning’s bag. The -scorching sun when it hung high over our heads stopped the flight, and, -aided by venomous mosquitoes, drove us to the shelter of the house, and -turned our thoughts towards dinner. - -The stands being convenient to the tavern, we had run in and snatched a -hasty breakfast, but now collected to clean guns, load cartridges, and -talk over results. The breech-loader being at that time something of a -novelty, attracted considerable attention, and was accused of that -defect popularly attributed to it, of not shooting strongly. As there -were several expensive guns present--among them one of William Moore--in -all of which the owners had great faith, the question was soon tested -and settled to the satisfaction of the most sceptical. - -That being concluded, black-breast, or bull-head plover, was the -occasion of a terrible contest over the entire plover family--some of -the sportsmen insisting there were three, others four or five well-known -kinds. They all agreed as to there being the grass-plover, the -bull-head, and the golden-plover; but some claimed in addition, the -frost bird and the red-backed plover. At last one burst forth: - -“There is Barnwell; he ought to know: what does he say?” - -As they turned inquiringly, feeling the momentous nature of the -occasion, and that now was the chance to establish my reputation for -ever, with an air of deep learning, I commenced: - -“In the first place, you are mistaken in including among plovers the -grass or grey-plover, as it is commonly called; it is not a plover at -all----” - -“Oh! that is nonsense,” they burst forth unanimously; “you don’t know -what you’re talking about.” - -Never was a growing reputation more suddenly nipped. Instantly reduced -to a state of meekness, and only too glad to save a shred of character, -I mildly suggested that Giraud’s work on the birds of Long Island was in -my valise, and probably contained the desired information. - -“Well,” said one, “let’s hear what he says.” - -So I procured the book and read as follows: - - “‘TRINGA BARTRAMIA--WILSON. - - BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER. - - Bartram’s Sandpiper, Tringa Bartramia, Wil. Amer. Orn. - _Totanus Bartramius_ Bonap. Syn. - - _Totanus Bartramius_ Bartram Tatler, Su. & Rich. Bartramian - Tatler, Nutt. Man. - - Bartramian Sandpiper. _Totanus Bartramius_ Aud. Orn. - Biog.’ - -“After giving the specific character, and a spirited account of the -well-known manner of shooting them from a wagon, which is not followed -with any other bird, as you well know, he proceeds as follows: - -“‘In Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and on the Shinnecock and -Hempstead Plains, Long Island, it is common, where it is known by the -name of “gray,” “grass,” “field,” or “upland” plover. It is very wary, -and difficult to be approached. On the ground it has an erect and -graceful gait. When alarmed it runs rapidly for a short distance before -taking wing, uttering a whistling note as it rises; its flight is rapid, -frequently going out of sight before alighting. It usually keeps on the -open, dry grounds--feeding on grasshoppers, insects, and seeds. In the -month of August it is generally in fine condition, and highly prized as -game. When feeding, for greater security, this species scatter about; -the instant the alarm is given, all move off. In the latter part of -August it migrates southward, and, it is said, performs the journey at -night. Stragglers frequently remain behind until late in September.’” - -“It is evident he knew the bird,” replied one of the objectors; “but as -he calls it by six or seven names--the English ones being both -sand-piper and tatler--he evidently did not know what it should be -called.” - -“That is the way with naturalists,” replied another; “they each give a -name to a species, but in this case all agree that it is not a plover. -What is the name plover derived from?” - -“It comes from the French word _Pluvier_, rain-bird, because it -generally flies during a rain. But naturalists found distinctions more -upon the shape of bill and claws than on the habits of any species. -According to them, plovers proper have no hind toe, or, at most, only a -knob in its place.” - -“Do you know what Frank Forester says on the subject?” - -Feeling my reputation rising a little, I resumed: “He confuses -frost-bird and grass-plover, quoting Audubon as his authority; but he -points out the distinctive peculiarity of the plover.” - -“If he thinks a grass-plover and a frost-bird are alike, he knows very -little of his subject. Why, the frost-bird stools admirably, while the -plover never stools at all.” - -“Not so fast! Frank Forester was a splendid writer, and upon matters -with which he was familiar he was thorough. He has conferred an immense -favor upon the American sporting world; but where he had not personal -experience--and no one can know everything--he had to rely upon others. -He has done as much to correct and elevate sportsmanship in this -country, to introduce a proper vocabulary, and to enforce obedience to -gentlemanly rules, as any man possibly could. As a body, we owe it to -him that we are sportsmen, and not pot-hunters. Probably in some places -the grass-plover is called a frost-bird.” - -“I have more faith in Giraud, and would like to hear what he can tell us -about the golden-plover, unless he says that is a sandpiper also.” - -“He begins with a description of the black-bellied plover, which is -known to us as bull-head, the _charadrius helveticus_, and then -describes the American golden-plover, or _charadrius pluvialis_, and -uses these words: ‘It is better known to our gunners by the name of -frost-bird, so called from being more plentiful during the early frosts -of autumn, at which season it is generally in fine condition, and -exceedingly well flavored.’ Then follow the ring-plover, or -ring-neck--_charadrius semipalmatus_, Wilson’s plover; the -piping-plover, or beach-bird--_charadrius melodius_; and the kildeer -plover--_charadrius vociferus_, these being all the varieties of -American plover.” - -Bill could stand it no longer; but rising as the book was closed, burst -forth at once: - -“Those writers are queer fellows; they put the oddest, hardest, longest -names to birds that ever I heard. Who would have thought of their -calling a two-penny beach-bird, a radish mellow-deuce! What I have to -say is--we baymen will never learn these new-fangled names.” - -“That is exactly the trouble,” I replied. “You baymen will, in different -sections of the country, call the same bird by various names, till no -one can tell what you are talking about; and the man of science has to -step in and dig up a third name, usually some Latin affair, which nobody -will accept. Thus it is that the older frost-birds, which, strange to -say, invariably arrive before the young, are known as golden-plover, and -their progeny as frost-birds.” - -“Speaking of the seasons,” replied Bill, evasively, “have you noticed -that they are changing every year? The springs are later than they used -to be. In old times the English snipe arrived from the south early in -March; now they hardly come till June; so, the ducks come later and stay -later. The springs are colder, and the autumns warmer, than when I was -young, and the bay-snipe appear in September instead of August, as it -once was.” - -“As to the English snipe you are undoubtedly correct, but this is due -probably to their increasing scarcity; and although we have no spring, -and the summer extends frequently into September, this appears to result -from the changes in climate effected by clearing the woods. As the -forests are cut down, the cold winds of spring, and the burning suns of -summer, produce a greater effect, and each in its turn lasts longer. -Altogether, however, our seasons seem to be moderating.” - -At this interesting point in our discussion, some one discovered by the -aid of a telescope that a flock of willet had settled on the sand-bank -among the stools. The announcement was followed by a general seizure of -weapons and rush for the blinds. My friend and myself hastened to the -little boat, used in floating quietly down upon ducks, and called a -“sneak box,” and embarking, glided silently towards our stand. The tide -had left bare a long bank of sand, upon which was collected a glorious -flock, or, more properly speaking, two flocks united, one of marlin and -the other of willet. - -All unconscious of approaching danger, the pretty creatures were busily -engaged, some in feeding, others in washing--dipping under and throwing -the water over their graceful bodies--others in running actively about, -or jumping up and taking short flights to dry their wings. A happy -murmur ran through the flock, and so innocent and beautiful were they -that we remained watching them in silent admiration, unwilling to -disturb the romance of the charming scene. The rich brown feathers of -the imposing marlin formed an exquisite contrast to the white and black -of the elegant willet, as the different species mixed unreservedly -together. - -They did not exhibit the slightest alarm when our boat, after we had -ceased rowing, was borne towards them by the wind, and allowed us to -approach till it grounded on the flat. Having feasted our eyes on the -magnificent spectacle, we at last gave the word to fire. At the report -they rose wildly, and receiving the second discharge, made the best of -their way to safer quarters. Both barrels of my friend’s gun missed -fire, and we gathered only seven birds, as the flock, although numbering -at least seventy birds, was widely scattered and offered a poor mark. - -No sooner were we again ensconced in our blind, than the exhilarating -sport of the morning was renewed--sport such as only those who have -tried it can appreciate--sport that makes the heart beat and the nerves -tingle--sport that overweighs humanity and compels the remorseless -slaughter of these beautiful birds. Flock after flock, seen at great -distance, and watched in their approach through changing hopes and -fears, or darting unexpectedly from over our heads and first noticed -when rushing with extended wings down to our stools, presented their -crowded ranks to our delighted gaze. From the very clouds, would come -the shrill whistle of the yelper, or from the horizon, the long shriek -of the willet, or nearer at hand would be heard the plaintive note of -the gentle dowitcher; they appeared from all quarters, sailing low along -the water or pitching directly down from out the sky. - -Towards evening the flight diminished, and when the horn announced that -supper was ready, the different parties met once more at the house to -compare notes and relate adventures. All had met with excellent success, -but our stand carried off the palm. - -“Bill,” commenced some unhappy person, after we had left the close, hot -dining-room, “why do you not enlarge your house?” - -“Bill is waiting for another wreck,” was the volunteer response; “the -whole coast is fed, clothed, and sheltered by the wrecks. The house is -built from the remnants of unfortunate ships, as you perceive by the -name-boards of the Arion, Pilgrim, Samuel Willets, J. Harthorn, and -Johanna, that form so conspicuous a part of the front under the porch. -When a vessel is driven ashore, and the crew and passengers who are not -quite dead are disposed of by the aid of a stone in the corner of a -handkerchief, which makes an unsuspicious bruise, the prize is fought -for by the natives, and not only the cargo, but the very ribs and planks -of the vessel appropriated.” - -“Now that’s not fair,” replied Bill, aroused; “no man, except my -father-in-law, has done more to save drowning men than I have. I tell -you it’s an awful sight to see the poor creatures clinging to the -rigging and bowsprit, to see them washed off before your eyes, sometimes -close to you, without your being able to help them, and their dead -bodies thrown up by the waves on the sand. You don’t feel like stealing -or murder at such times; and besides, I never knew a dead man come -ashore that had anything in his pockets.” - -A peal of laughter greeted this naïve remark, together with the ready -response: “Bill, you were too late; some Barnegat pirate had been before -you.” - -“No, the Barnegat pirates are kinder than the Government. We do our best -to save the poor fellows, but the Government puts men in charge of their -station-houses that know nothing about their business. My father-in-law -was the first man that threw a line with the cannon over a ship, and he -was presented with a medal by the Humane Society. He never was paid a -dollar for taking charge of the station, the life-boat, and the cannon. -Since he died I kept it for five years, and was paid two years; now men -are selected for their politics. One lives back on the main land two -miles from his station-house, another never fired a gun, and a third -never rowed a boat. The last got a crew of us together once to go out to -a ship in the life-boat and undertook to steer, but we told him not one -of us would go unless he stayed on shore. It is a dangerous thing to -have a green hand at the helm, or even at an oar, in times like that.” - -“How far can you reach a ship with the cannon?” we inquired. - -“The line, you know, is fastened to the ball with a short wire, so that -it won’t burn off, and is coiled up beside the gun, and of course it -keeps the ball back, and then people forget we always have to fire -against the wind, as vessels are never wrecked with the wind off shore; -so although the guns are expected to carry five hundred yards, they will -not carry more than one hundred and eighty. That is enough, though, if -they only have the right sort of men to manage them; but how is a -landsman to tell whether he must use the cannon or is safe in going off -in the boat? In one case, while the station-master was trying to drag -his cannon down to a ship, a party of us took a common boat and landed -her crew and passengers before he arrived. I don’t care about the pay, -for I kept it three years without; but I hate to see lives sacrificed -for politics. Would you like to see the medal they gave to the old man?” - -We responded in the affirmative; and he soon produced a silver medal, -with an inscription on one side recording the circumstances, and on the -other an embossed picture of a ship in distress, a cannon from which the -ball and rope attached had been discharged and were visible in mid air, -several men standing around the gun, and a life-boat climbing the seas. - -“But, Bill, tell us about the Barnegat pirates leading a lame horse with -a lantern tied to his neck over the sand hills in imitation of a ship’s -light, and thus inveigling vessels ashore.” - -“I can only say I have never heard of it. As quick as a vessel comes -ashore, the insurance agent is telegraphed for, and he takes charge of -everything. Why, we even buy the wrecks and pay well for them, too. Now -and then something is washed up like that coal in front of the house, -but it is not often.” - -“What do you mean by the stations?” - -“They are houses built by the Government and placed at regular distances -along the beach. The gun, and rope, and life-boat, and life-car, and all -other things that are needed in case of shipwreck, are kept in them. -Then there is a stove and coal ready to make a fire, for if a poor -wretch got ashore in mid-winter he would soon freeze if he couldn’t get -to a fire. And if the man who has charge of the station lives two miles -off across a bay that he can’t cross in a bad storm, what can the poor -half-drowned fellows do, if they are too much benumbed to break open the -door? I’d stave it in for them pretty quick if I was there, law or no -law.” - -“It is a shame that a matter like that should not be free from -politics.” - -“So it was once,” Bill went on fluently; for on this subject he felt -that his family had a right to be eloquent; “at one time some department -had it in charge that never would either appoint or remove a man on -political account; but that is all changed now, and the men are expected -to go out with every administration, and shipwrecked passengers die -while political favorites draw the two hundred dollars a year pay for -the station-master.” - -“Now, Bill, stop your talk about the public wrongs, and tell us -something more interesting. Have you ever heard one of Bill’s ghost -stories?” This inquiry was addressed to the public. - -Bill’s face lengthened; he sat silently nursing his leg and smoking his -brierwood pipe, while a shadow seemed to settle on his countenance. -“Come, Bill,” we responded, “let’s have the story.” - -Bill answered not, and the shadow deepened, and the smoke was puffed in -heavier masses from his lips. - -“Bill is afraid; he don’t like ghosts, and don’t dare to talk of them.” - -“I am not easily skeered,” he answered at last; “but if you had seen -what I have on this shore, you would not talk so easy about it ’Lige, do -you remember the time we saw that ship? There had been a heavy storm, -and when we got up next day early, there lay a vessel on the beach; she -must have been most everlastingly a harpin’ it.” - -“What is that?” was asked wonderingly, on the utterance of this peculiar -expression. - -“Why, she had come clear in over the bar, and must have been going some -to do that; for there she lay, bow on, with her bowsprit sticking way up -ashore, just below the station yonder. Her masts were standing, and we -clapped on our clothes and started for the beach. The wind was blowin’ -hard, and the sand and drizzle driving in our faces as we walked over, -and we kept our heads down most of the time. When we got to the -sand-hills we looked up, and the ship was gone. I thought that likely -enough, for she must have broken up and gone to pieces soon in that -surf, so we hurried along as fast as we could; and sure enough, when we -rounded the point, the little cove in which she lay was full of truck. -’Lige was there, and he saw it as plain as I did. The water was full of -drift-boxes, barrels, planks, and all sorts of things, pitching and -rolling about; and some of them had been carried up onto the sand and -were strewed about in all directions. - -“It was early, and the day was misty, but we could see plain enough, and -we saw all that stuff knocking about as plain as I see you now. There -was a big timber in my way--a stick--well, thirty feet long and two feet -or two and a half square, so that I had to raise my foot high to clear -it; I stepped one leg over, and drew the other along to feel it, but it -didn’t touch anything; then I stopped and looked down--there was no -timber there; I looked back towards the sea--the drift had disappeared, -the barrels and boxes and truck of one sort or another was gone. There -was nothing on shore nor in the water. Now you may laugh, but ’Lige -knows whether what I’ve told you is true.” - -“Bill, that is a pretty good story, but it is not the one I meant,” -persisted the individual who had commenced the attack. - -“Well, another time, Zeph and I were at work getting the copper bolts -out of an old wreck, when we happened to look up and saw two carriages -coming along, up the beach. I spoke to Zeph about it, but as they came -along slowly, we went on with our work, and when we looked up again -there was only one. That came on closer and closer till I could tell the -horses; they were two bays of squire Jones’ down at the inlet; they -drove right on towards us till they were so near that I did not like to -stare the people in the face, and looked down again to my work. There -were two men, and I saw them so plain that I should know ’em anywhere. -Well, I raised my head a second after, and they were gone; and there -never had been any wagon, for Zeph and I hunted all over the beach to -find the tracks in the sand.” - -“I guess that was another misty day, and you hadn’t had your -eye-opener,” was the appreciative response. - -“No, it was three o’clock in the day, and bright sunshine; but at that -time, as near as can be, Tommy Smith was drowned down at the inlet, and -the very next day at the very same hour, the ’Squire’s wagon did come up -the beach, with the same two men driving, and the body in a box in the -back part.” - -“Now, Bill,” continued the persistent individual, “this is all very -well, but it is not the story. Come, out with it; you know what I mean.” - -Bill fell silent, again looking off into the distance as though he saw -something that others could not see; he pulled away nervously on his -pipe, which had gone out, but answered not. - -“Bill’s afraid;” was the tantalizing suggestion. - -“There’s Sam,” said Bill suddenly; “he’s not afeard of man or devil; ask -him what he saw.” - -The person referred to was a large, broad-shouldered, pleasant-faced -man, with a clear blue eye that looked as though it would not quail -easily, and he responded at once: - -“I never saw anything; but one night when I was coming by the cove where -the Johanna was cast away, and where three hundred bodies were picked up -and buried, I heard a loud scream. It sounded like a woman’s voice, and -was repeated three or four times; but I couldn’t find anything, although -I spent an hour hunting among the sand-hills, and it was bright -moonlight. It may have been some sort of animal, but I don’t know -exactly what.” - -“Bill’s adventure happened in the same neighborhood, so let’s have it,” -continued the persistent man. - -“As Sam says,” commenced Bill, at last, “the Johanna went ashore one -awful north-easter in winter about six miles above here, near Old -Jackey’s tavern; she broke up before we could do anything for her, and -three hundred men, women, and children--for she was an emigrant -ship--were washed ashore during the following week; most of them had -been drifted by the set of the tide into the cove, and they were buried -there; so you see it ain’t a nice place of a dark night. - -“I was driving down the beach about a year after she was lost, with my -old jagger wagon, and a heavy load on of groceries and stores of one -kind or other. It was about one o’clock at night, mighty cold, but -bright moonlight; and I was coming along by the corner of the fence, you -know, just above Jackey’s, when the mare stopped short. Now, she was -just the best beast to drive you ever saw. I could drive her into the -bay or right over into the ocean, and she was never skeered at anything. -But this time, she come right back in the shafts and began to tremble -all over; I gave her a touch of the whip, and she was just as full of -spirit as a horse need be, but she only reared up and snorted and -trembled worse than ever. So I knew something must be wrong, and looked -ahead pretty sharp; and there, sure enough, right across the road, lay a -man. Jackey was a little too fond of rum at that time, and I made up my -mind he had got drunk and tumbled down on his way home; it was cold, and -I didn’t want to get out of the wagon where I was nicely tucked in, and -thought I would drive round out of the road and wake him up with my whip -as I passed. I tried to pull the mare off to one side to go by, but she -only reared and snorted and trembled, so that I was afraid she would -fall. She had a tender mouth, but although I pulled my best I could not -budge her; at last, getting mad, I laid the gad over her just as hard as -I could draw it. Instead of obeying the rein, however, she plunged -straight on, made a tremendous leap over the body, and dragged the -wagon after her. I pulled her in all I knew how, and no mistake; but it -was no use, and I felt the front wheels strike, lift, and go over him, -and then the hind wheels, but I couldn’t stop her. That was a heavy -load, and enough to crush any one, and as soon as I could fetch the mare -down--for she had started to run--I jumped out quick enough then, you -may bet your life. I tied her up to the fence, although she was still so -uneasy I daresen’t hardly leave her, and hurried back to see if I could -do anything for Jackey. Would you believe it, there was nothing there! I -tell you I felt the wagon go over him, and what’s more, I looked down as -I passed and saw his clothes and his hair straggling out over the snow, -for he had no hat on; though I noticed at the time that I didn’t see any -flesh, but supposed his face was turned from me. There was no rise in -the ground and not a cloud in the sky; the moon was nearly full, and -there wasn’t any man, and never had been any man there; but whatever -there was, the mare saw it as plain as I did.” - -“Now let’s turn in,” said a sleepy individual, who had first been -nodding over Bill’s statement of public wrongs, and had taken several -short naps in the course of his ghost story; “and as there was something -said yesterday about a smoke driving away mosquitoes, for heaven’s sake -let’s make a big one; the infernal pests kept me awake all last night.” - -This was excellent advice, and not only was an entire newspaper consumed -in our common sleeping apartment, but a quantity of powder was squibbed -off, till the place smelt like the antechamber of Tartarus. The -mosquitoes were expelled or silenced at the cost of a slight suffocation -to ourselves, but we gained several hours sleep till the smoke escaped -and allowed the villains to return to their prey. - -One sporting day resembles another in its essential features, although -not often so entirely as with the Englishman, who, having devoted his -life to woodcock shooting, and being called upon to relate his -experiences, replied that he had shot woodcock for forty years, but -never noticed anything worth recording. Our next day, however, was -enlivened by sport of an unexpected kind. We had heard there was some -dispute about the ownership of the stands; in fact, that the one -occupied by my friend and myself belonged to the Ortleys, a family -represented as decidedly uninviting; while both Bill and the Ortleys -claimed that, where another party was located. - -In the disputed stand were Bill, a New York gentleman, who, as events -proved, seemed to be something of an athlete, and a sedate, -unimpassionable Jersey lawyer of considerable eminence. Elijah was with -us, when two villanous, red-haired, freckle-skinned objects presented -themselves, and, after some preliminary remarks and a refusal on their -part of a friendly glass, which is a desperate sign in a Jerseyman, -mildly suggested that they would like a little remuneration for the use -of the stand. As their suggestion was moderate, reasonable, and just, -and they undoubtedly owned the land, we complied, and beheld them -proceed, to Elijah’s great delight, for the same purpose towards the -other stand. Elijah prophetically announced they would probably get more -than they demanded. - -The other stand was distant about a hundred yards, in full view, and we -perceived at once that a commotion was caused by the unexpected arrival. -The athletic man was shortly seen outside the blind, flinging his arms -wildly about in front of the two Ortley brothers, and, as we were -afterwards informed, offering to fight either or both of them. Matters -then seemed to progress more favorably, till suddenly Bill and the -younger Ortley emerged, locked in an unfriendly embrace, and commenced -dragging each other round the sand-bank, while the demonstrative -sportsman was seen dancing actively in front of the other Ortley, and -preventing his interference. - -Of course we dropped our guns and hastened across the shallow, -intervening water, having just time to perceive that Bill had thrown his -adversary and remained on top. The first words we heard were: “Take him -off! Oh, my God! take him off. Enough, enough, take him off,” from the -one on the ground, whose eye--the only vulnerable part to uninstructed -anger--Bill was busily endeavoring to gouge out, while the other shouted -frantically: “He is killing my brother; let me get to him; he is gouging -his eye out. He will kill him, he will kill him.” - -“Never mind,” answered the athletic man, swinging his arms ominously, -and dexterously interposing between the victim and his brother, -whenever the latter attempted to dodge past him. “Let him be killed, it -would serve him right; he came over here for a fight, and he shall have -enough of it if both of his eyes are gouged out.” - -Elijah arrived in time to prevent the latter catastrophe, and being of a -peaceable and humane disposition, pulled off his brother before anything -more serious than a little scratching had occurred. In fact, there is no -position in which ignorance renders a person more pitiably inefficient, -than in fighting; and, while a skilful man could have killed his -opponent during the time Bill had enjoyed, the latter had really -effected nothing worth mentioning. The ugly wretch was awfully -frightened, however; his face being ghostly pale, streaked with bloody -red, and he commenced whining at once: - -“I am nothing but a boy, only twenty-two last spring, and he’s a man -grown.” - -“You know boys have to be whipped to keep them in order,” was the -consolatory response; for we naturally took part with our landlord. - -“Gentlemen, just look at me.” - -“Don’t come so close, you’re covered with blood; keep back, keep back.” - -“But look at me; he’s bigger than I am, and I am only a boy.” - -“Then you shouldn’t strike a man.” - -“Oh! gentlemen, I didn’t strike him first, indeed I didn’t; he struck me -when I wasn’t thinking; indeed he did.” - -“Yes,” broke in his brother, who was just recovering from the spell -first put upon him by our athlete’s continual offers to accommodate him -in any way he wished. “Yes, it will be a dear blow for you; I saw you -strike him.” - -“No,” said the lawyer, advancing for the first time from behind the -blind where he had been an unmoved and impartial umpire of the fray, -“you should not say that; your brother certainly struck first; I saw him -distinctly.” His manner was solemn, and convincing, and conclusive, -taken in connexion with his perfect equanimity during the affair; but, -of course, he was met by contradiction and protestation from the two -brothers. This dispute would have been endless, but at that moment a -fine flock of willets was descried advancing towards the stools. - -“Down, down,” every one shouted, and, true to the bayman’s instinct, -friend and foe crowded down on the sand together, waiting breathlessly -the arrival of the birds. The latter came up handsomely, were received -with four barrels, and left several of their number as keepsakes or -peace-offerings; for, of course, anger was dissipated, and the defeated -enemy retired amid a few merry suggestions, and the excellent advice -that they had better not repeat their joke. - -Such squabbles--for it can be called nothing graver--lower one’s opinion -of human kind, and it makes one ashamed to think that two men may hug -and pull one another about, and roll on the sand for fifteen minutes, -with the best will in the world to do each other all the damage -possible, and only inflict, in the feebleness of uneducated humanity, a -few miserable scratches. Any of the lower animals would, in that time, -have left serious marks of its anger; but the pitiful results of these -human efforts were, that Bill’s beard was pulled and Ortley’s face -scratched. It makes one blush to think he is a man. - -As our party returned to the blind we had left, Elijah spoke, softly -ruminating aloud: - -“Well, it only costs thirty-five dollars anyhow, and it was worth that.” - -Our humane, peaceable friend, it seems, had been cast in a similar case, -and had to pay six cents damages and thirty-five dollars costs of court. -There is probably nothing that has so soothing and pacifying an -influence on the New Jersey mind as costs of court. The words alone act -like a charm upon a Jerseyman in the acme of frenzy, and are as -effective as a policeman in uniform. If a man commits assault and -battery, he is fined six cents damages and costs of court; if he is -guilty of trespass it is the same; if he kisses his neighbor’s wife -against her will, if he slanders a friend’s character, it is always six -cents damages and costs of court; and Jerseymen will probably expect in -the next world to get off with six cents damages and costs of court. - -The shooting was excellent during the whole day, and evening found us -collected in the bar-room, well satisfied and particularly jocose over -the amusing pugilistic encounter we had witnessed. It lent point to -many a good hit at Bill’s expense; even his wife, who is a fine, -resolute-looking woman, saying that if she had seen it sooner, she would -have taken a broomstick and flogged them both. The general impression -was, she could have made her words good. - -The pleasure of indulging in fun at the expense of a fellow-creature is -very great, and Bill’s adventure was certainly fair game. When our wit -was exhausted, and the craving for tobacco mollified by the steady use -of our pipes, our thoughts and voices turned to our never-wearying -passion, and one of the party commenced: - -“I have shot a number of the birds you call kriekers; they are a fat -bird, but do not seem to stool. I have never before shot them, except -occasionally on the meadows.” - -“They don’t stool,” said Bill, “and only utter a krieking kind of cry; -but in October they come here very thick, and we walk them up over the -meadows. Why, you can shoot a hundred a day.” - -“A most excellent bird they are, too--fat and delicate. They are the -latest of the bay-snipe in returning from the summer breeding-places; -and as they rise and fly from you, they afford extremely pretty -shooting. They are sometimes called short-neck, and are, in a -gastronomic point of view, the best bay-snipe that is put upon the -table.” - -“We call the bay-birds usually snipe,” said the first speaker; “but I -have been told they are not snipe at all. Refer to Giraud again and -give us the truth.” - -This fell, of course, to my share, and I commenced as follows: - -“I read you yesterday about the plovers, and immediately after them we -find an account of the turnstone, _strepsilas interpres_, which is -nothing else than our beautiful brant-bird or horse-foot snipe, as it is -called farther south, because it feeds on the spawn of the horse-foot. -This pretty but unfortunate bird belongs to no genus whatever, and has -been to the ornithologists a source of great tribulation. They have -sometimes considered it a sandpiper and sometimes not, so you may -probably call it what you please; and as brant-bird is a rhythmical -name, it will answer as well as _strepsilas interpres_; if you have not -a fluent tongue, perhaps somewhat better. Of the snipes, or -_scolopacidæ_, the only true representative is the dowitcher, _scolopax -noveboracensis_. - -“Hold on,” shouted Bill; “say that last word over again.” - -“_Noveboracensis._” - -“That is only the half of it; let’s have the whole.” - -“_Scolopax noveboracensis._” - -“Scoly packs never borrow a census; that is a good sized name for a -little dowitch, and beats the radish altogether. Go ahead, we’ll learn -something before we get through.” - -“Why, that is only Latin for New York snipe.” - -“Oh, pshaw!” responded Bill, in intense disgust, “I thought it meant a -whole bookful of things.” - -“The sandpipers, however, come under the family of snipes, and are -called _tringæ_. Among these are enumerated the robin-snipe and the -grass-plover, as I told you before, the black-breast, the krieker, or -short-neck, and several scarcer varieties. The yelpers and yellow-legs, -the tiny teeter, and the willet are tattlers, genus _totanus_, while the -marlin is the godwit _limosa_. The sickle-bills, jacks, and futes are -curlews, _genus numenius_.” - -“And now that you have got through,” grumbled Bill again, “can you -whistle a snipe any better or shoot him any easier? Do you know why he -stools well in a south-westerly wind, why one stools better than -another, or why any of them stool at all? Do you know why he flies after -a storm, or why some go in flocks and others don’t, or why there is -usually a flight on the fifteenth and twenty-fifth of August? When books -tell us these things, I shall think more of the writers.” - -“These matters are not easy to find out; even you gunners, who have been -on the bay all your lives, where your fathers lived before you, do not -know. But now tell us what other sport you have here.” - -“On the mainland there are a good many English snipe in spring, while in -the fall we catch bluefish and shoot ducks. The black ducks and teal -will soon be along; but ever since the inlet was closed, the -canvas-backs and red-heads have been scarce.” - -“What do you mean by the inlet’s closing?” - -“There used to be several inlets across the beach--one about ten miles -below--and then we had splendid oysters and ducks plenty. There came a -tremendous storm one winter that washed up the sand and closed the -inlet, and so it has remained ever since.” - -“Can’t they be dredged out?” - -“The people would pay a fortune to any man who did that, if he could -keep it open. In the fall, we go after ducks twenty miles when we want -any great shooting; but we kill a good many round here.” - -“How do you catch the blue-fish that you spoke of?” - -“They chase the bony-fish along the shore, and when they come close in, -you can stand on the beach, and throw the squid right among them. I took -sixteen hundred pounds in half a day.” - -“Phew!” was the universal chorus. - -“‘Lige was there, and he knows whether that is true. They averaged -fifteen pounds apiece. On those occasions, the only question is whether -you know how to land them, and can do it quick enough.” - -“Your hands must have been cut to pieces.” - -“Not at all; you’ll never cut your hands if you don’t let the line -slip.” - -“Did you run up ashore with them?” - -“No, I had no time for that; I landed them, hand over hand.” - -“Well, after that story it’s time we went to bed; so good-night.” - -During that night the mosquitoes, bad as they had been, were more -terrible than at any time previous. Favored by the late frequent rains, -they had become more numerous than had ever been known on the beach; and -being consequently compelled to subdivide to an unusual degree the -ordinarily small supply of food, they were savagely hungry. Sleep was -out of the question, and after trying all sorts of devices from -gunpowder to mosquito-nets, the party wandered out of doors, and, -scattering in search of a place of retreat, afforded an excellent -representation of unhappy ghosts on the banks of the Styx. The shore, -near the surf, and the bathing-houses had heretofore been tolerably -secure resorts, but, on this unprecedented night, a special meeting of -mosquitoes seemed to have been called in that neighborhood. - -Those that tried the ground, and covered themselves carefully from head -to foot, found that the enterprising long-legs disregarded the customary -habits of their race, and consented to crawl down their sleeves, up -their pants, or through the folds of the blanket. The sand-fleas also -were numerous and lively, bounding about in an unpleasantly active way; -and where there were neither mosquitoes nor sand-fleas, the nervous -sufferer imagined every grain of stray sand that sifted in through his -clothes to be some malignant, blood-sucking, insect. - -One great advantage, however, followed from this discomfort--that we -were up betimes next morning and ready for sport that soon proved equal -to any we had experienced. In fact, so steady and well sustained a -flight of large birds was extremely rare; before our arrival the -shooting had been good, and since excellent. There was a repetition to a -great extent of the day previous, in many particulars of flight, number, -and character of birds; in infinite modification of circumstance, there -was an incessant variety of bewildering sport. - -No two birds ever approach the sportsman’s stand in precisely the same -way, and there is one round of deliciously torturing uncertainty; the -flock we are most certain of may turn off, the one that has passed and -been given up, may return; the bird that has been carefully covered may -escape, another that seems a hopeless chance may fall: it is these -minute differences, and this continual variety, that lend the principal -charm to the sportsman’s life. - -At midday came again the congregation at the house, the discussion over -sporting topics, the joke or story, and the comparison of luck. Thus -passed the days, alike, yet different, affording undiminished pleasure, -excitement, and instruction, with sport admirably adapted to the hot -weather, when the cool, shady swamps are deserted by the woodcock. The -English snipe have not yet arrived upon the meadows, and the fall -shooting is still in prospective; the labor is easy, the body can be -kept cool by wading for dead birds, and to those who are, at the best, -not vigorous, bay-snipe shooting is a delightful resource. - -Never did mortals pass a pleasanter week than that week at the beach, -and it is impossible to chronicle all the good shots, to repeat all the -amusing stories or merry jokes, or to record all the valuable -instruction; and to obtain an inkling even, the reader had better make a -firm resolve that next August will not pass over his head without his -devoting at least one week to bay-snipe shooting. When at last the time -came to part, and the baggage was packed, and the guns reluctantly -bestowed in their cases, we bade our farewell with sincere regret, -praying that often thereafter might we have such sport, and meet such -companionship. - -It is a long journey to the beach, but it is a longer one back again; no -high hopes buoy up the traveller, regrets accompany him instead--no -anticipation of grand sport, but the gloomy certainty that it is over -for the year; and although the conveyance to the beach is irregular, -there is absolutely none away from it. It is true there are several -different routes to and from it, but all by private conveyance, and, -rendered by the mosquitoes nearly impracticable. - -Bill harnessed his ponies--for, wonderful to say, a few horses and -cattle manage to live on the beach and sustain existence in spite of the -mosquitoes--and we stowed ourselves and our luggage in his well worn -wagon. The road lay over the barren beach, deep and heavy with sand, -and hardly distinguishable after a heavy rain; the one-story shanty, -that had been our resting-place, soon faded from view, and we had -nothing in prospect but the dreary journey home. - -At the head of the beach we encountered a bathing-party, and were sorely -tempted to join the rollicking girls in a frolic among the breakers; -but, by exerting great self-denial, and shutting our eyes to their -attractions, much to my companion’s disgust, we kept on our course. We -dined at the tavern on the road, and having bade farewell to Bill, and -engaged another team, we reached Crab Town by dusk. - -How changed the village seemed to us! Where was the precious and -beautiful freight that had paid us such delicious toll? Our eyes peered -up and down the road, and into the windows of the scattered houses; our -ears listened sharply for the music of merry voices and ringing -laughter; our thoughts reverted to that crowded stage, which had so -lately borne us through the village. The road was vacant and desolate; -all sound was hushed and still; graceful forms, clad in yielding -drapery, were nowhere to be seen; the dull lights in the windows -revealed nothing to our earnest gaze. Our lovely companions were -invisible, although we pursued our search persistently till late at -night, when, weary and disconsolate, we crawled up to bed in a dismal -hostelry kept by Huntsinger. Going sporting into Jersey is delightful, -but returning is sad indeed. - -[Illustration: - - 1. Lower mandible. - - 2. Upper mandible. - - 3. Forehead. - - 4. Loral space. - - 5. Crown of the head. - - 6. Hind part of the head. - - 7. Scapulars--long feathers from shoulders over side of back. - - 8. Smaller wing coverts. - - 9. Bend of the wing. - - 10. Larger wing coverts. - - 11. Tertials, arising from the second bone of the wing at the - elbow-joint. - - 12. Secondaries, from the second bone of the wing. - - 13. Primaries, from the first bone of the wing. - - 14. Tibia, the thigh. - - 15. Tarsus, the shank. - - 16. Upper tail coverts. - - 17. Lower tail coverts. - - 18. Tail feathers. - -The length of a bird is measured from the extremity of the bill to the -end of the longest tail feather; the length of the wing is measured from -the bend to the tip of the longest quill.] - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -BAY-BIRDS. - - -Although a cursory account of the various bay-birds, their habits and -peculiarities, has been given in a previous chapter, it seems desirable -to add a more complete, exhaustive, and specific description. This is -attempted in the following pages, and although the ornithological -characteristics are taken from _Giraud’s Birds of Long Island_, which -seems to have been the resource of all our sporting writers, nothing -else is derived from him; but the facts are stated, either upon personal -knowledge, which is generally the case, or upon reliable information. - -As to the abundance or scarcity of any particular species, the -experience of sportsmen will differ according to the accident of flight, -or the locality of their favorite sporting-ground; and in relation to -their shyness or gentleness, much depends upon the time of year and the -condition of the weather. In consequence of the confusion of -nomenclature, it has been deemed advisable to give the scientific -description of the common species, each one being placed under its most -appropriate name, and to collect together as many designations as could -be found to have been applied to them respectively. Nevertheless, many -names will no doubt be omitted, and there will be other birds, and some -quite common varieties, that, among bay-men, have no names whatever. - -It is not intended to furnish a description of all the species of -shore-snipe that occasionally are killed, but to supply such information -as will enable the sportsman to distinguish the ordinary varieties; and -such facts as have not been fully stated, which are more especially -applicable to certain members of this great class, are grouped together -under separate heads. Nothing is expected to be added to the -ornithological learning of the world, and only such portions of that -science are given as may be considered desirable for the ready use of -the sportsman in the intelligent pursuit of his pleasures. - - -PLOVERS. - -_Genus Charadrius, Linn._ - -_Generic distinctions._--Bill short, strong, straight, about the length -of the head, which is rather large and prominent in front; eyes large; -body full; neck short and rather thick; wings long; tail rounded and of -moderate length; toes connected at the base; hind toe wanting, or -consisting of a small knob. - - -BLACK-BREAST. - -BULL-HEADED PLOVER. BEETLE-HEADED PLOVER. BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER. - -_Charadrius Helveticus, Wils._ - -This bird is killed along our bays indiscriminately with the other -snipe, although it does not stool as well as the marlin or yellow-legs. -It passes north early in May, when it is often called the black-bellied -plover, and regarded from its plumage as a distinct variety from the -fall bird; it is then quite shy. In August or September it returns, -being more plentiful in the latter month, and is often found in great -numbers especially at Montauk Point; and at that period the young, being -quite fat, are regarded as delicious eating. It is then greyer in -appearance and not so strongly colored as when in full plumage. Before -the main flight arrives, scattering individuals are heard uttering their -peculiar beautiful and shrill cry, and are seen shyly approaching the -stools, or darting round not far off, and yet afraid to draw close to -them. Its head is large and round, giving rise to the name of bull-head, -which is common on the coast of New Jersey, although in New York it is -generally known as black-breast. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill stout, along the gap one inch and -five-sixteenths; length of tarsi one inch and five-eighths. Adult male -with the bill black, strong, shorter than the head; cheeks, loral space, -throat, fore-neck, breast, with a large portion of the abdomen black; -hind part of the abdomen and flanks white; forehead, with a broad band -passing down the sides of the neck and breast, white; crown, occiput, -and hind-neck greyish white, spotted with dusky; upper parts -blackish-brown, the feathers broadly tipped with white; eye encircled -with white; tail and upper tail-coverts white, barred with black, the -former tipped with white; lower tail-coverts white, the outer feather -spotted with black; primaries and their coverts blackish-brown, the -latter margined with white; primary shafts about two-thirds from the -base, white, tips blackish-brown; part of the inner webs of the outer -primaries white; both webs of the inner primaries partially white; -secondaries white at the base, margined at the same; feet black; toes -connected by a membrane. Female smaller. Young with the upper plumage -greyish-brown, the feathers spotted with white; throat, fore-neck, and -upper part of the breast greyish-white, streaked with dusky; rest of the -lower parts white. Length of adult male eleven inches and three -quarters, wing seven and a half.”--_Giraud’s Birds of Long Island._ - - -AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER. - -_Frost Bird_, Greenback. - -_Charadrius Pluvialis, Wils._ - -This bird furnishes great sport at Montauk Point, when the fortunate -sportsman happens to arrive after a fierce north-easter early in -September and during one of those wonderful flights that occasionally -occur. They come readily to the decoys which are placed in the open -upland fields, and were once killed in great numbers on Hempstead plains -before cultivation ejected them. A large number of decoys should be -used, for they are not so easily seen as when set in the water. After -alighting, the golden plover runs with great activity in pursuit of the -insects, mostly grasshoppers, on which it feeds; and when killed it -constitutes a prime delicacy for the table, and brings a high price in -market. It passes to the northward in the latter part of April, and -returns in the early part of September. Its general color on the back is -greenish, and it has a distinct light stripe alongside of the eye. They -often congregate in immense numbers, and I have certainly seen a -thousand in a flock. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill rather slender; along the gap one inch and -an eighth; tarsi one and nine-sixteenths. Adult with the bill black, -much slighter than _C. helveticus_; forehead, and a band over the eye, -extending behind the eye, white; upper parts, including the crown, -brownish-black, the feathers marked with spots of golden yellow and dull -white; quills and coverts dark greyish-brown; secondaries paler--the -inner margined with yellowish-white; tail feathers greyish-brown, barred -with paler, the central with dull yellow; shafts of the wing quills -white towards the end, which, with their bases, are dark brown; lower -parts brownish-black, though in general we find them mottled with brown, -dull white, and black; lower tail-coverts white, the lateral marked with -black; feet bluish-grey. Late in autumn, the golden markings on the -upper parts are not so distinct, and the lower parts are greyish-blue. -Length, ten inches and a half, wing seven and one-eighth.”--_Giraud._ - - -BEACH-BIRD. - -Piping Plover. - -_Charadrius Hiaticula_, Wils. - -The beach-bird, as its name implies, prefers the beaches to the meadows, -and follows each retreating wave of ocean surf in pursuit of its prey, -escaping with amazing agility from the next swell. It is a pretty little -bird, not often associating in flocks, and on hazy days coming well to -the decoys, which should be placed near to the surf, while the sportsman -conceals himself by digging a hollow in the loose sand. Although these -birds are small, they are plump and well flavored, and when flying -rapidly on a level with the flashing breakers, amid the noise and -confusion of old ocean’s roar, are by no means easy to kill. They are -present with us more or less all summer, their diminutive size tending -to protect them from destruction. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill shorter than the head; at base orange -color, towards the end black; fore-neck and cheeks pure white, bordered -above with black; rest of the head very pale brown. Adult male with the -bill short, orange at the base, anterior to the nostrils black; forehead -white, with a band of black crossing directly above; upper part of the -head, hind neck, back, scapulars, and wing coverts, pale brown; rump -white, the central feathers tinged with brown; tail brown, white at -base, tipped with the same; lateral feathers pure white--the next with a -spot of blackish-brown near the end; upper tail coverts white; -primaries brown; a large portion of the inner webs white; a spot of the -same on the outer webs of the inner quills; secondaries white, with a -large spot of brown towards the ends; lower surface of the wings white, -a black band round the lower part of the neck, broadest on the sides -where it terminates; entire lower plumage white. Female similar, with -the band on the neck brown. Length seven inches, wing four and a -half.”--_Giraud_. - - -KILDEER. - -_Charadrius Vociferus_, Wils. - -A worthless bird, furnishing no sport, and poor eating. - -“_Specific Character._--A band on the forehead passing back to the eye; -a line over the eye, upper part of the neck all round, and a band on the -lower part of the fore-neck, white; above and below the latter, a broad -black band; rump and upper tail-coverts orange red. Adult with the bill -black; at the base a band of blackish-brown; on the forehead a band of -white passing back to the eye; directly above a band of black; rest of -the head brown, with a band of white behind the eye; throat white; a -broad band of the same color encircling the upper part of the neck; -middle of the neck encircled with black, much broader on the fore-neck; -below which, on the fore-neck, a band of white, followed by a band of -black on the lower neck, the feathers of which are tipped with white, of -which color are the breast, abdomen, under tail-coverts, and sides, the -latter faintly tinged with yellow; tail rather long, rounded; the outer -feathers white, barred with brownish-black, their tips white, with a -single spot of blackish-brown on the outer web; the rest pale -reddish-brown at the base, changing into brownish-black towards the -ends, which are white; some of the inner feathers tipped with -yellowish-brown; the middle feathers are plain brown, with a darker spot -towards the ends, which are slightly tipped with white; upper -tail-coverts and rump reddish-brown, the latter brighter; upper parts -brown, the feathers margined with reddish-brown; primaries dark brown, -with a large portion of the inner web white; a spot of the same color on -the outer webs towards the tips, excepting the first two; their coverts -blackish-brown tipped with white; secondaries white, with a large spot -of brown towards the ends; their tips, with those of the primaries, -white; secondary coverts brown, broadly tipped with white. Length ten -inches, wing seven inches.”--_Giraud._ - - -SANDERLING. - -_Charadrius Rubidus_, Wils. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill straight, black, along the gap one inch and -one-eighth; length of tarsi one inch; hind toe wanting. Adult with the -bill straight, about as long as the head. Spring plumage, upper parts, -with the throat, fore-neck, and upper part of the breast rufous, -intermixed with dusky and greyish white; deeper red on the back; lower -part of the breast, abdomen, and sides of the body pure white; tarsi and -feet black; claws small, compressed; primaries, outer webs, black; inner -webs light brown; shafts brown at the base, tips black, rest parts -white; secondaries light brown, broadly margined with white. Winter -dress, lower parts white; upper parts greyish-white, intermixed with -black or dusky, darkest on the back. Length seven inches and -three-quarters, wing four and seven-eighths.”--_Giraud._ - - -TURNSTONE. - -_Genus Strepsilas._ - -_Generic Distinctions._--Bill shorter than the head, strong, tapering, -compressed, and blunt; neck rather short; body full; wings long, of -moderate breadth, and pointed; tail round, rather short, and composed of -twelve feathers; tarsus equal to the middle toe, and rather stout; hind -toe small, fore-toes free, with a narrow margin. - - -BRANT-BIRD. - -Horse-foot Snipe, Turnstone, Beach-Robins. - -_Strepsilas Interpres._ - -This is a beautiful bird, and stools pretty well, but is rare and mostly -solitary; its young are at Egg Harbor sometimes termed beach-birds. The -brant-bird is considered good eating. It feeds on the eggs of the -king-crab or horse-foot, which it digs up by jumping in the air and -striking with both its feet at once into the sand, thus scratching a -hole about three inches deep and an inch and a half across. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill black; feet orange; the head and sides of -the neck streaked and patched with black and white; fore part of the -neck and upper portion of the sides of the breast, black; lower parts, -hind part of the back, and upper tail-coverts white; rump dusky; rest of -the upper parts reddish-brown, mottled with black; primaries dusky; a -band across the wings and the throat white. Young with the head and neck -all round, fore part of the back, and sides of the breast, dusky brown, -streaked and margined with greyish-white; wing-coverts and tertials -broadly margined with dull reddish-brown. It can at all times be -identified by its having the throat, lower parts, hind part of the back, -and the upper tail-coverts white, and the feathers on the rump dusky. -Adult with the bill black, throat white, sides of the head mottled with -black and white; crown streaked with black on white ground; on the hind -neck a patch of white; a patch of black on the sides of the neck, of -which color are the fore-neck and the sides of the breast; lower parts -white; tail blackish-brown, white at the base, of which color are the -lateral feathers, with a spot of black on the inner vanes near the -end--the rest margined with reddish-brown, and tipped with white; upper -tail-coverts white; hind part of the back white; the feathers on the -rump black; fore part of the back mottled with black and reddish-brown; -primaries dark brown, inner webs white; secondaries broadly edged with -white, forming a band on the wings; outer secondary coverts -reddish-brown, inner black; outer scapulars white, with dusky spots; -inner scapulars reddish brown. In winter the colors are duller. Length -nine inches, wing five and three quarters.”--_Giraud._ - - -SANDPIPER. - -_Genus Tringà._ - -_Generic Distinctions._--Bill straight, slender, and tapering, -compressed towards the end, and but little longer than the head; body -rather full; wings very long and pointed; tail rather short and nearly -even; tarsi moderate; hind toe very small, and sometimes wanting; fore -toes slender, of moderate length, and generally divided. - - -ROBIN-SNIPE. - -_Red-breasted Sandpiper_. - -_Tringà Cinèrea_, Wils. Winter. - -_Tringà Rufa_, Wils. Spring. - -This delicious and beautiful bird, although far from plentiful, -furnishes excellent sport, coming readily to stool, and flying regularly -and steadily. It mostly affects the marshy islands lying between the -salt water creeks, and derives its name from a fancied resemblance to -the robin, as he is termed among us. It is always gentle, occasionally -abundant, and generally fat and tender; by reason of its steady flight -it is not difficult to kill; and its food, mostly shell-fish, does not -contribute an unpleasant flavor to its flesh. It arrives from the north -about the middle of August, and often lingers for some time on the -meadows. As the season advances its plumage becomes paler, till it -acquires the name of white robin-snipe--although I have often seen them -late in August of the most beautiful and strongly marked coloring, the -breast being a rich brownish red and the back a fine grey. - -The robin-snipe is of about the size of the dowitcher, with a shorter -and more pointed bill, and is killed indiscriminately on the stools with -the other bay-birds. Its call consists of two notes, and is sharp and -clear; when well imitated, it will often attract the confiding snipe to -the gunner, exposed in full view, and without decoys. This bird is very -beautiful, and a great favorite. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill straight, longer than the head; tarsi one -inch and three-sixteenths long; rump and upper tail-coverts white, -barred with dark brown; region of the vent and the lower tail-coverts -white, with dusky markings. In spring the upper parts are ash-grey, -variegated with black and pale yellowish-red; lower parts, including the -throat and fore-neck, brownish-orange. In autumn the upper parts are -ash-grey, margined with dull white; rump and upper tail-coverts barred -with black and white; lower parts white; the sides of the body marked -with dusky; a dull white line over the eye. Adult in spring--bill black; -a broad band of reddish - -[Illustration: THE LIFE CAR.] - -brown commences at the base of the upper mandible, extends half-way to -the eye, where it changes to reddish-brown; upper part of head and the -hind neck dusky, the feathers margined with greyish white--a few touches -of pale reddish-brown on the latter; throat, fore-neck, breast, and -abdomen reddish-brown; vent white; lower tail coverts white, spotted -with dusky; upper plumage blackish-brown, upper tail-coverts barred with -black and white; tail pale brown, margined with white; primary coverts -black, tipped with white; secondary coverts greyish-brown, margined with -white. Young with the upper parts greyish-brown; the feathers with -central dusky streaks, a narrow line of cinnamon-color towards their -margins, which are dull white; the lower parts ash-grey. Length of -adult, ten inches; wing, six and three-quarters.”--_Giraud._ - - -UPLAND PLOVER. - -Grey, Grass, or Field Plover. - -Bartram’s Sandpiper. - -_Tringà Bartramia_, Wils. - -This bird, although scientifically not a plover, is, by its habits, -entitled to an appellation that common consent has bestowed upon it. It -is found upon the uplands, never frequenting the marshes except by -crossing them while migrating, and feeds, not on shell-fish or the -innumerable minute insects that live in sand and salt mud, but on the -grasshoppers and seeds of the open fields. It never takes the slightest -notice of the stools, is comparatively a solitary bird, and although -continually uttering its melodious cry, does not heed a responsive call. - -On the eastern extremity of Long Island, and along the coast of New -England, are vast rolling and hilly stretches of land, where there are -no trees and little vegetation, besides a short thin grass, and here the -plovers rest and feed. They migrate to the southward in August, and -appear about the same time scattered from Nantucket to New Jersey. In -spite of their shyness and the difficulty of killing them, they are -pursued relentlessly by man with every device that he finds will outwit -their cunning or deceive their vigilance. - -Rhode Island has long been one of their favorite resorts, but has been -overrun with gunners, who follow the vocation either for sport or -pleasure, and there, for many years, the grey plover were killed in -considerable quantities. Many are still found in the same locality, or -further east, as well as at Montauk Point; but at Hempstead Plains, -where they were once found quite numerous, they appear no longer; and -the eastern shore of New Jersey being unsuited to their habits, they -rarely sojourn or even pause upon it. They travel as well by night as by -day; and in the still summer nights their sweet trilling cry may be -heard at short intervals; while during the day they will often be seen -in small bodies, or singly, winging their way rapidly towards the south. - -They are wary, fly rapidly, and are difficult to shoot, and, were it not -for one peculiarity, would escape almost scatheless. Alighting only in -the open fields, where the thin grass reveals every enemy and exposes -every approaching object to their view; readily alarmed at the first -symptom of danger, and shunning the slightest familiarity with man, they -are impossible to reach except with laborious and painful creeping that -no sportsman cares to undertake. Not sufficiently gregarious or friendly -in their nature to desire the company of wooden decoys, they cannot be -lured within gunshot; and it is only through their confidence in their -fellow-beasts that their destruction can be accomplished. - -A horse, they know, has no evil design, does not live on plover, and may -be permitted to come and go as he pleases; a horse drawing a wagon is to -be pitied, not feared; and, most fortunately, the birds cannot conceive -that a man would be mean enough to hide in that wagon, and drive that -horse in an ingenious manner round and round them, every time narrowing -the circle till he gets within shot. Man, however, is ready for any -subterfuge to gain his plover; and, seated on the tail-board, or a place -behind prepared for the purpose, he steps to the ground the moment the -wagon stops, and as the bird immediately rises, fires--being often -compelled, in spite of his ingenuity, to take a long shot. - -Even in this mode no large number of birds is killed, and by creeping or -stalking few indeed are obtained. One inventive genius made an imitation -cow of slats and canvas painted to represent the living animal, and, -mounting it upon his shoulders, was often able to approach without -detection; when near enough, or if the bird became alarmed, he cast off -his false skin and used his fowling-piece. This was certainly an -original and successful mode of modifying an idea derived from the times -of ancient Troy. - -This bird is so delicious and so highly prized by the epicure, that no -pains are spared in its capture; it is by many superior judges regarded -as the richest and most delicately flavored of the birds of America; -while its timid and wary disposition renders it the most difficult to -kill. It is, therefore, justly esteemed the richest prize of the -sportsman and the gourmand, and holds as high a rank in the field as in -the market. - -It is not, properly speaking, a bay-bird; but as it is frequently shot -from the stand when passing near the decoys, these few remarks -concerning it are inserted. It is essentially an upland bird, although -from the nature of its migration it passes along the coast and -occasionally far out at sea. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill slender, rather longer than the head; tarsi -one inch and seven-eighths; neck rather long, slender; axillars -distinctly barred with black and greyish-white; upper parts dark brown, -margined with yellowish-brown; fore-neck and fore part of the breast -with arrow-shaped markings; rest of the lower parts yellowish-white. -Adult with the bill slender, yellowish-green, dusky at the tip; upper -part of the head dark brown, with a central yellowish-brown line, the -feathers margined with the same color; hind part and sides of the neck -yellowish-brown, streaked with dusky; fore part of the neck and breast -paler, with pointed streaks of dusky; sides of the body barred with the -same; rest of lower parts yellowish-white; lower wing-coverts white, -barred with brownish-black; upper plumage dark-brown, margined with -yellowish-brown, darker on the hind part of the back; primaries -dark-brown; coverts the same color; inner webs of the primaries barred -with white, more particularly on the first--the shaft of which is white; -the rest brown, all tipped with white; secondaries more broadly tipped -with the same; coverts and scapulars dark-brown, margined with -yellowish-brown, and tipped with white; tail barred with black and -yellowish-brown, tipped with white; middle feathers darker, -tipped with black. Length ten inches and a half, wing six and -five-eighths.”--_Giraud._ - - -RED-BACKED SANDPIPER. - -Winter Snipe.--Black-breast. - -_Tringà Alpina_, Wils. - -This bird absolutely has no common name. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill about one-third longer than the head, bent -towards the end; length of tarsi, one inch. Adult with the bill -black--one-third longer than the head, slightly bent towards the end, -and rather shorter than that of T. Subarquata; upper part of the head, -back, and scapular, chestnut-red, the centre of each feather black, -which color occupies a large portion of the scapulars; wing-coverts and -quills greyish-brown; the bases and tips of the secondaries and parts of -the outer webs of the middle primaries, white; forehead, sides of the -head, and hind neck, pale reddish-grey, streaked with dusky; fore neck -and upper part of breast greyish-white, streaked with dusky; on the -lower part of the breast a large black patch; abdomen white; lower tail -coverts white, marked with dusky; tail light-brownish grey, -streaked--the central feathers darker. - -“Winter dress, upper parts brownish-grey; throat, greyish-white; fore -part and sides of neck, sides of the head, and sides of the body, pale -brownish-grey, faintly streaked with darker; rest of the lower parts -white. Length, seven inches and a half; wing, four and an -eighth.”--_Giraud._ - - -LONG-LEGGED SANDPIPER. - -Peep, Blind Snipe, Frost Snipe, Stilt. - -_Tringà Himantopus._ - -This bird also is nameless: it is rare, although I have killed quite a -number of them, and I believe its numbers are increasing; it rarely -consorts in flocks of more than five or six, stools readily, and is -often mistaken for the yellow-legs. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill about one-third longer than the head, -slightly arched; length of tarsi, one inch and throe-eighths. Adult, -with the upper parts brownish-black, the feathers margined with reddish -white; the edges of the scapulars with semiform markings of the same; -rump and upper tail-coverts white, transversely barred with dusky; tail, -light grey, the feathers white at the base and along the middle; primary -quills and coverts brownish-black--inner tinged with grey; the shaft of -the outer primary, white; secondaries, brownish-grey, margined with -reddish-white, the inner dusky; a broad whitish line over the eye; loral -space dusky; auriculars, pale brownish-red; fore part and sides of neck, -greyish white, tinged with red, and longitudinally streaked with dusky; -the rest of the lower parts, pale reddish, transversely barred with -dusky; the middle of the breast and the abdomen without markings; legs -long and slender, of a yellowish-green color. In autumn, the plumage -duller, of a more greyish appearance, and the reddish markings wanting, -excepting on the sides of the head, and a few touches on the scapular. -Length, nine inches; wing, five.”--_Giraud._ - - -RING-NECK. - -American Ring Plover. - -_Tringà Hiaticula_, Wils. - -This is a small, but delicate, fat, and pretty bird; it does not stool -well, and accompanies the small snipe. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill shorter than the head; base, orange color, -towards the point, black; a broad band on the forehead white, margined -below with a narrow black band, above with a broad band of the same -color; rest part of the head wood-brown; lateral toes connected by a -membrane as far as the first joint; inner toes, about half that -distance. Adult male with the bill flesh color at base, anterior to the -nostrils black; a line of black commences at the base of the upper -mandible, passes back to the eye, curving downward on the sides of the -neck; a band on the fore part of the head pure white; fore part of -crown, black; occiput, wood-brown; chin, throat, and fore neck, passing -round on the hind neck, pure white; directly below, on the lower portion -of the neck, a broad band of black; upper plumage, wood-brown; -primaries, blackish-brown; shafts, white--blackish-brown at their tips; -secondaries slightly edged with white on the inner webs; outer webs, -nearest to the shafts, an elongated spot of white; wing-coverts -wood-brown; secondary coverts broadly tipped with white; breast, -abdomen, sides, and lower tail-coverts, pure white; tail brown, lighter -at the base; outer feathers white--the rest broadly tipped with white, -excepting the middle pair, which are slightly tipped with the same. -Female similar, with the upper part of the head and the band on the neck -brown. Length, seven inches and a quarter; wing five.”--_Giraud._ - - -KRIEKER. - -Meadow Snipe, Fat Bird, Short Neck, Jack Snipe, Pectoral Sandpiper. - -_Tringà Pectoralis_, Aud. - -This is an excellent bird, remaining in the meadows till October, and -becoming fat, rich, and fine flavored, but unfortunately it will not -come to the stools. Although frequently associating in flocks, it can -hardly be said to be truly gregarious, and is as often found with the -different varieties of small snipe as with its own number. It is quite a -difficult bird to kill when on the wing, its flight being rapid and -irregular, and its size small; but when it becomes fat and lazy, after a -long residence in well supplied feeding-grounds, not only is its flight -slower and itself easier to hit, but it is often shot sitting. Its -general color is grey, with white on the abdomen; and its size varies -greatly according to its age and condition, some being of more than -double the size of others. As a natural consequence, considerable -practice is required to distinguish it readily from the ox-eyes by which -it is often surrounded, when the meadow grass hides it, in a measure, -from view. It feeds and dwells altogether in the meadows, finding its -food in the stagnant water collected upon their surface, and is only -plentiful when these are wet. When alarmed, it rises rapidly, and makes -off in a zigzag way, that reminds the sportsman of the flight of English -snipe; and early in the season it is wild and shy. It occasionally -passes over the stools, but never pauses or seems to notice them; and -for this reason, in spite of its epicurean recommendations, it is -generally neglected. In the cool days of September and October, when the -mosquitoes have succumbed in a measure to the frost, its pursuit over -the open meadows is pleasant and exhilarating. It is often killed to the -number of eighty in a day, and is so fat that its body is absolutely -round. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill straight, base orange-green; length of -tarsi one inch and one-sixteenth; upper parts brownish-black, edged with -reddish-brown; throat white; fore part of neck and upper part of the -breast light brownish-grey, streaked with dusky; rest of lower parts, -including the lower tail-coverts, white. Adult with the bill straight; -top of the head dark-brown, intermixed with black; sides of the head, -neck, and a large portion of the breast, greyish-brown, streaked with -dusky; chin white; a streak of dark brown before the eye, continuing to -the nostril, directly above a faint line of white; back dark-brown; -feathers margined with white; primary quills dark-brown--shaft of the -first white; outer secondaries slightly edged with white; tail-feathers -brown, margined with brownish-white--two middle feathers darker, -longest, and more pointed; lower part of the breast, abdomen, and sides -of the body and under tail-coverts white; feet dull yellow; tibia bare, -about half the length. Female, the general plumage lighter. Length nine -inches and a half, wing five and a quarter.”--_Giraud._ - - -OX-EYE. - -_Tringà Semipalmata_, Wils. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill rather stout, broad towards the point; -along the gap about one inch; length of tarsi seven-eighths of an inch; -bill and legs black; toes half webbed. Adult with the bill slender, -about the length of the head--dark-green, nearly approaching to black; -head, sides, and hind-part; of neck ash-grey, streaked with dusky; upper -parts blackish-brown, the feathers edged with greyish-white; secondary -coverts tipped with white; primary coverts brownish-black, as are the -feathers on the rump; upper tail-coverts the same; wing-quills dusky, -their shafts white; tail-feathers ash-grey, the inner webs of the middle -pair much darker; over the eye a white line; lower parts white; legs -black. Length six inches and a half, wing four.”--_Giraud._ - -This and the following variety are generally confounded by bay-men; and -being too small to demand much consideration, and never shot unless -huddled together, so that a large number may be bagged, they are called -promiscuously by the odd name ox-eye. They are fat, and almost as good -eating when in prime order as the reed-bird. - - -OX-EYE. - -Wilson’s Sandpiper. - -_Tringà Pusilla_, Wils. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill along the gap three-quarters of an inch, -slender; tarsi three-quarters of an inch; legs yellowish-green. Adult -with the bill brownish-black; upper part of the breast grey-brown, mixed -with white; back and upper parts black; the whole plumage above broadly -edged with bright bay and yellow ochre; primaries black--greater coverts -the same, tipped with white; tail rounded, the four exterior feathers on -each side dull white--the rest dark-brown; tertials as long as the -primaries; head above dark-brown, with paler edges; over the eye a -streak of whitish; belly and vent white. Length five inches and a half, -wing three and a half. With many of our birds we observe that -individuals of the same species vary in length, extent, and sometimes -differ slightly in their bills, even with those which have arrived at -maturity.--On consulting ornithological works, we notice that there are -no two writers whose measurement is in all cases alike. With specimens -of the Wilson’s sandpiper, we find in their proportions greater -discrepancy than in many other species--and out of these differences we -are inclined to the opinion that two spurious species have been -created.”--_Giraud._ - - -TATLER. - -Genus Totanus. - -_Generic Distinctions._--Bill longer than the head, straight, hard and -slender; neck slender, and both it and body rather long; wings long and -pointed; tail short and rounded; legs long; hind-toe very small, and -the anterior ones connected at the base by webs, the inner being -slightly webbed. - - -WILLET. - -Semipalmated Tatler. - -_Totanus Semipalmatus_, Lath. - -_Scolopax Semipalmata_, Wils. - -This is a fine, large, and beautiful bird; the sharply distinct white -and black of its wings contrasting admirably with the reddish-brown -tints of the marlin and sickle-bills with which it often associates; it -stools well, flying steadily, and often returning after the first, and -even second visit; but even when fat, it is tough and ill-flavored. It -congregates in large flocks, and reaches the Middle States on its -southern journey in the latter part of August. Its cry is a fierce wild -shriek, which is rarely, if ever, accurately imitated; but it responds -to the call of the sickle-bill, and when once headed for the stools, -rarely alters its course. In exposed situations it is shy and difficult -of approach, like most of the shore-birds, which, although they come up -so unsuspiciously to the decoys, are wary of the gunner, and rarely -permit him to crawl within range of them. - -“_Specific Character._--Secondaries and basal part of the primaries -white; toes connected at base by broad membranes. Adult with the head -and neck brown, intermixed with greyish-white; breast and sides of the -body spotted, and waved with brown on white ground; abdomen white; -tail-coverts white, barred with brown; tail greyish-brown, barred with -darker brown--the outer two feathers lighter; rump brown; fore part of -the back and wing-coverts brown, largely spotted with dull white; -primaries blackish-brown, broadly banded with white; secondaries white. -Length fifteen inches and a half, wing eight.”--_Giraud._ - - -YELPER. - -Big Yellow-Legs--Greater Yellow-Shanks--Tell-tale Tatler. - -_Totanus Vociferus_, Wils. - -This is one of the most numerous of the bay-birds, and among the most -highly prized for its sport-conferring properties. It stools well, -although occasionally suspicious, and will often drop like a stone from -the clouds, where it is fond of flying, upon receiving a response to its -strong, clear, and easily imitated cry. It will also frequently come -within shot in the open, when the sportsman is unaided by his decoys. -Its flight is uneven, being often slow when approaching or pausing over -the stools, and then exceedingly rapid and irregular when alarmed; and -if there are no stools to make the Yelper hesitate, it has a bobbing -motion, as if searching for the origin of the call, that makes it -exceedingly difficult to kill. Moreover, it is vigorous, and will carry -off much shot, as in fact is the habit with all the shore-birds, and is -tough and sedgy on the table. - -It does not associate in large flocks, but roams about in parties of -three or four. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill along the ridge two and a quarter inches; -tarsi two and a half; legs yellow. Adult with the bill black, at the -base bluish; upper part of the head, loral space, checks, and neck, -streaked with brownish-black and white; throat white; a white line from -the bill to the eye; a white ring round the eye; breast and abdomen -white, spotted and barred with brownish-black; sides and tail-coverts -the same; lower surface of the primaries light grey--upper -brownish-black, the inner spotted white; wing-coverts and back brown, -spotted with white, and dusky; scapulars the same; tail brown, barred -with white. Winter plumage, the upper parts lighter--larger portion of -the breast and abdomen white; sides of the body barred with dusky. -Length, fourteen inches; wing, seven and a quarter.”--_Giraud._ - - -YELLOW-LEGS. - -Little Yellow-Legs--Yellow-Shanks Tatler. - -_Totanus Flavipes_, Lath. - -_Scolopax Flavipes_, Wilson. - -This bird in appearance is almost identical with the yelper, except that -it is much smaller, not being more than half as large. It has several -calls, consisting of one or more flute-like and shrill notes, which are -rather difficult to imitate. It is probably the most plentiful of all -the bay-snipe, making its summer visit in July, and continuing to arrive -till late in September. It collects in immense flocks, and stools -excellently, but its flight is irregular and rapid; and when frightened, -it darts about in a confusing way that often baffles the sportsman. When -wounded it will swim away, and, if possible, crawl into the grass to -hide. - -Although a pleasant bird to shoot, it is unattractive on the table, even -when in best condition, unless killed along the fresh water, where it -attains an agreeable and delicate flavor. Both it and the yelper are -found in considerable numbers on the marshy shores of the western lakes, -where it and the other smaller bay-birds are called, indiscriminately, -plover. - -Wonderful stories are told of the number of yellow-legs killed at one -shot, and as it is a small bird, these are probably not exaggerated. By -Wilson the yellow-legs, the yelper, and willet are classed among the -_Scolopacidæ_ or snipe, but the other ornithologists have erected a -separate genus for them. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill along the ridge one inch and three-eighths; -length of tarsi one inch and seven-eighths; legs yellow. Adult with the -bill black; throat white; upper part of the head, lores, cheeks, hind -part and side parts of the neck, deep brownish-grey, streaked with -greyish-white; eye encircled with white, a band of the same color from -the bill to the eye; fore neck, sides of the body, and upper part of the -breast, greyish-white, streaked with greyish-brown; lower part of the -breast and abdomen white; lower tail-coverts white, the outer feathers -barred with brown; scapulars and fore part of the back brown, the -feathers barred and spotted with black and white; primaries -blackish-brown, the shaft of the outer brownish-white, whiter towards -the tip, the rest dark-brown; secondaries margined with white; hind part -of the back brownish-grey; tail barred with greyish-brown, white at the -tip; legs, feet, and toes, yellow; claws black. Length, ten inches and -three-quarters; wing, six. Young with the legs greenish--and by those -who have not recognised it as the young of the year, I have heard the -propriety of its name questioned.”--_Giraud._ - - -GODWIT. - -Genus Limosa. - -_Generic Distinctions._--Bill very long, a little recurved from the -middle, rather slender, and with the lower mandible the shorter. Wings -long and very acute; tail short and even; legs long; toes four, and -rather slender, the hind one being small and the middle toe the longest; -anterior toes connected at the base by webs, the outer web being much -the larger. - - -MARLIN. - -Great Marbled Godwit. - -_Limosa Fedoa_, Linn. - -_Scolopax Fedoa_, Wils. - -This is the gentlest and most abundant of the large birds, approaching -the decoys with great confidence and returning again and again, till -frequently the entire flock is killed. In color it is a reddish-brown, -lighter on the abdomen, and its flight is steady and rather slow. -Although better eating than the willet, and very rich and juicy, its -flesh cannot be called delicate. The ring-tailed marlin or Hudsonian -Godwit, _Limosa Hudsonica, Lath._ is a finer but much scarcer bird, and -resembles somewhat in color the willet, but has the marlin bill, which -is longer than that of the last-named species. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill at base yellow, towards the end -blackish-brown; upper parts spotted and barred with yellowish-grey and -brownish-black; lower parts pale reddish-brown; tail darker, barred with -black. Adult male with the bill at the base yellowish-brown, towards the -end black; head and neck greyish-brown, tinged with pale reddish, -streaked with dusky--darker on the upper part of the head and hind neck; -throat whitish, lower parts pale reddish-brown; under tail-coverts -barred with brown; tail reddish-brown, barred with dusky; upper -tail-coverts the same; upper parts barred with brownish-black and pale -reddish-brown, spotted with dusky; inner primaries tipped with -yellowish-white; scapulars and wing-coverts barred with pale -reddish-brown and greyish-white; shaft of the first primary white, dusky -at the tip; inner shafts at the base white, rest part light brown, -excepting the tips, which are dusky. Length, sixteen inches; wing, nine -and a half. Female larger, exceeding the male from three to four -inches.”--_Giraud._ - - -RING-TAILED MARLIN. - -Hudsonian Godwit. - -_Limosa Hudsonica_, Lath. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill blackish-brown, at base of lower mandible -yellow; upper parts light brown, marked with dull brown, and a few small -white spots; neck all around brownish-grey; lower parts white, largely -marked with ferruginous; basal part of tail-feathers and a band crossing -the rump, white. Adult with the bill slender, blackish to wards the tip, -lighter at the base, particularly at the base of the lower mandible; a -line of brownish-white from the bill to the eye; lower eyelid white; -throat white, spotted with rust color; head and neck brownish-grey; -lower parts white, marked with large spots of ferruginous; under -tail-coverts barred with brownish-black, and ferruginous; tail -brownish-black, with a white band at the base; a band over the rump; -tips of primary coverts and bases of quills white; upper tail-coverts -brownish-black--their base white; upper parts greyish-brown, scapulars -marked with darker; feet bluish. Length, fifteen inches and a half; -wing, eight and a half. Young with the lower parts brownish-grey, the -ferruginous markings wanting.”--_Giraud._ - - -SNIPE. - -_Genus Scolopax_, Linn. - -_Generic Distinctions._--Bill long, at least twice the length of the -head; straight, tapering, and flattened towards the end; eyes rather -large, placed high in the head, and far back from the bill; neck of -moderate length, and rather thick; body full; wings rather long and -pointed; tail moderate and rounded; legs moderate; toes slender and -rather long, except the hind one; middle toe longest, and connected at -the base with the inner by a slight web, the outer one being free. - - -DOWITCHER. - -Dowitch--Brown Back--Quail-Snipe--Red-Breasted Snipe. - -_Scolopax Noveboracensis_, Wils. - -This is a beautiful, excellent, and plentiful bird; it abounds in the -marshes during the entire summer, congregates in vast flocks, and -although uttering a faint call itself, is attracted to the decoys by the -cry of the yellow-legs, or almost any sharp whistle. It is remarkably -gentle, individuals often alighting when their associates are slain, in -spite of the unusual uproar; and it can be more readily approached than -any of the bay-birds. Its flesh, moreover, is quite delicate, and when -fat somewhat similar to that of the English snipe, which it greatly -resembles in appearance. In general color it is brownish, with a light -abdomen, but occasionally the breast is as red as that of a robin in -full plumage. Its flight is steady, although when alarmed it “skivers,” -or darts about rapidly, and as it flies in close ranks, it suffers -proportionally. Although it is rather looked down upon by persons who -wish to make a show of large birds, I am always entirely satisfied with -a good bag of well-conditioned dowitchers. - -“_Specific Character._--Spring plumage, upper parts brownish-black, -variegated with light brownish-red; lower parts dull orange-red, abdomen -paler, spotted and barred with black; rump white; the tail feathers and -the upper and lower tail-coverts, alternately barred with white and -black. In autumn the upper parts are brownish-grey; the lower parts -greyish-white; the tail feathers and the upper and lower tail-coverts -the same as in spring. Adult with the bill towards the end black, -lighter at the base; top of the head, back of the neck, scapulars, -tertials, and fore part of the back, blackish-brown, variegated with -ferruginous; secondaries and wing-coverts clove-brown, the latter edged -with white, the former tipped with the same; hind part of back white; -the rump marked with roundish spots of blackish-brown; upper -tail-coverts dull white, barred with black; tail feathers crossed with -numerous black bands, their tips white; loral band dusky, the space -between which and the medial band on the fore part of the head, -greyish-white, tinged with ferruginous, and slightly touched with dusky; -sides of the head spotted with dark-brown; lower parts dull orange-red, -the abdomen lighter; the neck and fore part of breast spotted with -dusky; the sides of the body with numerous bars of the same color; legs -and feet dull yellowish-green. Young with the lower parts paler. Winter -dress, the upper parts brownish-grey; neck ash-grey, streaked with -dusky; lower parts greyish-white, with dusky bars on the sides of the -body. Length, ten inches and a half; wing, six.”--_Giraud._ - - -CURLEW. - -_Genus Numenius_, Briss. - -_Generic Distinctions._--Bill very long, slender, decurved or arched, -with the upper mandible the longer, and obtuse at the end; head rounded -and compressed above; neck long, body full, wings long, feet rather -long; toes connected at the base; _tibia_ bare a short space above the -knee; legs rather long; tail short and rounded. - - -JACK CURLEW. - -Short-billed Curlew. Hudsonian Curlew. - -_Numenius Hudsonicus_, Lath. - -This is a graceful and elegant bird, but so shy and so well able to -carry off shot, that it is regarded as the most difficult to kill of all -the bay-birds. It has a long, rolling cry, and although it approaches -the decoys, it rarely alights, or even pauses over them; but, detecting -the deception, it turns off or passes on in its course. For this reason, -the fortunate sportsman who kills a “Jack” is eminently satisfied, -although its flesh is not remarkably fine. - -“_Specific Character._--Length of bill, three inches and three-quarters; -tarsi, two inches; lower parts white. Adult with the upper part of the -head deep brown, with a central and two lateral lines of whitish; a -brown line from the bill to the eye, and another behind the eye; neck -all round, pale yellowish-grey, longitudinally streaked with brown, -excepting the upper part of the throat, which is greyish-white; upper -parts in general blackish-brown, marked with numerous spots of -brownish-white, there being several along the margins of each feather; -wings and rump somewhat lighter; upper tail-coverts and tail barred with -dark-brown and olivaceous grey; primaries and their coverts -blackish-brown, all with transverse yellowish-grey markings on the inner -web; the shaft of the first quill, white--of the rest, brown; breast and -abdomen greyish-white, the sides tinged with cream color, and barred -with greyish-brown; bill rather more than twice the length of the head, -of a brownish-black color--at the base of the lower mandible, flesh -colored. Length, eighteen inches; wing, nine and a half.”--_Giraud._ - - -SICKLE-BILL CURLEW. - -Long-billed Curlew. - -_Numenius Longirostris_, Wils. - -The finest, largest, most graceful, and elegant of all the bay-birds is -the magnificent sickle-bill; associating in large flocks, and with a -spread of wings of little less than three feet, when it approaches the -stand, the sportsman’s heart palpitates with excitement, and the sky -seems to have lost its natural blue and become of a rich brown tint. As -these splendid birds, shrieking their hoarse call, set their wings for -the stool, and crossing one another in their flight, pause in doubt; or, -after alighting individually, rise again, and hesitate whether to remain -or continue their course--the sportsman, cowering in his lair, and -anxious to take advantage of this glorious opportunity, becomes wildly -eager with excitement; and if, after having by a judicious selection -brought several to the ground, he recalls the departing flock which -again presents itself to his aim, his rapture knows no bounds, and with -his reloaded breech-loader, he repeats, perhaps more than once, the -exhilarating performance. - -This lordly bird, the largest of the bay-snipe, is often extremely -gentle, and may be lured by the imitation of its cry at an immense -distance, and brought back to the decoys several times, where one or -more of its companions may have fallen; but at other times it is wild -and shy. Individuals differ considerably in size, the largest I ever saw -having a bill eleven inches long, and some weighing nearly double as -much as others; but all are of a beautiful reddish-brown or burnt sienna -tint, with a yellowish shade on the abdomen. Their flight is steady, and -their flesh tough, dark, and oily. Their eye is extremely bright, and -their shape graceful. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill towards the end decurved; upper part of the -throat, and a band from the bill to the eye, light buff; general -plumage, pale reddish-brown; head and neck streaked with dusky; upper -parts marked with blackish-brown; tail barred with the same; abdomen, -plain reddish-brown; feet, bluish. Length, twenty-six inches; wing, -eleven. The bill of the specimen from which this description is taken -measures eight inches. The bills of individuals of this species vary, -but the length is at all times sufficient to determine the -species.”--_Giraud._ - - -FUTE. - -Doe-bird.--Esquimaux Curlew. - -_Numenius Borealis_, Lath. - -This is an upland bird, quite rare, but large, and rather delicate -eating. - -“_Specific Character._--Bill, along the gap, about two inches and a -quarter; tarsi, one inch and five-eighths; upper parts, dusky brown, -with pale yellowish-white, marked all over with pale reddish-brown. -Adult with a line of white from the bill to the eye; eyelids, white; -upper part of the head dusky, spotted in front with greyish-white, a -medial band of the same color; throat, white; neck and breast -yellowish-grey, with longitudinal marks of dusky on the former, pointed -spots of the same color on the latter; abdomen, dull yellowish-white; -flanks, barred with brown; lower tail coverts the same as the abdomen; -tail and upper tail coverts barred with pale reddish-brown and dusky, -tipped with yellowish-white; upper parts brownish, the feathers tipped -with pale reddish-brown, the scapulars margined and tipped with lighter; -primaries, dark-brown, margined internally with lighter--the first shaft -white, with the tip dusky--the rest brown. Length, fourteen inches and a -half; wing, eight.”--_Giraud._ - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -MONTAUK POINT. - - -The eastern end of Long Island, that extremity which seems to stretch -out like the hand of welcome towards the nations of the old world, -beckoning their inhabitants to our hospitable shores, is divided into -two long points like the tines of a fork. The upper point shuts in Long -Island Sound, and protects our inland commerce from the violence of the -“Great Deep;” while the lower prong, which is kissed on the one side by -the blue waters of the Peconic Bay, and on the other is buffeted by the -billows of the great Atlantic, is known as Montauk Point. The heaving -ocean seems here to have solidified itself into a sandy soil, which -rises and swells and rolls, much after the manner of its mighty -prototype, except that a scanty garment of tawny grass clothes the -outlines of the billowy waste. “Cattle on a thousand hills” here roam in -a state of, at least, semi-independence, which they occasionally assert -by charging upon the intruding sportsman in a manner which may be -intended as playful, but which looks somewhat serious. For a dozen miles -or so only a few houses break the monotony of the dreary expanse, and it -is to one of these, distant some nine miles from the extreme point, -that I am about to carry the reader, for here alone can plover-shooting -be enjoyed in its fullest perfection. - -There are numerous kinds of plover that make their migratory passages -along our coasts; but the one to which I refer, while to the epicure it -ranks almost, if not absolutely, the first upon the list, and affords, -by the swiftness of its flight and the eccentricity of its habits, a -prize not unworthy of the highest efforts of the sportsman, has been the -victim of many a misnomer, but is correctly known by the appellation -American Golden Plover, _Charadrius pluvialis_ (P.). The Plover-family -is large and of high respectability; but, when “upon his native heath,” -no one of its clans is entitled to wear a loftier crest than that which -we now have under discussion. His near relative, the Bartramian -Sandpiper or Grey Plover, is perhaps more aristocratically delicate in -his figure, and is welcomed as heartily at the table of the epicure. But -he is less social in his habits, and rarely affords any but single -shots. He does not fraternize with wooden counterfeits, and his mellow -whistle, as he rises at an impracticable distance, rarely responds to -even the most seductive efforts of his pursuer. But our Golden friend, -notwithstanding his auriferous title, his superior beauty of plumage, -his swiftness and strength, and the savory reputation which he enjoys -among the knowing-ones, is possessed of gregarious habits, of a -singularly frank and unsuspicious nature, and is generally ready to stop -and have a chat with anything which bears the faintest resemblance to a -bird and a brother. It is well for his admirers that such is his nature; -and although the wide appreciation of his merits certainly causes great -destruction among his ranks, still the vast flocks which, sometimes for -days together, fly past, within sight of the stands, unshot at, seem to -warrant the hope that the hour of the final extinction of his race is -very far distant. - -Taking the Long Island railroad to Greenport in the early part of -September, and having encountered and overcome the ordinary delay and -difficulty of obtaining a sailboat to further prosecute our voyage, we -find ourselves at last gliding on the waves of the beautiful bay, past -Shelter and Gardiner’s islands, and approaching the long low line of the -Nepeague beach. With a favorable breeze we may expect to be landed on -the smooth sand in a little cove, about one mile from our destination, -in two hours from our time of departure; but if the wind is adverse and -the fates unpropitious, we may have to follow the path from the shore in -the dark, which will require our best instincts, aided by the guidance -of the distant booming of the surf, and the assistance of our especial -guardian angel. - -Once there, however, and we will be repaid for our sufferings; we may -find a table covered with “South-side” delicacies, and bearing in the -centre a huge dish of beautiful, odorous, melting plover, cooked to a -turn, and we will undoubtedly meet kindred spirits and generous -sportsmen who are on the same errand as ourselves. As we dispose of the -former, the latter will pour into our sympathetic ears wonderful -accounts of their sport, and rival one another in recounting the long -shots and the good shots they have made, the numbers of birds they have -killed, and the pounds of bass they have caught. - -Under the influences of a delicious supper and moderate “nightcap,” we -seek our couch with fond visions of the great flocks, and hopeful dreams -that we will do as well on the morrow. At earliest dawn we spring from -our bed, and rushing to the primitive little casement have only time to -rejoice in the promise of a fine day, ere we note the welcome cry of our -noble prey hurrying westward over the beach. - -To don our shooting costume, to grasp our gun and ammunition, to load -ourselves with the basket containing decoys and incidentals, and to -emerge into the cool air of the September morning, require but a few -minutes; we hasten across the sandy hillocks to our appointed spot, -marked by a hollow scooped out for the concealment of former visitants, -and by the quantity of feathers and cigar-stumps lying loosely around; -and with hands trembling with impatience, we distribute the stools in -what seems to us to be the most artistic and seductive manner,--for the -birds are now beginning to fly just within a tantalizing yet -impracticable range, and we long for action. - -How wild, how glorious is the hour and the scene! The heavy boom of the -ocean, which rolls almost at our feet, is relieved by the soft, mellow -notes of the sea-birds which float through the air in varied yet -harmonious cadence, and by the low of distant cattle, just shaking off -their slothful dreams. Hardly have we disposed our body to the requisite -flatness, when a chattering chorus of melody makes our heart leap with -eagerness, and our eyes strain with impatience to discern its source. -Aha, we have them now! that small, erratic cloud to the eastward, -bearing directly before the wind towards our covert, sends a thrill -through our being, which the whole “spacious firmament on high,” even on -the loveliest of nights, has, we honestly confess it, never succeeded in -imparting. On they come, nearer, nearer, nearer. We pucker up our lips -to greet their approach, but the saucy gale renders our rude efforts -futile, and we commit our trust to Providence and our painted -counterfeits. Now they are within easy range, but somewhat scattered; -with a violent effort at self-command, worthy of a higher cause, we -remain motionless, for there are evident indications of a social spirit -in that joyous group. They pause, they swerve, they wheel upon their -tracks, and with motionless wings and a sweet low-murmured greeting, -they approach the fatal stools. How rash the confidence! How foul the -treachery! But, we must also confess, how intense the excitement, as we -pull the right trigger at the critical moment, and then, as the deluded -victims scatter wildly, with an outburst of appeal against man’s -cruelty, give them the left barrel, and add three more to the list of -feathered martyrs. With lightning speed, their thinned ranks vanish -beyond the neighboring sand-hills, and reloading our gun, we hasten to -gather up the slain. - -Six with the right and three with the left barrel, are pretty well for a -beginning; but we had better have remained at our post, for while we are -chasing up one of the wounded birds, two more flocks pass within easy -range of our hiding-place. Hurriedly twisting the neck of the fugitive, -we resume our lonely watch, and before the breakfast-hour of eight, -which our umwontedly early exertions have made a somewhat serious epoch, -we have had two more double shots, and increased our score to -twenty-one. Beautiful, “beautiful exceedingly” is the burden of game -which we proudly carry back to our inn, leaving our stools as they -stand. - -A hearty breakfast makes us feel like a _new man_, and, after a fair -discussion of its merits, lighting our pipe, we again wend our way to -the scene of our triumph. The cry is still they come; flock after flock -presents its compliments, and leaves mementoes of its presence; but -towards noon the hot sun disposes the birds to listless inactivity, the -flight diminishes, and finally stops. Returning to the house with a bag -larger by only three birds than that of the morning, we kill the hours -before dinner by a few casts into the breakers, and land a ten-pound -bass. - -With sharpened appetite, we welcome the savory dinner, and are quite -contented to rest and let our prey rest till five o’clock, when fifteen -more birds reward our post-prandial exertions, and make up a total for -the day of sixty plover and one bass. We sink to sleep that night with -the proud consciousness that our first day’s plover-shooting has been a -great success; our heart prays silently for a continuance of our good -fortune, and we indulge in sweet thoughts of home, and the pleasure our -return laden with spoils will cause, when our friends greet us and them -at the social board. - -The next day is as delightful; the sweet, thrilling music again fills -the air at short intervals; again our trusty breech-loader sends its -charge into the thickest of the “brown,” or cuts down the straggler -looking for “former companions all vanished and gone.” Again we call the -swift-travelling flock from the very zenith, or whistle our lips into a -blister, endeavoring to attract the wary knowing ones that pause to -look, only to flee the faster; and the night finds us with a still -larger bag, but without a bass. So eager have we become, so fearful that -we should lose a shot, and judging by the accumulating clouds in the -east that on the morrow it may storm, that we stay out all day, except -the necessary moments for our meals, and give no thought to the monsters -of the deep. - -Nor were we mistaken; the morrow comes, the gathering storm has broken, -and no creature of mortal mould can face its fury--at least no bird, -with any pretensions to common sense or respectability, would imperil -his plumes by an unnecessary exposure to such an ordeal. So with forced -patience, we get through the live-long day as best we can; and on the -following day, hail a sky as cloudless as the most ardent sportsman -could desire. But alas! the flight has gone by, scared away perhaps by -the storm, or retreating before the advancing fall; and when we take our -seat at the breakfast-table, we are obliged to admit that only nine -birds have fallen to our gun. - -But the irrepressible and inextinguishable host rises triumphant in this -emergency. He boldly suggests that there _must be_ some sluggards, who -have tamed, spell-bound by the attractions of such a terrestrial, or, -rather ornithological, paradise; and accordingly, he _hitches up_ a -venerable specimen of the genus “_Equus_,” and we start for an excursion -“over the hills and far away.” Before we have advanced a couple of miles -we have bagged a half dozen solitary specimens of Bartram’s Sandpiper or -Grey Plover, so dear to the sportsman and the gourmand, but have seen no -trace of the object of our pursuit. When, suddenly, as we surmount one -of the swelling eminences which are the prevailing feature of this -district of country, we come upon a sight such as, perhaps, but few -sportsmen have ever beheld. A gentle hollow spreads before us, for -several acres, literally covered with the ranks of the much-desired, the -matchless Golden Plover. - -As they stand in serried legions, the white mark on their heads gives a -strange chequered weirdness to the phalanx: and we involuntarily pause, -spell-bound by the novelty of the spectacle. Our host himself, though an -old hand, owns that he has never before gazed on such a sight. There -they stand with heads erect, and bodies motionless, just out of gunshot. -Their number is computed by our companion to be not less than three -thousand, closely packed, and apparently awaiting our onset. What is to -be done? Delay may be fatal, but precipitancy would be equally so: and -our pulses stop beating under the stress of the emergency. Our horse -also stops, obedient to an involuntary pull of the reins. We accept the -omen, and cautiously descend from our vehicle; warily crawling to within -seventy yards, we halt as we see unmistakable evidences of uneasiness -and suspicion among the crowded ranks. They stoop, they run, they rise -with “a sounding roar,” to which the united report of our four barrels -savagely responds. Away, away with headlong speed, scatters and -dissolves that multitudinous host, and we hasten to secure our spoils. - -But, seventy yards make a long range for plover-shooting, and we are -somewhat chagrined to find that only six dead and seven wounded birds -remain as proofs of the accuracy of our aim, and the efficiency of our -weapons. Hurriedly we plant our stools, hoping for the return of at -least a considerable portion of the vanished forces; but they have -apparently had enough of our society, and, after two hours spent in -ambush, with only an occasional shot at single stragglers or small -flocks, we wend our way back to the house. - -On the morrow we kill a dozen birds over the stools, before breakfast, -among which are two specimens of the beautiful Esquimaux Curlew or Fute, -as he is commonly called, and which seems to be on terms of the closest -intimacy with our Golden friend. We find him to be a heavier bird, -equally inclined to obesity, and, as future experiments satisfy us, -nearly as perfect in delicate richness of flavor. - -At nine o’clock Dobbin is again harnessed, and we start for the scene of -yesterday’s exploit. But the sighing wind now sweeps over only a -deserted moor, and we direct our course in a direction to make an -inspection of Great Pond. Here, by good luck and management, we bag five -teal and a black duck, as well as three passing plover. A few large -flocks of the latter are seen, but they are wary and unapproachable; and -after several fruitless efforts, we abandon their pursuit and start for -dinner. - -Having rendered full justice to the merits of a bountiful repast, which, -if it is made prominent in this account, was still more prominent in our -hungry thoughts, we stroll to the ocean-side and make a dozen casts for -bass, but our luck seems to be on the turn and we decide to leave on the -morrow for Greenport. About an hour before sunset, a few birds are on -the wing, and we again seek the field of our first success. Here we make -our final effort, and are rewarded with five noble victims, killed -singly at long shots, and we restore our breech-loader to its case. We -have no reason to be dissatisfied with our four-days’ sport, and it is -with a certain reluctance, and a sincere resolve to renew our visit at -an early date, that we pack our valise in anticipation of a start on -the morrow. - -Our team is at the door; we bid adieu to some ladies of the household -(of whom while writing these lines we have thought much, though we have, -until now, said nothing), and, mounting by our host’s side, we trot -merrily over the hills, till we reach the deep sandy desert of the -Nepeague beach. “A long pull, and a strong pull” for an hour, brings us -to “terra firma” again, and rattling through the quaint old town of -Easthampton, after a charming drive, we reach Sag Harbor, where a most -absurdly diminutive steamer, of just _seven-horse_ power, awaits to -convey us to Greenport. We part from our host with sincere gratitude for -the genial kindness which he has shown to us during our visit, and step -on the narrow deck of the tiny craft. A voyage of thirteen miles, made -under a full head of steam in just two hours and a quarter, brings us -once more to the beautiful village of Greenport, where the cars are -awaiting us. - -We return with a bag full of game, and the following general conclusions -and precepts impressed upon our mind: In plover shooting use No. 6 shot -in the left barrel, for the birds are of wonderful strength and require -to be hit hard, or they will fly an immense distance even if “sick unto -death,” and if crippled, will sneak, and hide, and run, and cause much -loss of time that is precious indeed. Do not fire too soon; as the flock -will generally “double” if allowed sufficient time, and then is the -chance to “rake ’em down.” Be patient, keep cool, aim ahead of the -birds, and keep wide awake. - -On almost any day, from the 25th of August to the 10th of September, -there are sport and pleasure to be had among the wild sand-hills of -Montauk; and if there has been a north-easterly storm, with pitchforks -full of rain and caps full of wind, there will be such an abundance of -birds as only experience can conceive of or appreciate. That is an event -that most of us have yet to wait for. Reader, I wish I were sufficiently -unselfish to say honestly--may you enjoy it first. - -Since I first went to Montauk, when large and jolly parties of sportsmen -congregated every fall at Lester’s and Stratton’s, some changes have -taken place. The plover have diminished until the chance of sport is -uncertain, although occasional good days are had; and there is a -probability that the railroad will intrude on its “everlasting hills,” -and that fashionable watering places will replace the old-time sporting -hotels. Then bid farewell, a long farewell, to all the shooting. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -RAIL SHOOTING. - - -Success in this delightful sport depends as much upon the proper -accessories, together with experience in minor matters, as in the great -art of properly handling the gun. The best shot, badly equipped, will be -surpassed by an inferior marksman accustomed to the business, and -thoroughly fitted out for it. The shooting is done among high reeds, and -from small, light, and unstable skiffs, which are poled over muddy -shallows with an unsteady motion that puts an end to skill which is not -founded on long practice. The sport lasts only during the few hours of -high water, when the entire day’s bag must be made, and requires, after -the bird has been killed, a sharp eye to retrieve him amid the weeds and -floating grass. - -The number bagged, however, is sometimes prodigious; and although we -rarely now hear of hundreds killed “in a tide,” as was formerly not -unusual, the shots are still frequently rapid, and the result -satisfactory. The bird rises heavily, its long legs hanging down behind; -flying slowly, it presents an easy mark to any one upon _terra firma_, -and if not shot at, will alight after proceeding thirty or forty yards. - -It comes on from the north during the early part of September, and -disappears so instantaneously with the first heavy frost, that our -superstitious baymen imagine it retires into the mud. It can, however, -fly strongly, as I have occasionally had unpleasant evidence under -peculiar circumstances, and in wild, windy weather. During low water, -when it can run upon the muddy bottom among the thick stalks, which it -does rapidly, it can hardly be flushed by any but the strongest and -toughest dog, and is not frequently pursued; although many persons enjoy -the hard walking and exposure of this plan, preferring to tramp over the -quaking surface of our broad salt meadows, and flushing the rail from -amid some tuft of reeds, kill him with the aid of their loved -fellow-playmate, a high-strung setter or untiring water spaniel. - -As the tide rises, however, and covers the bottom with a few inches of -water, the rail, caught feeding among its favorite wild oats, or on the -grains of the high reeds, and alarmed at the advancing boat, is forced -to take wing and present an easy mark to its destroyer. But if missed, -although marked down to an inch, it rarely rises a second time, having -probably escaped by swimming--a thorough knowledge of which is among its -numerous accomplishments. The rail has a long, thin, and soft body, -which it appears to have the faculty of compressing; as it can glide -amid the thick stems of reeds and grass with wonderful rapidity; and if -wounded, it will dive and swim under water, leaving its bill only -projecting, so as to bid defiance to pursuit. - -The first necessity of equipment for this sport is a breech-loading gun, -which not only enables the sportsman to kill double the number of birds, -but will occasionally give him the benefit, by a rapid change in the -charge, of a favorable presentation of a chance flock of ducks. But as -many persons, out of a want of knowledge or of funds, still cling to the -old muzzle-loader, it may be well briefly to mention the articles that -tend to modify its inferiority. - -Of course, as the shooting occupies but a few hours, and in good days -the birds are perpetually on the wing, it is essential to load rapidly; -and to do this the sportsman places on a thwart before him a tin box -divided into compartments for powder, shot, caps, and wads, or, as I -prefer, two boxes, one filled with powder and the other with the other -materials. For many reasons there should be a lid over the powder--to -prevent its being ignited by a chance spark or blown away by a strong -wind--and the ordinary flask is frequently used in spite of the -consequent delay. A double scoop, made of tin or brass, and regulated to -the precise load, is placed among the powder and the shot, and a solid -loading stick lies near at hand. - -By these means the rapidity of loading is more than doubled; the powder -is dropped into both barrels at once by means of the double scoop, wads -are driven home by a single blow of the rod, both barrels are charged -with shot at once in the same manner, the caps are within easy reach, -and the gun is loaded in less than half the time consumed in the -ordinary process. The shot may be made into cartridges of paper with a -wad at the upper end, and thus a few additional of the precious seconds -saved. Both barrels are discharged before either is reloaded, and the -birds are retrieved immediately. - -The sportsman stands erect, without any support to modify the -unsteadiness consequent upon the irregular motion of the boat, and -requires practice, not merely to enable him to take aim, but even to -retain his footing. Where the water is low and the reeds strong, this -difficulty is augmented, as the boat entirely loses its way after every -push, and advances by jerks that utterly confound a novice. Experience, -however, being acquired in loading rapidly and in retaining his balance, -the sportsman’s labors are easy; but the punter requires many different -qualities, and upon his excellence mainly depends the final result. - -He must possess judgment to select the best ground, strength to urge on -the boat unflaggingly, and an inordinate development of the bump of -locality to mark the dead birds. The bird once killed and the sportsman -part ended, then the punter displays his ability; and if thoroughly -versed in his craft will push the boat through tall reeds, and matted -weeds, and fallen oat-stalks, and drifted grass, with wonderful accuracy -to the very spot, and peering down amid the roots, will distinguish the -brown feathers almost covered with water and hidden by the vegetable -growth. - -In order to retrieve quickly, a wide-meshed scapnet is a great -convenience; but to mark well, a man most be endowed by nature with that -peculiar gift. Among the vast mass of undistinguishable marine plants -that spring from the muddy bottom and rise a few inches or many feet -above the surface, it would seem impossible to determine, within an -approach to accuracy, where some bird, visible only for a moment and cut -down when just topping the reeds, has fallen; and when another bird -rises to meet the same fate, and perhaps a dozen are down before the -first is retrieved, successful marking becomes a miracle. With some -punters on the Delaware, where their names are famous, so wonderful is -the precision that every bird, if killed outright, will be recovered, -and even a poor marksman will make a respectable return; but when the -gentleman shoots badly and the man marks worse, rail-shooting is -unprofitable. - -For this sport, thus followed, it will be seen that a punter is -indispensable, and it is made the business of a large class of men along -the salt marshes where the rail most do congregate; and wherever a -punter cannot be obtained, as in the wilder portions of our country, -rail-shooting cannot be had. - -From the necessity for rapid firing, the immense advantage of a -breech-loader must be apparent; the tide rarely serves for over two or -three hours, and to kill more than a hundred birds in that time with a -muzzle-loader is a remarkable feat, as it requires almost the entire -time for the mere loading and firing of the gun; but the breech-loader -may be charged in an instant, and enables the sportsman to improve the -lucky chance of coming upon a goodly collection of birds, and make the -most of the scanty time permitted to him. - -None of those vexatious mistakes that occasionally happen to the best -sportsmen can befall him; the shot cannot get into the wrong barrel, nor -the cap be forgotten; the powder is not exposed to ashes from a careless -man’s cigar; and there being no hurry, there is more probability of -steady nerves and a true aim. - -The charge should be light--three-quarters of an ounce of shot and two -drachms of powder being abundant to kill the soft and gentle rail--and -pellets at least as fine as No. 9 are preferable to coarser sizes. Old -cartridges, that have been split and mended by gumming a piece of paper -over the crack, may be used in the breech-loader, provided the sportsman -desires to indulge in praiseworthy economy, or is deficient in a supply. - -The sport is extremely exciting: the boat is forced along with -considerable rustling and breaking of stems and stalks; the bright sun -streams down upon the yellow reeds and lights up the variegated foliage -of the distant shore; the waves of the bay or river, rising apparently -to a level with the eye, sparkle in the gentle breeze that bends the -sedge grass in successive waves; neighboring boats come and go, approach -and recede; the rapid reports are heard in all directions, like -fireworks on the Fourth of July; the sportsman stands erect, and eager -with delirious excitement, near the bow; the punter balances himself, -and wields his long pole dexterously on a small platform at the stern. - -Silently a bird, rising close to the boat, wings its way, with pendent -legs and feeble strokes, towards some one of its numerous hiding-places; -instantly the punter plants his pole firmly in the bottom, holding the -skiff stationary, the sportsman brings up his piece, and, with -deliberate aim, sends the charge straight after the doomed rail, which -pitches headlong out of sight. The punter has marked him by that single -wild rice-stalk with the broken top, and heads the boat at once towards -the place; but ere he has advanced a dozen feet, another bird starts and -offers to the expectant sportsman, who has his gun still “at a ready,” -another favorable chance, and, meeting the same fate, falls into that -low bunch of matted wild oats. The breech-loader opens, the charges are -extracted and others inserted, just in time to make sure of two rail -that rise simultaneously, still ere the first has been reached, and -which are both tumbled over and marked down--one, however, wing-tipped, -and never to be seen by mortal eye again. - -Thus have I experienced it on the Delaware, at Hackensack, and, in -former days, among the tributaries of Jamaica Bay, and at many other -places where more or less success has attended me. Although never having -enjoyed great luck, never having advanced beyond the first hundred, and -claiming to be no such marksman as several of my friends, I have had -wondrous sport. Of a good day, when the tide is favorable and the game -plenty, the excitement is continuous, and increased by a sense of -competition. - -Other sportsmen are on the same ground, stopping probably at the same -hotel and shooting in close proximity--occasionally too close, if they -are thoughtless or careless. Not only will a charge of mustard seed -sometimes rattle against the boat, but is apt, now and then, to pierce -the clothes and penetrate the skin, followed by an irritation of mind -and body; but when the tide has fallen, and the sport is over, a -comparison of the bag made by each sportsman is inevitable, and no -general assertions of round numbers will answer, but the birds must be -produced. It is vain to claim what cannot be exhibited, and more than -useless to talk of the immense quantities that were killed but not -retrieved; such excuses are answered by ridicule, and if the poor shot -would avoid being a butt, he must be modest and submissive. - -There is danger too, at times, although an upset in the weeds can result -in nothing worse than a wetting of oneself and one’s ammunition, and the -ruin of the day’s enjoyment; but I was once on the Delaware, opposite -Chester, when a fierce north-wester was blowing, which had driven much -of the water out of the bay and river. The tide, of course, was poor, -having difficulty to rise at all against the gale, which kept on -increasing every moment, and the birds were scarce and difficult to -flush. The work of poling was laborious; the boats stopped after every -push, and the heavy swell from the broad river, rolling in a long -distance among the reeds, added a new motion to their natural -unsteadiness. - -Of course the sport was not encouraging, and the accidents were -numerous; several sportsmen fell overboard, one upset his boat, and my -man came so near it--his pole slipping at the moment he was exerting his -utmost strength upon it--that his efforts to recover his balance -reminded me of dancing the hornpipe in a state of frenzy. He kicked up -more capers, and indulged in more contortions on the little platform, -scarcely a foot square, which he occupied, than I supposed possible -without dislocation of a limb; but he managed, however, to regain his -equilibrium, and neither fell overboard nor upset the skiff. - -These little incidents, and the shooting, such as it was, kept the -party, which was numerous, interested until the time came for recrossing -the river to our hotel. There was no stopping-place on our present side -of the river, which presented one apparently endless view of waving -reeds; and the alternative was simply to cross the open river, or pass -the night in our boats. The swell had increased into high waves capped -with snowy foam, and threatened destruction to our low-sided, short, and -narrow boats. Many were the consultations between the various punters, -and grave were the doubts expressed of a safe crossing; but as there was -no help for it, the trial had to be made. - -Selections were chosen of favorable starting-points, and most of the -party put out at about the same time--the sportsman lying on the bottom -at full length in the stern, and the oarsman timing his strokes to the -violence of the sea. The waves broke over us continually; it was -necessary to bail every few minutes, and several had to put back when -they met with some more than usually heavy wave, and take a fresh start, -after emptying the superfluous water. Of course we were drenched to the -skin, but found a species of consolation in knowing that no one had the -advantage of another. Had any of our boats upset, although we might have -clung to them and drifted back among the reeds, we could have effected a -landing nowhere, and would probably have terminated our career then and -there; had this happened to a certain little skiff that held two men and -very few rail, this account would probably never have been written. -However, fate ordained otherwise, and we reached our destination in -safety. - -The best locality for rail-shooting is along the marshy shores of the -Delaware River, above and below Philadelphia; many birds are also killed -on the Hackensack and the Connecticut; they are abundant on the James -River, and doubtless further south, but are not shot there; and they are -found scattered over the fresh as well as the salt marshes throughout -the entire country. I have killed them in the corn-fields of Illinois -while in pursuit of the prairie chicken, and have bagged several and -heard many among the wild rice of the drowned shores of Lake Erie. They -are a migratory bird, and pass to the southward in the early fall rather -in advance of the English snipe, and alight at any damp spots for a -temporary rest wherever the growth of plants promises nutriment. - -They are often flushed by the snipe-shooter, together with the larger -fresh-water rail, _rallus elegans_, and their curious cry resounds along -the reedy marshes where the wild-fowler pursues the early ducks. -Nevertheless, they are difficult to flush and kill where there is no -tide to drive them from their muddy retreats, and where the ground is -too heavy for a dog; and, comparatively speaking, on fresh water, unless -the wind shall have caused a temporary rise, they are safe from injury. - -Their voices reply with the guttural “krek-krek-krek” to the noise of -the boat, and tauntingly boast of their abundance and their security. -Moreover, in a new country, where larger game is still plentiful, the -excellences of the tender but diminutive rail are lost sight of by -comparison with his more profitable compeers; and except along the -Atlantic coast, he is known as a game-bird neither to the sportsman nor -the cook. - -From the fact that he is rarely seen in the spring, and does not at that -season give his enemies a chance to prevent his reaching his -nesting-places at the far north--but only visits us during a few short -weeks in the fall, and then is not much exposed, except in certain -localities--his race will be preserved in undiminished numbers for many -generations; the light skiffs will carry the eager city sportsman along -the shores of the Delaware, the Hackensack, and the cove on the -Connecticut, and the rapid reports will continue to reverberate over the -reedy marshes. - -There are two varieties, the short-billed or sora-rail, _rallus -Carolinus_; and the long-billed, or Virginia rail, _rallus Virginianus_, -which are easily distinguished by this peculiarity, and differ, also, -slightly in plumage. The sora-rail are by far the most numerous, -especially along the sea-coast, and are usually referred to as “the -rail,” but both are shot and eaten indiscriminately. Their habits, mode -of flight, and gastronomic qualities, appear to be identical, but I -think the Virginia rail are proportionally more numerous at the West, -having a slight preference, perhaps, for the fresh water. Their food -must be, however, essentially different; for while the sora, on account -of its short bill, must be confined to the seeds of its favorite reed, -zimosa, or the grains of the wild oats, the Virginia rail, with its -longer bill, also draws much of its nourishment from snails and aquatic -insects, and is considered by some less delicate in flavor than the -former variety. - -About the fifth of September, before the English snipe are numerous, -although their taunting “scaip” may be occasionally heard on their -broad, open feeding-grounds; ere the ducks have marshalled their legions -in retreat from the chilly blasts of the north, after the bay-birds, -with the exception of the “short-neck,” shall have mainly passed to the -southward, and before the quail are large enough to kill--the sportsman -arms himself with his breech-loader, and driving to Hackensack or taking -steamboat from Philadelphia, embarks in the slight skiff usually called -a “rail-boat,” and practises his hand--possibly out of exercise since -the woodcock days of early July--upon the tame and languid rail. - -His cartridges are prepared for the occasion; as he does not intend to -devote more than a day or two to the amusement, he takes with him a -light suit, appropriate to the boat and the weather, gaiter shoes, -flannel pants and shirt, and his waterproof, to meet a temporary shower, -and he lays in sufficient liquid for himself and his man, knowing that -salt air produces thirst, and country inns bad spirits. Thus armed and -equipped, if he is fortunate enough to have high tides, he is almost -sure to enjoy fine sport, and bring home a bag of game that will furnish -forth his table right handsomely to a goodly company, or go far and -spread much satisfaction among his friends who may be the fortunate -recipients. The heats of the summer solstice are over, the birds will -keep several days with care, and the sportsman has not to dread either -the burning sun of August or the freezing blasts of winter. - -Many double shots present themselves in rail-shooting; and upon the -manner in which these are turned to account, and the brilliancy with -which a bird that rises while the sportsman is in the act of loading, is -covered with the hastily charged barrel and cut down, depends the -superiority of one marksman over another. In the days of the -muzzle-loader, I have killed many a bird with one barrel while the -ramrod was still in the other, and have shot several with the barrels -resting on my arm, when they had slipped from my hand in bringing the -gun up hurriedly to my shoulder. Every single rise should be secured as -matter-of-course, and most of the double ones, care being taken in the -latter to obey that great rule, of always killing the more difficult -shot first; if you shoot right-handed, as the majority of persons do, -and one bird flies to the right and the other to the left, shoot first -at the former, and you will have less difficulty in bringing back the -gun towards the latter. - -Never relax your vigilance, as the birds rise silently, without the -warning whistle of the woodcock or whirr of the quail, at the least -expected moment; and if the punter attempts to direct your attention, -the chances are ten to one that you look in the wrong quarter. - -The rail, while being a pleasant bird to shoot, is also a pleasant bird -to eat. There is no variety of our wild game, large or small, that is -more delicious; its flavor is excellent, and its tenderness beyond -comparison; it may not have the rich full flavor of that noblest of them -all, the big-eyed woodcock, nor the savory raciness of the full-breasted -quail, nor the strong game taste of the stylish ruffed grouse, nor the -unequalled richness of the kingly canvas-back--but in tender, melting -delicacy it is hardly surpassed. If cooked in perfection, it drops to -pieces in the mouth, leaving only a delightful residuum of enjoyment. It -should be floated in rosy wine, and washed down with the ruby claret, -and accompanied by fried potatoes, thin and crisp as a new bank note. -It may be preceded by the _pièce de resistance_, and should be followed -only by salad, which may in fact be eaten with it, if dressed with -sufficient purity. - -Kill your rail handsomely in the field, missing not more than one in -twenty, present him properly and with due appreciation on the table, and -eat him with the gratitude that he deserves. - -It is only of late years that many rail were killed at the South. The -old-time battue of the negroes at night-time, with paddles and torches, -did not amount to much, but now hundreds are killed daily through the -season in the rivers below Washington, although the weather is usually -so hot that half of them spoil. In those extensive marshes, two hundred -to a gun is a moderate day’s bag. Still the numbers of this excellent -little bird have not sensibly diminished, and good sport is had every -year on the Connecticut and the Delaware. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -WILD-FOWL SHOOTING. - - -It is not proposed to give any extended account of wild-fowl shooting as -practised on the waters of Long Island, or in the neighborhood of the -great Northern cities; the unsportsmanlike modes of proceeding which are -there in vogue, and which, while contravening all true ideas of sport, -insult common sense by the ruthless injury they inflict, have been fully -set forth by other writers. - -In stationing a battery--that imitation coffin, which should be a -veritable one, if justice had its way, to every man who enters it--and -in lying prone in it through the cold days of winter, the market-man may -find his pecuniary profit, but the gentleman can receive no pleasure; -while the permanent injury inflicted by driving away the ducks from -their feeding-grounds, and making them timorous of stopping at all in -waters from any and all portions of which unseen foes may arise, is ten -times as great as the temporary advantage gained; and as for calling -that sport, which is merely the wearisome endurance of cold and tedium -to obtain game that might be killed more handsomely, and in the long run -more abundantly, by other methods, is an entire misapplication of the -word. - -So long as the shooter confines himself to points of land or sedge, -whether he uses decoys or awaits the accidental passage of the birds, he -not only permits himself a change of position and sufficient motion to -keep his blood in circulation, but he allows the frightened flocks that -have already lost several of their number in running the gauntlet, a -secure retreat in the open waters, and undisturbed rest at meal time. -And so long as this is granted them they will tarry, and trust to their -sharp eyes and quick ears to save their lives; but when they cannot feed -in peace, and when they can find no haven of safety in the broad expanse -of water, they will inevitably continue their migration, and seek more -hospitable quarters. - -Wild-fowl shooting, as pursued at the West, or even at the South, is -glorious and exhilarating; there the sportsman has exercise, or the -assistance of his faithful and intelligent retriever, and is required to -bring into play the higher powers of his nature. He manages his own -boat, or he stands securely upon the firm ground, and if he has not a -canine companion, chases his crippled birds and retrieves the dead ones -by his own unaided efforts. - -At the West, although the vast numbers do not collect that congregate in -the Chesapeake Bay and Currituck Inlet, there is an independence in the -mode of pursuit that has a peculiar charm; and from the facilities -afforded by the nature of the ground, the excellent cover furnished by -the high reeds, and the immense number of single shots, the average -success is as great as in the more open waters of the Southern coast. - -The employment of retrievers is not general in our country, which is, by -the character of its marshes and growth of plants, better suited for the -full display of their capacities than any other. There are certain -objections to the use of a dog in wild-fowl shooting, which, although -entirely overbalanced in the writer’s opinion by the corresponding -advantages, are unquestionably serious. The season for duck-shooting is -mainly late and cold, when it is essential to the shooter’s comfort that -his boat should be dry; but the dog, with every retrieved bird, comes -back dripping with wet, and if he does not let it drain into the bottom -of the skiff, where it “swashes” about over clothes and boots, shakes -himself in a way to deluge with a mimic cataract every person and thing -within yards of him. - -It is unreasonable to ask of the intelligent and devoted but shivering -creature, that he should remain standing in the freezing water or upon -the damp sedge; and if the master is as little of a brute as his -companion, and has a spare coat, the dog will have it for a bed, -regardless of the consequences. - -Nor is this the only difficulty; for unless the animal has instinctive -judgment as well as careful training, he may in open water upset the -frail skiff, by either jumping out of it, or clambering into it -injudiciously. A thoughtful creature maybe taught to make his entry and -exit over the stern, but unfortunately, some of the most enthusiastic -and serviceable dogs have little discretion or forethought; and unless -he is trained to perfect quiet, and broken to entire immobility at the -most exciting moments, he is apt to interfere sadly with the sport. - -In spite of these inconveniences, however, the loss of many of his -birds--amounting, amid the dense reeds of the western lakes, to nearly -one-half of the whole number--will satisfy the sportsman that the -retriever, with his devoted and wonderful sagacity, to say nothing of -his delightful companionship, is a most desirable acquisition. Where the -sportsman is forced to pursue his calling solitary and alone, so far as -human associates are concerned, he will find the presence of his -four-footed friend a great satisfaction, and, amid the solitary and -unemployed midday hours, a pleasant resource. - -The dog is the natural companion of the sportsman--the partaker of his -pleasures, the coadjutor of his triumphs; and whenever his peculiar -gifts can be used to advantage, it is a gratification to both to call -upon him. The knowledge that he will acquire in time is truly -marvellous. Not only does he possess the power of smell, but his -eyesight and hearing far surpass those of man; he will often discern a -flock long before it is visible to human eyes, and his motions will warn -his master of its approach. - -His training can be carried on beyond limit; his knowledge increases -daily, and his devotion is unbounded. Of all the race, the retriever is -probably the most intelligent; as, in fact, intelligence is one of his -necessary qualifications. For this work no breed has the slightest value -unless the individuals possess rare sagacity and almost human judgment. -Some of the most valuable English dogs have been from an accidental -cross; and a pure cur with a heavy coat is often as good as any other. - -There is in England a strain of dogs known as retrievers; they are -mostly used in connexion with upland shooting, as English pointers and -setters are not broken to fetch; but the favorite animals for wild-fowl -shooting, which have made their name notorious in connexion with this -specialty, have generally come from parents neither of which possesses -the true retriever blood. - -In this country the best breed will have some of the Newfoundland -strain; the animal must be clothed with a dense coat of thick hair to -endure the severe exposure to which he is subjected, and must be endowed -with a natural aptitude and passion for swimming. The usual color is -dark, which, in the writer’s judgment, is a great mistake; and the only -really distinct breed of retrievers is known as that of Baltimore. - -In the Southern States the dog, as an assistant in wild-fowl shooting, -has always been in far greater repute than at the North; although the -inland lakes of the latter, the extensive marshes closely grown up with -tall _zimosas_, matted wild oats, and thick weeds, make his services far -more desirable. At the South alone has any intelligent attention been -given to raising a superior strain of retrievers; and - -[Illustration: SHRIMP FISHING.] - -whether we seek an animal that by his curious motions will toll ducks up -to the stand, or by his natural intelligence will aid the punt-shooter -in recovering his game, it is at the South alone that we can find any -admitted pedigree. - -In the Northern States, however, the “native,” as he is called at the -West--probably from the fact that he is invariably a foreigner--selects -any promising pup, and by means of much flogging and steady work trains -him to a faint knowledge of his duties. A young dog loves to fetch, and -will take pleasure in chasing a ball thrown for him round the room, and -if he is a water-dog, naturally brings from the water a stick cast into -it, so that the routine part is easily impressed upon him; but an animal -with this proficiency alone is scarcely worth keeping. - -A good dog must have intuitive quickness of thought and judgment; he -must know enough to lie perfectly motionless when a flock is -approaching; he must understand how to retrieve his birds judiciously, -bringing the cripples first; he must have perseverance, endurance, and -great personal vigor. A duck is cunning, and to outwit its many -artifices and evasions the retriever must have greater shrewdness; it -can skulk, and hide, and swim, and sneak, and he must have the patience -to follow it, and the strength to capture it. Wonderful stories are told -of the many exhibitions of what seems much like human reason, evinced by -some of the celebrated retrievers. - -But probably the rarest quality for a dog or man to possess, and the -most necessary to both, if they would excel in field sports, is the -power of self-restraint. To ask an animal, trembling all over with -delirious excitement, to lie down and remain perfectly motionless during -those most trying moments when the ducks are approaching and being -killed, is to demand of him a self-control greater than would be often -found in his master. Yet upon this quality in the dog depends the entire -question of his value or worthlessness; if he makes the slightest -motion, the quick eyes of the birds are sure to discern it; and if he -bounces up at the first discharge, he will certainly destroy his -master’s chance of using his second barrel, and perhaps upset him over -the side of the boat. - -It is to avoid the sharp eyes of the ducks that a black color for the -dog has been condemned. Amid the yellow and brown reeds of the marshes, -or upon the reflective surface of the open water, black, from its -capacity for absorbing the rays of light, is visible at an immense -distance. Yellow, brown, or grey are the best shades; and any color is -preferable to black. Red is selected by the Southerners for their -tolling dogs, but this is with the purpose of making them attractive. - -Many persons conceive that a dark coat is warmer for an animal than -white, an idea that is carried into practice in the ordinary winter -dress of human beings; but it is refuted not only by the simplest -principles of science, but by the natural covering of the animals that -inhabit the cold climes of the north. The polar bear is clothed in -white, while the southern bear is of a deep black; and many of the -animals and some birds that pass the winter in the arctic regions, -change their dress in winter from dark to grey or pure white. - -Undoubtedly with a retriever the first point is to consider his -protection against cold; plunging as he does at short intervals into -water at a low temperature, and exposed when emerging to the still -colder blasts of Æolus, he must be rendered comfortable as far as -possible at the sacrifice of every other consideration. This is attained -by the thickness more than the color of his coat; and the writer has -always fancied, whether correctly or not, that curly hair is warmer than -straight hair. - -The matted coat of the Newfoundland dogs--the smaller breed being -preferable by reason of size--is extremely warm, and where its color is -modified by judicious crossing, is all that can be desired; while the -instinctive intelligence, the devotion, faithfulness, docility, and -interest in the sport, of these admirable animals, fit them in an -extraordinary degree for wild-fowl shooting. Coming from the north and -accustomed to playing in the water, they can, without danger, face the -element in its coldest state; and whether it be to chase a stick thrown -into the waves by their youthful human playmates, or to recover ducks -shot by their sporting owner, they take naturally to all aquatic -amusements. - -Nevertheless, as has been heretofore remarked, although it is well to -have a slight strain of the Newfoundland, no distinct breed is necessary -to make a good retriever. Our ordinary setters are sometimes -unsurpassable for the purpose; and any tractable dog, if well trained, -will answer in a measure. - -How different it is to stand in the narrow skiff among the tall reeds at -early dawn, with the eager and expectant, though humble, associate, -crouched in the bottom upon his especial mat, and there in the -increasing light that paints the east with many changing hues, to single -out the best chances from the passing flocks, and have your skill doubly -enhanced by the intelligent cooperation of your companion; than to lie, -cramped, cold, and suffering, all through the weary hours, stretched at -full length upon your back with eyes staring up to Heaven and straining -to catch a glimpse of the horizon over your beard or forehead; and -occasionally to rise to an equally constrained posture that is neither -sitting nor lying, and do your best to discharge your gun with some -judgment at a passing flock of fowl! Who can hesitate in selecting the -mode in which he will pursue the sport of wild-fowl shooting? Most of -the favorite varieties of ducks, including many that are known among -ornithologists as sea-ducks, _fuligulæ_, are found in the many scattered -ponds, the shallow marshes, or the extensive inland seas of the great -west; while the swans and geese are shot, the former along the larger -rivers and lakes, and the latter in the corn-fields. It is true that the -enormous flocks that collect in the lagoons and bays of the South are -rarely seen; but the flight of small bodies or single birds is more -continuous, and probably the total number even larger. - -It is impossible to particularize localities as pre-eminent for this -sport where so many are good; and the swamps, rivers, lakes, cultivated -fields, and even open prairies of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, -Iowa, Nebraska, Dakota, Colorado, Minnesota, and Wyoming, and the -Western country generally, abound in their seasons with various -descriptions of wild-fowl. An English sportsman, who had spent many -years in the West, gave it as his opinion that the best place for all -varieties of sport in the world was Southern Minnesota. - -Although the use of a light skiff is always desirable and adds -enormously to the comfort of the shooter, circumstances will often arise -that will deprive him of its use; and in such case he has no better -resource than to don his long wading boots, and tramp through the -shallow water until he comes to a favorable spot, perhaps the deserted -house of a family of beavers; and there, perched upon its summit and -concealed by the surrounding reeds, to resign himself to the inevitable -inconveniences of his position. When his feet grow cold in spite of -their india-rubber casing, and his muscles weary for want of rest, he -will long for the dry skiff; and when he comes to “back” his load of -game--consisting, if he is successful, of geese, canvas-backs, -red-heads, mallards, blue-bills, widgeons, and perhaps a swan--across -the muddy flats a mile or two to dry land, he will long for it still -more intensely. - -For shooting ducks the best weather is dark, or even rainy, as at such -times the birds fly closer to the earth, being unable to follow their -course, and do not perceive the sportsman so readily. But as a natural -consequence, the sportsman’s ammunition becomes damp and his clothes -wet, while the old-fogy owner of the muzzle-loader will unjustly -anathematize Eley’s water-proof caps when his gun misses fire, instead -of blaming his own stupidity. The insides of barrels will foul and the -outsides rust; the loading-stick will become dirty and the sportsman’s -hands and face grimy; and then the happy possessor of the breech-loader, -when he handles his clean cartridges, although one occasionally may -stick, will thank his good fortune and bless Lefaucheaux. - -A strong wind forces the birds out of their safe course, up and down the -open “leads,” upon the various points where the fowler, selecting the -most favorable by watching the flight, takes his stand; and, when they -are heading against it, reduces their speed from the lightning rate of -ninety miles an hour to reasonable deliberation; but when they are -travelling with it, renders the art of killing them one of no easy -acquisition. - -In shooting wild-fowl, or in fact any rapid flying birds, it is -necessary to aim ahead of them--not that the gun is actually fired ahead -of them, but to allow for the time, hardly perceptible to man, but -noticeable in the changed position of the birds, necessary to discharge -the piece; and the distance allowed must depend not only on the rapidity -of their flight, but on the customary quickness of the marksman. The -great fault of sportsmen is, that they shoot below and behind their -birds; and this is particularly apt to be the case where the game, as -with wild-fowl, appears to move more slowly than it really does. - -To the novice in this peculiar sport, the second difficulty to overcome -will be the inability to judge distances. Not only do objects appear -over the water nearer than they really are, but there is no neighboring -object that will aid the judgment in coming to a correct conclusion; and -by changes in the weather birds in the air will seem to be nearer or -further off, and their plumage will be more or less distinctly visible, -according to circumstances. After several days’ experience in dark, -cloudy weather, the greatest proficient will, on the first ensuing day -of bright sunshine, throw away many useless shots at impracticable -distances. - -There is no criterion to determine the distance of any bird high above -the horizon, and any recommendation to wait till the eyes can be -seen--the book-maker’s rule--is worse than useless; it is a matter of -experience and judgment. - -There is no better time to kill ducks than when they are coming head on, -the commonly promulgated idea that their feathers will turn the heavy -shot being simply absurd; and all the marksman has to do is to cover his -bird, pitch his gun a trifle upwards, and pull the trigger. - -In the matter of ammunition, the high numbers of shot and the light -charges of powder of old times have changed by general consent; and for -ducks, one ounce and a quarter of No. 4 or 5, and perhaps No. 3 late in -the season, and of No. 1 or 2 for geese, driven out of the ordinary -field-gun by three and a half drachms of powder, will be found -preferable. I say a field-gun, because, although the heavy duck-gun, -with its enormous charge of six drachms of powder and three ounces of -shot, is undoubtedly more killing when discharged into large flocks, the -waste of ammunition would be immense were it used at the scattering -flight of the western country. - -Many kinds of wild-fowl will, like bay-snipe, be attracted by an -imitation of their cry; and, when decoys are used, the mastery of these -calls is necessary to the proficiency of the bayman. But at the West, -where the use of decoys is not customary, and where the nature of the -ground prevents full advantage being obtained from these devices, a -knowledge of the art is not so necessary. Nevertheless, there is -something thrilling in the “honk” of the wild goose; when it is heard, -the sportsman is earnest in his efforts to imitate it, and if -successful--which he often is, for the bird responds readily--is not -only proud of the result, but amply rewarded for his skill. - -In shooting from any species of cover, when ducks are approaching, it is -more important not to move than to be well hid; the slightest motion -startles and alarms the birds, that would possibly have approached the -sportsman in full view if he had remained motionless. If they are -suddenly perceived near at hand while the sportsman is standing erect, -let him remain so without stirring a muscle, and not attempt to dodge -down into the blind. The ducks may not notice him--especially if his -dress is of a suitable color--among the reeds, but will inevitably catch -sight of the least movement. - -So much for general suggestions and advice, which will be regarded or -disregarded by the gentlemen for whom this work is written, much -according to their previously conceived ideas; and which may or may not -be correct according to the opportunities of judging, and the skill of -turning them to account, of the writer; and now we will record a few -personal experiences, in the hope, if not of further elucidating and -supporting the views herein expressed, of furnishing the reader with -more interesting matter. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -DUCK-SHOOTING ON THE INLAND LAKES. - - -Out West--’way out West--a very long distance from our eastern cities in -miles, but, thanks to steam and iron, a very short one in hours, upon an -island lying in a bay that debouches into one of the great chain of -lakes, is situated a large, neat, white-painted and comfortable house, -where a club of sportsmen meet to celebrate the advent and presence of -the wild ducks. The mansion--for it deserves that name from its extent -and many conveniences--peeps out from amid the elms and hickories that -cover the point upon which it stands, almost concealed in summer by -their foliage, but in winter protected, as it were, by their bare, gaunt -limbs. From the piazza that extends along the front a plank pathway -leads to the wharf, which shelves into the water, like the levees on the -Mississippi, and down or up which each sportsman can, unaided, run his -light boat at his own sweet will. Adjoining the wharf is the out-house, -where the boats are stored in tiers, one above another, and are -protected summer and winter from the weather. Not far off stands that -most important building, a commodious ice-house, suggestive of the -luxuries and comforts that a better acquaintance with the ways of the -place will realize. - -The island is not large, but wherever it is tillable, a garden, orchard, -and grapery have been planted, and furnish the household with delicious -fruit and vegetables. Quail have been introduced, and, being protected -by the regulations of the establishment, have increased and multiplied; -and wild turkeys occasionally commit upon the vines depredations which -are condignly punished. It is a lovely spot, far from other habitations, -and affords shelter during the fall months to as pleasant a set of -sportsmen as can be found the world over. - -The President, with his short figure and grey hair, but sharp, clear -eye, was selected for his superior success as a marksman, and rarely -returns from a day’s excursion without a boat-load of game. The -Vice-President and Secretary are the only other officers, and upon their -fiat it depends whether any outsider shall trespass upon their inland -Paradise. Promiscuous invitations were once extended to the brethren of -the gun and rod, but so many spurious counterfeits presented themselves, -that a stringent rule had to be adopted to exclude all but the genuine -article. - -The shooting lasts from the 1st of September till the chill breath of -winter closes the bay and drives the birds to more hospitable -localities. It is pursued in a small, light, flat-bottomed boat, -similar, on a larger pattern, to the rail-boats used on the Delaware. -Each boat is provided with a pair of oars working on pins that fit into -outriggers; and also with a long setting-pole, which has a bent wire, -like a tiny two-pronged pitchfork, on the end, to catch against the -reeds in poling. A place is made to rest the gun on upon one of the -thwarts; an ammunition-box, containing separate compartments for shot of -several sizes, wads, and caps, is stowed away in the bottom, and a heavy -loading-stick, in addition to the ramrod, is carried. Two guns are an -absolute necessity, unless the sportsman has a breech-loader; for many -birds are crippled and require a second shot before they escape into the -thick weeds, where they are hopelessly lost; and when the flight is -rapid, he requires, at least, four barrels, and would be thankful if he -could manage more. - -The bay, which stretches in vast extent, is filled with high reeds and -wild rice, and rarely exceeds a few feet in depth except where open -passages mark the deeper channels. It is a matter of no little intricacy -for a stranger to find his way, and after nightfall the oldest _habitué_ -will often become bewildered, as the various bunches of weeds, tufts of -rice, or stretches of pond lilies look alike, and when a southerly wind -is blowing the water falls and leaves all but the deep channels nearly -or quite bare. If a man under such circumstances once loses his course -he may as well make up his mind to pass the night in his boat; though he -work himself almost to death trying to pole over bare spots, he will but -travel in a circle and grow momentarily more bewildered. - -I landed at the wharf in the middle of October, of a year ever famous -for the immense numbers of birds that were killed during it, and met -with a hearty greeting from a goodly company collected round the -groaning board of mine host of the white-flowing locks. There was our -worthy President, and our Secretary and Treasurer gracefully combined in -one; there our lucky man and the unlucky man, and there a famous -black-bass fisherman, and there my special friend, and others of lesser -note. - -We sat down to tea with roasted canvas-backs at one end of the table, -broiled steaks at the other, and beautiful potatoes flanking each that -had been raised on our own premises and were tumbling to white -particles, as though they were trying to be flour; jolly, round, baked -apples sitting complacently in their own juice, vegetables of all sorts, -grapes from our grapery, and so many other inward comforts that one -hardly knew where to begin and never knew where to leave off. Our comely -hostess, who had prepared these good things, poured out the tea for us, -and put in sly remarks to her favorites; and, altogether, it was truly -pleasant. - -After tea and adjournment to the sitting-room, while enjoying the -practical cigar or comfortable pipe, we discussed the varied fortunes of -the day and the probabilities of the morrow; compared views on the -habits of fish, flesh, or fowl, and related experiences of former -expeditions. But eager for the morning sun, we retired early and dreamed -of victory. - -As soon as the lazy dawn streaked the east, dressing being done by -candle-light, we hastily disposed of our breakfast and prepared for the -start. Having selected our boats and arranged them on the wharf, we -stowed our guns, ammunition-boxes, over-clothes, a few decoys, and such -other articles as fancy suggested; and then taking two little tin pails, -we put a nice lunch of cold duck, steak, bread, pickles, cake, and fruit -in one, and into the other water with a large lump of ice bobbing around -in the centre; and thus equipped, each man slid his boat down the -inclined wharf, and shipping his oars, pulled for his favorite location. - -My friend and myself joined forces, and made our first pause at a little -bunch of wild rice not far from the house, called Fort Ossawatomie. -Decoys are not generally used in this region, as they cannot be seen -from any considerable distance by the birds on account of the reeds; but -my friend had left his at this place over night, and they were still -“bobbing around”--pretending to swim and looking deceitfully -innocent--when we ensconced ourselves among the reeds near by, crowding -down into the bottom of our boats well out of view. - -Several flocks were seen hovering over the horizon, or moving along in -the distance, scarcely discernible against the morning clouds; and -although occasionally they bade fair to approach, our hopes were, -destined to disappointment, till a single bird turned and headed -directly towards us. When a bird is approaching head on, it is almost -impossible to tell whether he is not going directly from you; and at -times, except for his growing plainer every moment, we should have -doubted which way this bird was flying. Once he turned, from a change of -fancy or fearing danger, but perceiving some other cause of alarm he -again straightened his course towards us. - -We were bent down, peering eagerly through the high reeds, as at last he -came by, within a long gunshot, on the side of my companion. The latter, -rising at the exact moment, wheeled round, brought up his gun, and fired -in an instant. It was just within range, but the bird turned over, -killed dead, and fell with a great splash into the water, sending the -spray six feet into the air. Seizing the pole, I pushed out to him, and -found that he was a blue-bill, one of the best birds of the Western -waters, and at this time in perfection. - -We again concealed ourselves; but noticing that the birds shunned the -spot, I determined to leave it, and pushed out alone to one of the -principal landmarks, where the landscape presents so great a -uniformity--a large umbrella-like elm upon the distant shore. I did not -follow the regular channel; and at first the way was a difficult one, -being directly through a fringe of wild rice, where the water was -shallow and the stalks reached high above my head, but beyond, an open -patch of water-lilies stretched for half a mile. - -The broad, smooth leaves of this remarkable plant, far larger than those -of the pond-lilies of the Eastern States, lay in numbers upon, or half -buried in, the water; while standing up a few feet above its surface -with their straight stems, and gracefully waving in the wind, were the -cup-like pods that contain the seeds. - -When the pods first form the seeds are entirely hidden from view, but as -they increase in size, holes form in the covering, through which they -peep as through a window. The seeds and pod are originally green, but -darken and turn blue, and then brown, as the season advances; and the -holes, which begin by being small, become larger till they open -sufficiently for the seeds to fall out. The seeds or berries are -elliptical in shape and of almost the size of a chestnut; in the green -state they are soft, and can be readily cut with a knife; but when ripe -and black, they are as hard as stone, and will turn the edge of a knife -like agate. - -When about half ripe, or bluish in color, they are good to eat, and -after the removal of a little green sprout hidden in the centre, are -sweet, tasting much the same as a chestnut. As they ripen and their -covering recedes, their stems hold them upright; but the first heavy -frost breaks down the stems, and lets the seed fall out into the water, -where they lie till next year. - -The working of nature is wonderful, as no one observes more frequently -than the sportsman; all this care is taken to preserve the seeds for -their appointed work. If they were permitted to fall out when green or -even half ripe, the action of the water would soften and destroy them; -extreme hardness is necessary to resist its action for so long a time; -while, on the other hand, if they were retained longer and exposed to -excessive cold, their germinating principle would be annihilated. - -Wood-ducks are fond of them in their unripe state, and frequent the -marshes, especially in the early fall, to procure a supply. With a view -to nuts and grapes for dessert, I paused to gather a number of pods, and -was carelessly pushing along, when from out a bunch of weeds, with a -great clatter, sprang a couple of those birds. Dropping the -setting-pole, I threw myself forward to seize the gun; but for this -shooting, infinite practice and great aptitude are required; and -although well accustomed to kill rail from the floating cockleshells on -the Delaware river, and able to take one end of a birch canoe with any -man, I was bunglingly in my own way, and, when at last one barrel was -discharged, a shameful miss was the only result. Anathematizing my -awkwardness, I was dropping the butt to reload, when, roused by the -report, another bird sprang not more than twenty yards off. In an -instant the gun was at my shoulder, and, when the fire streamed forth, -the bird doubled up, riddled with shot, and pitched forward into the -weeds. It was a drake, and, although young, the plumage was resplendent -with the green, brown, and mottle of the most beautiful denizen of our -waters--the elegant wood-duck. - -Several more rose, far out of range, before the lilies were passed and -my destination in the open channel reached. Stopping on the brink of the -latter, to watch the flight of the birds, I noticed that they -frequently crossed a reedy island in the middle of the channel, and -consequently proceeded to conceal myself in what among our association -is called the Little Bunker. It was an admirable location; the channel -on each side did not exceed one hundred yards in width, and the weather -having become thick, with an easterly wind blowing and a slight rain -driving, the promise of sport was excellent. - -Once fairly hidden, and my work commenced; bird after bird and flock -after flock approached, and although the boat, even while pressed in -among and steadied by the stiff reeds, was far from firm, a goodly -number was soon collected. How much more exhilarating is this noble -sport as it is pursued in the West than upon our Atlantic coast, where, -stretched upon his back in a coffin-like battery, the sportsman has to -lie for hours cooling his heels and exhausting his patience! There he is -not confined to one position; but, after shooting down a bird, has the -excitement of pushing after it, and, if it is only wounded, of following -it, perhaps in a long chase before it is retrieved; and then he must -make all haste to return to the hiding-place, over which the birds are -flying finely in his absence, and thus he keeps up a glow and fire of -activity and exercise. - -It is a glorious sight to see a noble flock of ducks approach; to watch -them with trembling alternations of fear and hope as they waver in their -course, as they crowd together or separate, as they swing first one -flank of their array forward, then the other; as they draw nearer and -nearer, breathlessly to wait the proper time, and, with quick eye and -sure aim, select a pair, or perhaps more, with each barrel. It is still -more glorious to see them fall--doubled up if killed dead, turning over -and over if shot in the head, and slanting down if only wounded, driving -up the spray in mimic fountains as they strike; and glorious, too, the -chase after the wounded--with straining muscles to follow his rapid -wake, and, when he dives, catching the first glimpse of his reappearance -to plant the shot from an extra gun in a vital spot. Glorious to survey -the prizes, glorious to think over and relate the successful event, and -glorious to listen to the tales of others. - -Sad, however, is it when the flock turns off and pushes far out to the -open water; sadder still when the aim is not true and the bird goes by -uninjured; sad when the chase is unsuccessful and the weeds hide the -prey, or he dives to grasp a root and never reappears; and saddest of -all to fall overboard out of your frail bark--A fate that sooner or -later awaits every one that shoots ducks from little boats. - -I had had all these experiences except the last, and almost that--when -pushing through the weeds, my friend appeared, attracted by my rapid -firing, and after comparing our respective counts, ensconced himself in -one of the points opposite me on the channel. By this plan all birds -that came between us gave one or the other a shot, and each could mark -birds approaching the other from behind. - -The morning passed rapidly away amid splendid shooting, and noon found -us united in my hiding-place to eat a sociable meal together. During the -middle of the day the birds repose, and the sportsman employs the time -in satisfying the cravings of hunger or even in a nap, interrupted -though he may be in either by an occasional whirr of wings, that, when -it is too late, informs him of lost opportunities. - -We talked over matters. As the day had cleared off and become warm, the -prospect of sport for some hours at least was over, and my friend -suggested we should visit the snipe ground. To approve the suggestion, -to push out and to ship our oars, was the work of a moment, and we were -soon at Mud Creek bridge, a pull of about two miles through an open -lead, from which the ducks were continuously springing on our approach. -Having anchored our boats a short distance from shore, to prevent the -wild hogs paying us a visit, we waded to land, and substituting small -shot for the heavy charges in our guns, walked a few yards up the road -and crossed the fence. - -I had brought my setter with me, and he had proved himself a model of -quietness in the boat, from the bottom of which he had raised his head -only once all day; when my first duck dropped he rose on his haunches, -and watching where it fell, sniffed at it as I pushed up, and then, -satisfied he had no part in such sport, lay down to sleep. - -The moment he touched land his vigor returned; at a motion, he darted -out into the meadow of alternating broad slanks and high field grass -that lay before us, and ere he had traversed fifty yards, as he -approached an open spot, hesitated, drew cautiously, and finally paused -on a firm point. Stepping to him as fast as the impressible nature of -the ground permitted, we flushed three birds, rising as they are apt to -do one after the other, and killed two, one springing wide and escaping -unshot at. - -While going to retrieve the dead birds we flushed two more, both of -which were bagged, one a long shot, wing-tipped, and not recovered till -some time afterwards; for, ere we reached him, we had sprung a dozen, -most of which were duly accounted for. The missed birds, after circling -round high in the air, returned to the neighborhood of their original -locality, and pitching down head-foremost, concealed themselves among -the high grass near enough to lure us to their pursuit. - -The walking was terribly hard; the clayey mud uncommonly tenacious; the -day was already well advanced, and splendid as was the sport, we -resolved, after having pretty well exhausted ourselves and bagged -twenty-six birds, that we must hasten back to the rice swamp, or we -should lose the evening’s shooting. - -We returned to our boats, and stowing the game, pulled with the utmost -vigor down the channel of Mud Creek, and in a short time were again -hidden among the high reeds, awaiting the ducks. This time my friend -selected a spot near a sort of semi-island, that was submerged or not, -according to the state of the water, and near which was a favorite -roosting-place. - -The sun was leisurely dropping down the western sky, throwing his -slanting rays across the broad bay, and lighting up the distant -club-house as by a fire. The fringe of land, trees, and bushes, that -shut out the horizon and rose but little above the water level, was -growing dim and hazy of outline. The wind had died away; and stillness, -but for the quacking of the ducks, the splashing of the coots, or -so-called mud-hens, and the occasional report of a gun, reigned supreme. -A lethargy seemed to have fallen upon the birds; a distant flock alone -would at long intervals greet our eyes, and for some time our evening’s -sport bade fair to prove a failure. - -However, as the sun was about to sink, the birds began to arrive, at -first one or two at a time, then more rapidly and in larger flocks, till -at last it was one steady stream and whirr of wings. Faster than we -could load, faster than we could shoot, or could have shot had we had -fifty guns, from all quarters and of all kinds they streamed past; now -the sharp whistle of the teal, then the rush of the mallard, sometimes -high over our heads, at others darting close beside us; by ones, by -twos, by dozens, by hundreds, crowded together in masses or stretched in -open lines, in all variety of ways, but in one uninterrupted flight. - -Such shooting rarely blesses the fortunate sportsman; we drove down our -charges as best we could, sometimes having one barrel loaded or half -loaded, sometimes the other, oftener neither, when we were interrupted -with such glorious chances; our nerves, eyes, and muscles were on the -strain, and to this day we have only to regret that we did not then -possess a breech-loader. - -The air was alive with birds; the rustle of their wings made one -continuous hum; the heavy flocks approached and passed us with a sound -like the gusty breeze of an autumn night rattling through the dying -leaves. When the sun fled and darkness seemed to spring up around us, -they appeared in the most unexpected and bewildering manner; at one time -from out of the glorious brilliancy of the western sky, then from the -deep gloom of the opposite quarter, darting across us or plunging down -into the weeds near by. - -Our birds lay where they fell, and when the approaching night bade us -depart, we retrieved sixty-seven--the result of about one hour’s -shooting--doubtless losing numbers that were not noticed, or which, -being wounded, escaped. Had we not been awkward from a year’s idleness, -or had we shot as the professionals of Long Island and each used a -breech-loader, I could hardly say how many we might not have killed. As -it was, the sport was wonderful, and the result sufficient to satisfy -our ambition. - -We lost no time in escaping from the weeds into the channel-ways, -whither the open-water ducks--the red-heads and canvas-backs--had -preceded us, and were still directing their flight; and then started for -the few dim trees that we knew surrounded the club-house, rousing in our -course immense flocks of the worthless American coot, _Fulica -Americana_, the mud-hen of the natives. - -The wharf reached, the boats landed, supper over, the birds counted and -registered, the social pipe illumined, and we gathered in a circle round -the fire of our parlor for improving conversation. - -“How many birds have we killed this year?” inquired a member. - -“The record shows a goodly total of 2,351,” replied the Secretary, -turning to the register; “almost as many already as the entire return of -last season, during which we only killed 2,908.” - -“And the better varieties seem this year to be more numerous.” - -“In that particular there is surprising uniformity from year to year. -Last season the return is made up as follows: canvas-backs, 246; -red-heads, 122; blue-bills, 395; mallards, 540; dusky-ducks, 108; -wood-ducks, 601; blue-winged teal, 474; green-winged teal, 39; widgeons, -204; pin-tails, 50; gadwalls, 67; spoonbills, 11; ruddy-ducks, 2; -butter-balls, 7; geese, 2; quail, 14; cormorants, 2; turkeys, 3; great -hell-diver, 1; and this year the average is about the same.” - -“But I think,” said the President, “the canvas-backs and red-heads are -earlier and better than usual.” - -[Illustration] - -“They are rather earlier in making their appearance abundantly. The -variation is never great, however, and the birds appear in the following -order: the wood-ducks first, being plentiful early in September; the -blue-winged teal begin to surpass them about the 20th of that month, and -soon afterward the mallards arrive; widgeons are abundant by the middle -of October, and canvas-backs and red-heads are the latest.” - -“Ah,” burst forth the unlucky man, enthusiastically, “the wood-duck -shooting is my favorite; when they rise from the lilies they are easier -to kill than when flying past at full speed; and you have a punter to -pole the boat and help mark the wounded birds.” - -“October has my preference,” responded the President, with glowing eye; -“the large ducks--the mallards, canvas-backs, and red-heads--have then -arrived; the blue-bills and teal are numerous; and, when a single teal -flies past, a man has to know how to handle his gun to keel him over -handsomely.” - -“But mallards dodge, when you rise to shoot, at the report of the first -barrel; and red-heads and canvas-backs, if not killed stone dead, dive -and swim off under water, or, catching the weeds in their bills, hold on -after death and never reappear. Have you noticed the large teeth, or -nicks, in the bills, especially of red-heads?” - -“Yes. Those long, recurved teeth aid them in tearing up the wild celery, -on which they feed. I have had them serve me the trick you complain of -when they were at the last gasp--so nearly dead, that I have pushed out -and been on the point of picking them up. When not so badly hurt, they -will swim off with their bill only projecting above the surface, and if -there is the least wind this is entirely invisible. The trick is known -to others of the duck family; even the ingenuous wood-duck will have -recourse to the same mean subterfuge occasionally, as one that was but -slightly wounded proved to me to-day.” - -“Is it true,” inquired the fisherman, “that other ducks steal from the -canvas-backs the wild celery that they have exhausted themselves in -procuring?” - -“The widgeons have the credit of doing so; but I have never seen, and -somewhat doubt it. The canvas-back is too large and strong a duck to be -readily trifled with, and is by no means exhausted by diving to the -depth of a few feet after celery. This celery, as we call it--which has -a long, delicate leaf, resembling broad-grass, and bears the name of -_Zostera valisneria_ among the botanists--grows in water about five feet -deep, and its roots furnish the favorite and most fattening food of the -canvas-backs, red-heads, and, strange to say, mud-hens. The widgeon is -not a large nor powerful duck; can dive no further than to put its head -under water, while its tail stands perpendicularly above the surface; -and, although a terrible torment to the weak and gentle mud-hen, would -think twice before incensing the fierce and powerful canvas-back. Of a -calm day it is amusing to watch the flocks of noisy mud-hens, collected -in front of the club-house, diving for their food, and being robbed of -it by the widgeons. The latter swims rapidly among them, and no sooner -does he espy one coming to the surface, with his bill full of celery, -than he pounces upon and carries it off. He is watchful and voracious, -and quickly devours the food; while the injured mud-hen, with a resigned -look, takes a long breath and dives for another morsel.” - -“Do they not combine to drive the robber away?” - -“Occasionally; but he minds their blows as little as their scoldings, -and generally swims off with his prize. The canvas-back, however, would -soon teach him better manners.” - -“Are the western canvas-backs as delicate and high-flavored as those of -the Chesapeake?” - -“Fully so, as my friends in New York, who have been fortunate enough to -share my luck, have often testified. Of course, when they first come -they are thin and poor, but having the same food as is found in the -Chesapeake, and being less disturbed, they soon attain excellent -condition, and are entirely free from the slightest sedgy flavor.” - -“That sedgy or fishy taste is confined mainly to birds shot on the salt -water, and is rarely found in any birds killed upon the inland lakes, so -that many--for instance the bay-snipe--that are barely passable when -shot along the coast, are excellent in the interior.” - -“And yet the naturalists class the canvas-back among _fuligulæ_, or sea -ducks.” - -“That arises from some scientific peculiarity, and is not universal. He -is certainly a fresh-water duck, and thousands are shot here yearly.” - -“I lose a great many crippled birds,” said the unlucky man, -meditatively; “I wonder what becomes of them all?” - -“Many die, a few recover, some are frozen in when the bay freezes over; -after the first hard frost large numbers can be picked up, but they are -so poor as only to be fit to send to the New York market. Most sportsmen -lose many ducks that they should recover; considerable practice is -required to mark well, but the search after a bird should be thorough, -and not lightly abandoned. The boat, when pushed into the reeds, must be -so placed that it can be easily shoved off, and the pole kept ready for -instant use. If, however, a mallard is only wounded, and falls into the -weeds, it is useless to go after him. - -“On the other hand, if a canvas-back, but slightly touched, falls in -open water, he will be rarely recovered; the one hides in the weeds, the -other dives and swims under water prodigiously. The mallard and -canvas-back are the types of two classes--the former is a marsh duck, -the latter an open-water duck. The mallard lives on the pond-lily seeds, -and affects the shallow, muddy pond-holes; the canvas-back seeks the -broad channels, and devours the roots of plants; the one dodges at the -flash, of the gun or sight of the sportsman, the other moves -majestically onward, regardless of the havoc that the heavy discharges -make in his ranks. Of nearly the same size, of unsurpassable delicacy on -the table, of equal vigor, they differ utterly in their habits.” - -“Speaking of types,” said the unlucky man, recalling unpleasant -reminiscences of numerous misses, “you might call blue-bills types of -the fast-flying and dodging ducks. When they come down before a stiff -wind, and are making their best time, lightning is slow by comparison, -and shot does not seem to me to go quite fast enough.” - -“They are the scaup or broad-bill of the East, _Fuligula Marila_, and -are aptly termed the bullet-winged duck. They are undoubtedly the most -difficult duck to kill that flies. I have known a thorough sportsman and -excellent shot on quail, shoot all day at them without killing one. You -must make great allowance for their speed.” - -“And, moreover,” added the President, “you must load properly; there -must be powder enough behind the shot to send it clear through the bird; -one pellet driven in that way will kill a bird that would carry off a -dozen lodged beneath the skin or in the flesh.” - -“Perhaps so, but I doubt its feasibility,” was the response; “no small -shot was ever, in my opinion, driven through the body of a duck with any -charge of powder at over thirty yards. I use light powder and plenty of -shot.” - -This announcement was received with unanimous dissent, and the President -expressed the general feeling when he continued-- - -“Heavy shot will make a gun recoil painfully; but if the shot is light -the charge of powder may be large without producing unpleasant effects; -the shot will be driven quick and strong, and the bird deprived of life -instantaneously. Perhaps the pellets are not driven through the body, -but the blow is severer and the shock is more stunning. I use one ounce -of shot and three drachms of powder, and would prefer to increase rather -than diminish the powder. It is a mistake to suppose powder does not -burn because black particles fall to the ground if it is fired over snow -or white paper; these, I take it, are flakes of charcoal and not powder, -and some will fall, no matter how light may be the load.” - -“For my part,” persisted the unlucky man, “I think the crippling of -birds arises from our inability to judge distances, and from our firing -at birds out of reasonable range. The patent breech was meant to remedy -the necessity for such heavy charges of powder as are used in the -old-fashioned flint-locks. Johnston, the author of an admirable treatise -on shooting, which is now out of print, is my authority, and he says -that an over-charge of powder makes a gun scatter prodigiously without -adding proportionately to the force.” - -“That depends upon the character of the bore,” answered the Secretary; -“if it is relieved at the breech, and after narrowing above, made a -perfect cylinder towards the muzzle, the more the powder the better it -will shoot.” - -Seeing that an interminable discussion was about to open, branching -off, in all likelihood, into the comparative qualities of powder and -manufactures of guns, the President interposed. - -I slipped off and went to bed. Being a comparative stranger at the club -house, for this was the first year of my membership, I had made it a -rule to follow the advice and direction of the older habitues, but I -wanted to get a chance to try some experiments of my own. This would -require a little preparation for which I needed the early hours before -the others should be up. - -As I have said, the members were not at the time of which I am writing -in the habit of using decoys. There was a prejudice against them, their -weight in the boat was an admitted disadvantage, which it was claimed -was not compensated by any corresponding benefit. My experience in a -country where birds were not so plenty, assured me that this was a -mistake, but having come to the club house unexpectedly, I had not -brought my decoys with me, and had to rely upon such substitutes as -could be got up on the spur of the moment. It was with the intention of -preparing these that I retired so early. - -In those ancient days of Western civilization, it was the habit not only -to put several beds in one room, but often to devote one bed to the -accommodation of two men, but by being content with a very small -apartment, I had succeeded in getting a room all to myself. The bedstead -was nothing more than a cot, none too long and by no means too wide. -There was a feather bed on it, a couch we Eastern people do not always -approve, but which has its compensations of a cold night in a loosely -framed house. When I had once felt the insidious wind creeping down my -back where the clothes left an open place for it, I learned the -superiority of experience to theory. I slept, however, as only the just -and the sportsman sleep, my head dropping into unconsciousness as it -touched the pillow, and never returning to it until the daylight -penetrated the open window with its welcome rays--sleep without a dream, -such as youth and health and tired nature only know. - -Next morning I borrowed a saw and a hatchet, all the tools that the -place boasted, and fashioned as best I could some floats. These I -carefully concealed in my boat, and said nothing about them. After -breakfast, when we pushed off, I took my course alone. I went pretty -well up into the marsh, in fact as far as in my ignorance of the -intricacies of the swamp I dared. I chose a point between two creeks, -and going carefully into my blind from behind, so as not to break it -down in front, a precaution which I observed most of the sportsmen -neglected, I concealed myself, and waited the course of events. Mere -waiting never suited my views, but on this occasion there was nothing -else to do. It was some time before I killed a duck, and I was wondering -whether I should have any opportunity to try my floats, when a solitary -mallard came within long range, and I was so fortunate as to bag him. - -It was a beginning, I set him on one of the blocks of wood I had roughly -trimmed into shape that morning. I had noticed the day before that the -water was too deep to set up a dead duck in the ordinary way. Neither -had I been able to find weights of half bricks, which are the main -reliance of the Long Island gunner, or stones, which were an unknown -quantity in that muddy country. So the best I could do, was, to thrust -down a long reed with a string tied to it at the proper distance from -the bottom. My decoy was not as natural as I could have made it with -better appliances, but it was the best I could manufacture, and it did -some service. In less than five minutes it was joined by another -mallard, which first came to look, and was then persuaded to stay by the -gentle influence of an ounce and a half of shot. - -In a short time all my floats were occupied, and although they bothered -me, and wasted my time by breaking away in consequence of not being -properly arranged, they brought me, I do not doubt, twice as many birds -as I should have got without them. I have much faith in being well -hidden. For black ducks, which are the most wary, it is absolutely -necessary not to disturb a leaf that their sharp eyes will notice. If -the reeds are thick enough of themselves to conceal the shooter, do not -either add to them or break them down. I have seen blinds built up, till -they looked like straw mattresses set on end, of which the birds would -be more shy than of the man himself. I was killing shoal-water ducks, -not of course getting canvas-backs, red-heads, or broad-bills so far -back in the marsh, and it was not desirable to have many stools for the -same reason that it is not right to have too large a blind, they are apt -to awaken suspicion. - -One great improvement noticeable after the decoys were set out was, that -the birds came in closer, and gave me better shots. Without them there -is nothing to attract the ducks out of their line of flight, they drive -straight along, perhaps in a direction to bring them to the gunner, more -likely not, but if there are a few decoys, they will at least make a -dash toward the stand. Situated as I was, surrounded almost entirely -with marsh, only a little open water on front and on either side of me, -I felt the want of a dog sadly. My setter, which I had brought from the -East solely for snipe shooting, had shown himself on the day before so -utterly worthless as a retriever, that I had not taken him with me -again. Many of my ducks fell into the reeds, and if they were killed -dead, they were hard to find, and if they had the least life in them, -they would crawl away, and sneak so effectually that if I got them at -all it would be after I had wasted much valuable time. Had my retriever -been with me, I am sure that I should have doubled my bag. - -Of all the retrievers which have ever been used in this country, none -equal those which are called the Chesapeake Bay dogs. Their hair is so -thick and matted that they can stand any amount of cold without -suffering, they are capital swimmers, and I have seen them dive for a -wounded duck, and they seem to have an adaptation for this shooting, -developed perhaps by generations of training, which no other dogs -possess. On one occasion I remember taking out a pup for the second time -that he had ever been shot over. He was so eager that I had to tie him -in the blind, and only let him loose after a bird had been shot down. -Yet on that day I saw him recover a wounded duck after following him -half a mile, twice drop a dead one which he had in his mouth, to bring a -live one, and jump on another and hold him with his paws till he could -reach him by putting his head entirely under water. The wonderful -instances of intelligence reported of this breed would be incredible, if -something only a little less astonishing were not known to every man who -has owned one. - -On this occasion I did not have my dog, and much was the time and many -the duck I lost in consequence. It seemed as though most of those which -were killed dead, fell into the marsh where I could not find the half of -them, and that the wounded fell into the open water, whence they made -their way to cover, before I could run the boat out and pick them up. -The sun was shining brightly from a cloudless heaven, and although the -air was cold, I was so sheltered by the reeds that I was as warm as I -desired to be. That is one of the points of superiority of inland over -battery shooting; had I been lying in the battery with the same wind, no -amount of sun would have kept me warm. - -I had to pick up early, as it would be no joke to be lost in those -monotonous marshes during the night. To get out after dark would have -been impossible, and almost equally impossible for any assistance to -reach me. I was fain to be satisfied with a moderate bag, and lose the -evening’s flight rather than lose myself. When I arrived at the club -house, I found that with the aid of my improvised stools I had made the -second-best bag of the day. Comparative stranger as I was to the -marshes, this result was more than satisfactory. My supper tasted all -the better in consequence, but I did not say anything about the means -which I had taken to bring about the result. - -That evening, when we had collected around the social fire and lighted -our still more social pipes, the president referred to the fact that the -night before, after I had gone to my welcome couch, the rest of the -members had been repeating stories and called upon the unlucky man to -fulfill a promise he had made to give some personal experience of trout -fishing. - -UNLUCKY MAN.--“But my adventure occurred on Long Island, whither I had -gone to learn trout-fishing. I had a new rod of Conroy’s best and most -expensive pattern, a book full of flies, a basket, a bait-box, a net, a -gaff, and all things appurtenant, and was especially proud of my fishing -suit, which a brother of the angle had kindly selected for me. My boots -came above my knees, and were of yellow Russian leather, with which my -brown pants matched admirably, while a blue vest, a white flannel coat, -red neck-tie and crimson cap, combined all the colors that were least -likely to alarm the fish. - -“The other anglers collected at the hotel kindly aided me with their -advice, for which I was truly grateful. They rigged out my leader with -flies, and convincingly proving that the more flies used the more fish -must be taken, fastened on thirteen. Conroy had hardly served me fairly -in selecting my assortment, for they were pronounced by all not to be -half large or bright enough. It was clear that the larger the fly the -easier the fish could see it, and the more surely it would catch; so -they loaned me a number, principally yellow, green, and blue, which was -the more generous of them, as they had but few of the same sort -themselves. - -“They impressed upon me to be up early, because trout will not bite -after sunrise--besides, I knew from the proverb that worms were more -easily obtained early; and it was still dark when, having passed a -restless few hours, I awoke and dressed. The house was silent, not a -person to interfere with me, and having set up my rod the night before, -I crept cautiously down stairs. The tip would slash about and knock at -the doors and on the walls as I passed, and gave me great trouble in -turning the corners of the stairs, but I reached the hall door safely -and stepped out upon the piazza. - -“I had hardly congratulated myself, when, hearing a suspicious growl, -and recollecting that the tavern-keeper had a cross mastiff, I turned, -and saw him in the dim light making straight for me. Running was never -my forte, but, gentlemen, my speed round that house with that mastiff -after me has rarely been equalled; he kept it up well, however, and if -he could have turned a corner readily, would have caught me. Recovering -my presence of mind in the third round, I darted through the hall door, -and slamming it to behind me, heard my enemy bounce against it, and -after a growl and a sniff or two, turn away in disgust. - -“Upon regaining my breath, I ascended to my room, and loading the -revolver which I always carry on dangerous journeys, returned to the -attack, determined on revenge. Strange to say, however, the cowardly -beast, the moment the pistol was presented at him, uttered a low whine -and shrank away. Disgusted with his cowardice, I seized up my rod, which -had been dropped in my first flight, and pursuing him howling piteously -three times round the house, laid it on him soundly. - -“It must have been poor stuff, for the tip broke. Conroy mended it -afterwards, without charge, when I told him the circumstances. But I put -in a spare one, and having dug my box full of worms, went to the shed -where my horse was left standing, ready harnessed, from the night -before. There is nothing like attention to these little matters in time; -for, if the hostler had had to harness him, he might have detained me -many precious minutes. - -“A half-hour’s drive soon brought me to the pond, and, after hitching -the animal to the fence--for it was necessary to turn into the field -from the main road--I walked down to the bank and jumped into a boat. -Unfortunately, it was chained to a staple and padlocked; the inn-keeper -had forgotten to give me the key. They were all the same but one, lying -on the shore and turned bottom up, that did not seem to be sound. No -time, however, was to be lost; the streaks in the east were beginning to -turn red--an indication that the sun was rising--and the hour for -fishing would soon be over. I launched the boat, such as it was, and -pushed off. - -“Casting the fly is difficult, but casting thirteen flies is almost -impossible. The boat was leaky; the fish did not rise, and the water -did. I bailed as well as I could with one hand, and fished with the -other, till at last, almost exhausted, I saw the sun rise. As a -desperate resource, however, the bait-box came into play. I removed the -flies and substituted a hook and worm; but while thus employed, and -unable to bail, the water gained on me rapidly. Hardly had the bait -touched the water before a fine fish seized it. I tried my best to pull -him out, but he would not come--the rod was such a miserable, weak -affair that it bent like a switch. The trout swam about in every -direction, and tried to get under stumps and weeds and to break my line; -but I held him fast and reeled in--for my friends had explained to me -what the reel was for--and was about to lay down my rod and fish him out -with the landing-net, when--the boat sank.” - -CHORUS--“Could you swim?” - -“No; but the water was only up to my arm-pits, and I was about to wade -ashore, when a colored gentleman, who had arrived and been sitting on -the bank for the last few minutes, shouted to me that it was his boat -and I must bring it with me. I answered, savagely, that I would do -nothing of the sort, when he began to abuse me and call me thief, and -say I had stolen his boat, and he would have me arrested. So I thought I -had better comply, and waded along, dragging it after me. The bottom was -muddy, and I slipped once or twice and went all under. It was probably -then that the fish got off; but my colored friend took pity on me, and -pointed out to me the best places to walk. - -“I was nearly ashore, and had clambered upon a bog, as the gentleman -advised, and, by his direction, I jumped to a piece of nice-looking -green grass. I have always thought he deceived me in this, for it turned -out to be a quagmire, and I sank at once above my waist in solid, sticky -mud. The matter now became serious; my weight is no trifle, and every -motion sank me deeper and deeper. I implored the colored man to help me -out; to wade in to me, and let me climb on his back; I offered him money -profusely; and--would you believe it?--he laughed, he roared, he -shouted, he rolled over in an agony of mirth. He asked me whether I was -afraid to die--that only cowards were afraid to die. I did not dare to -say no, lest he should take me at my word, and was ashamed to say yes; -but, as I kept on sinking, I had to own up that I was afraid, and then -he only laughed louder than ever. - -“My feelings were beyond description--fury does not adequately describe -my rage; but fear so tempered it, that I seemed to change suddenly from -the extreme of heat to the extreme of cold. I would begin by swearing at -him, and end by imploring; I begged, cursed, prayed, and raved. Overcome -by his unrestrained delight, at last I threatened--pouring out upon him -the vilest abuse, and dire menaces of what I would do when I did get -out. The prospect of that, however, rapidly diminished--the nasty, slimy -mud rose by perceptible degrees--and then he made me take back all my -threats and apologize to him. In the agony of my returning terror, he -actually made me beg his pardon. - -“When, however, hope was nearly over with me, he slowly, with maddening -deliberation, took a rail from the nearest fence, and, interspersing the -operation with much improving advice, began to pry me out. As I rose -towards the upper world my courage returned, and my revenge was merely -waiting till my body touched _terra firma_ to take ample amends. Even -that satisfaction was destined to disappointment; for when I was so far -out, that with the aid of the rail I could help myself, he dropped it, -and, suspecting my intention, he scuttled off as fast as his black legs -would carry him. - -“What an object I presented after effecting my escape--from head to foot -one mass of mud; my handsome clothes, my hands and face, all blacker -than my ebony friend, and stiff and heavy with the noisome -conglomeration. After resting for a few minutes, I gathered up my rod -and started for the wagon, when what should I see in the other end of -the lot but a bull. A single glance showed me what I had to expect; no -bull could stand such an object as I was. I ran and he ran. I made for -the wagon and he after me. Such a picture as I must have presented, -flying from an infuriate bull, may seem funny to you, gentlemen, but was -not to me. We both reached the wagon and both went into it together--I -into the seat, he into the body; the result being that I went flying out -again, on the other side, over the fence. The horse, which at that -moment must have been dreaming, or sleeping the sleep he did not have -the night before, aroused by the crash, cast one look behind and burst -his bonds and fled. - -“It was a long walk home; people looked strangely at me on the way, and -some unfeeling ones laughed. My wagon was broken, my horse was ruined, -my clothes were spoiled; and the only consolation I had, was that my -brother anglers at the hotel felt and expressed such intense sympathy -for my sufferings.” - -The resigned tones and manner of the speaker were inimitable, and his -story was received with great satisfaction and closed the evening’s -amusements. All parties having resolved upon an early start, retired -early, and enjoyed a rest such as the sportsman only knows. - -One of the attachés of our club-house, without whom it would be deprived -of many pleasant features, and who is a remarkable and eccentric -character, is called Henry--a Canadian Frenchman. He possesses the -lightheartedness, the honesty and trustworthiness of that peculiar -class, with the strongest prejudices against mean and underhanded -actions and those who are guilty of them; he is, in his own obstinate -way, devoted to the service of those who enjoy his esteem. Animated with -strong dislikes, he is barely polite to those who have excited his -distrust, while he will do anything for his favorites. He is a good -shot, and thoroughly acquainted with the marsh and the habits of the -birds, but on no terms will he make any suggestions as to the most -promising localities. To the question, no matter how casually or -confidingly uttered: - -“Well, Henry, where had I better go, to-day?” He will respond, looking -you calmly in the face, and in a slightly admonitory tone: - -“You know I never give advice, sir.” - -His greatest favorites can obtain no more satisfactory answer, and in -fact not much information of any kind, from him in relation to the -flight or haunts of the birds. He appears to have discovered that -knowledge worth having is worth working for, and is resolved that every -man shall be his own schoolmaster. He has quite an insight into -character, and appreciates the members of the club and their -peculiarities. - -One day a party, including a number who were not members, had been -snipe-shooting, and some of the latter indulged the habit of pushing on -before their neighbor to shoot any bird they may have seen alight, or -had reason to believe was upon his beat. Afterwards Henry remarked, as a -sort of soliloquy, “He was a poor man--did not have much education, and -supposed he did not know; but he did not think it right for one -sportsman to run in ahead of another in order to shoot a bird before -him. Probably he was wrong; but that was the way he felt, and could not -help it.” - -It was this curious individual who waked us the next morning at an hour -before daylight, and enjoyed heartily the satisfaction of rousing us up -at that unseemly time. We were no way loth, however, and hastily -swallowing our breakfasts and launching our boats, pushed out under -cover of the darkness for our respective points. As yet the water and -land were scarcely distinguishable, and localities could only be -determined by intuition. Night was still brooding with outstretched -wings on the earth; the sky seemed to be close overhead, and the clouds -could not be distinguished from the open heavens. Slowly, however, the -outlines of the horizon became apparent; then the heavy masses of -lowering cloud that hung in the eastern sky, and left a narrow, -transparent strip of light between themselves and the horizon, came out -in strong relief; the stars faded and turned dim; trees, bushes, and -distant elevations--the minutiæ of the landscape--appeared; long lines -of sedge-grass and reeds sprang up from the water; the eastern sky, and -especially the bright strip beneath the cloud, became lighter; a roseate -tinge spread itself over the meadows, deepening to intensity in the -east, and at last the sun peeped over the horizon. - -Occasionally ducks will move at the first break of dawn; but frequently, -as in the present instance, they do not fly till about sunrise; then the -canvas-backs commenced coming in from the open water; the red-heads -accompanied them; and the mallards, aroused from safe beds among the -reeds, flew with loud quackings overhead. Later, the rapid blue-bills -and teal darted past, the pin-tails moved majestically in stately lines, -and the diminutive butter-balls hurried by. The rising sun dissipated -the clouds, and the increasing wind announced a glorious ducking-day. - -To enjoy this sport thoroughly, or to make the most of the chances -offered, requires long practice and peculiar skill; but, when this skill -has been acquired, no specialty in sportmanship can be carried to higher -perfection, or confer more intense delight. To observe quickly and note -the direction of flight of the distant flock; to catch sight of the -single bird just topping the reeds; to hide well from the sharp eyes of -the approaching ducks; to keep a steady footing, yielding to the -treacherous motions of the unsteady boat without losing self-command; to -measure the distance accurately from birds passing high in air; to -select the proper moment to fire, and to determine correctly the speed -of the moving object; to do all these things at once, without hesitation -or failure in any particular, requires in a man the highest qualities of -a sportsman. The wonder is that success is so often attained; for there -are many men who will kill almost every bird that comes fairly within -range, and who will tell you before they shoot whether they are sure of -killing or not. - -Unfortunately our party, although tolerably proficient, were far from -perfect. Many were the fair shots missed, or only half hit, and more -still were the impossible shots that were wasted. The wind drove the -birds upon the long neck of reeds called Grassy Point, where several of -us had located ourselves, and the river-scows, or small boats, -occasionally passing kept them in motion. - -During the morning several flocks of swans were seen, looking, when they -passed in front of a dark cloud, like flying snow-flakes. Although -somewhat resembling the appearance of geese, at a distance, the beat of -their wings and their trumpet-voiced cry are altogether different. They -were very shy, keeping far out of range; but excited our nerves at the -mere thought of what glory would be conferred if they should happen to -come within the proper distance. - -One of our party, however, acquired but little credit by a shot which he -made at a flock of geese that passed within twenty yards of him. He was -of Milesian descent, and explained the occurrence afterwards as -follows: - -“You see, I was watching them come closer and closer, and making my -calculation to pick out two fine ones. I knew the fellow at the head was -an old gander, and tough; but right behind him came two tender, juicy -youngsters--altogether the fattest and best in the whole flock. Well, it -took me some time to make this selection, and, letting the old one go -by, I was just about preparing to knock over the two others right and -left--and done it I should have, because I intended to, you know. Well, -I put up my gun, and was about taking aim, and was waiting for them to -get just in the right position--for I was as cool as I am this moment; -an old hunter like me is not easily flurried. Well, they were almost -ready, and I was on the point of cutting them down, when somebody -else--bad luck to him--about a hundred yards off fired into the flock. -Of course they flirted in every direction, and darted about so, that I -lost sight of those I selected; and how could you expect me to kill any -others when I had made up my mind to have those? You need not laugh -because I missed with both barrels; I wouldn’t have missed if the birds -had been in their proper places, where I was pointing my gun.” - -So it was that we obtained no geese. But the canvas-backs and mallards, -in the early morning, made up for the deficiency; and when, towards -midday, they ceased flying, some of our party resolved to pole for -wood-ducks. - -To do this, as has been heretofore intimated, requires more practice -than even shooting from “points”--exacting from the sportsman not merely -readiness in handling the gun, but activity of motion and accuracy of -balance. The gun, at full cock, is laid in its rack across the thwart; -or, as I prefer, from one thwart to another, with the triggers up; the -sportsman, standing erect on the stern, wields his pole with care, -avoiding noise, and never by any chance touching the side of the boat -with it, for nothing alarms the birds so much as rapping on the side of -the boat, although it is not easy to avoid doing so. He faces forward, -raises the pole carefully, and replacing it without a splash or a blow -on the crackling stems or leaves of the lilies, use his body as a -fulcrum as often as he wishes to alter the direction of the boat. He -works his way against the wind as much as possible, and, casting his -eyes in every direction, is always on the alert. Suddenly, with a roar -like distant thunder, a wood-duck, generally the male, starts from the -weeds, and with a curious cry, like that of a wailing infant, makes the -best of his way from the approaching danger; instantly the sportsman -drops the pole, wherever it may be--in mid air or deep in the mud, just -planted or at its full reach--and springing to his gun, raises it with -rapidity but deliberation, and, if the bird has hot already gained a -safe distance, discharges it with the best effect he is able to command. -Frequently, at the report, another bird will start, and offer a fair and -generally successful shot. - -To one accustomed to kill quail, this shooting, after the awkwardness -arising from the motion of the boat is overcome, is not difficult; but -the knack of dropping the pole at once is almost unattainable. Most -persons, at first, frantically endeavor to deposit the pole in the boat, -and cannot drop it instantly; others give it an energetic push. The -former allow the birds time to escape, while the latter increase the -unsteadiness of the boat. - -The birds usually rise well, attaining the height of twenty feet before -they move directly away, and hence present a good shot. If they are -missed, they may be marked down, pursued, and started again; and as they -are frequently very numerous, and rise at unexpected moments, they keep -the sportsman excited, until, worn out with the excessive and -unaccustomed labor, he has to stop and rest. If the water is low the -poling is hard work, and at the most favorable times will be found -sufficiently exhausting. The birds principally frequent the lily beds, -which stretch out in broad patches where the water is moderately deep; -but they are also found in open spots among the high reeds, and -occasionally among the deer-tongue. - -There are several kinds of weeds growing in the shallows of the bay, and -restricted in their extent by its depth. The reeds, which in the fall -resemble a ripe field of grain, have crimson stems, and narrow yellow -leaves, almost inclosing the stems at their base and streaming -gracefully in the wind at the top; they thrive in shallow water, and, -attaining a height of twelve feet, form the hiding-places of the -sportsman. The wild rice had a greenish-yellow stem, with longer joints -and without leaves; it branches at the end into the seed-receptacles, -and is not found in such large patches. The deer-tongue grows in deeper -water, and retains its green hue till the weather intimates that winter -is present. It has a leaf like a dull spear-head, that projects but a -few inches above the surface; and its stout stems, springing up close -together, constitute a serious obstacle to the advancing boat. There are -also scattered patches of weeds, usually called grass because they are -green, but with a round, hollow, tapering stem, or leaf, that has no -resemblance whatever to grass. - -Early in the season, when there are few birds flying over the points, -and the young, tender, and gentle wood-ducks crowd the marshes and will -permit an easy approach, it is customary to employ a punter, who poles -the boat while the sportsman sits on the forward thwart, gun in hand, -ready in a moment to cut down the feeble birds. But if any of the -shooting is to be done from the points, the punter will be found in the -way, increasing the unsteadiness of the boat and augmenting the danger, -already sufficiently great. Although by no means proficient, I always -prefer poling myself, and will never permit any guns in the boat but my -own. - -On the day more particularly referred to in this chapter, we found the -birds plentiful, although rather wild, and had grand sport, starting the -crying wood-ducks and the quacking mallards from their hiding-places, -and killing a goodly number in spite of their sharp ears and strong -wings. - -Of the particular shots, the numerous misses, the various mishaps, it -were vain to tell. A baptism in the shallow bay-water is regarded as a -necessary initiation, and not being dangerous, the ceremony is -frequently repeated. Good shots are rarer than bad ones, even with the -best marksmen, and perhaps the author would have to vindicate truth by -telling some awkward blunders of his own, and thus forfeit the reader’s -respect for ever. It is sufficient for the reader to recall the best -day’s sport at ducks he ever had, to imagine his own shooting -considerably improved, his strength and activity augmented, and his -promptest deliberation surpassed; and he will have a faint idea of our -performance. It is enough to say the birds were there, and we were -there. - -Towards night we occupied a series of points above the Gap, as it is -called--an opening between the island where the house is situated and -the land beyond--and waited for the evening flight. The wind had died -away, and as the sun was setting, the mallards came in from the lake to -pass the night. Innumerable flocks, one after another, appeared from -behind the trees, and passing overhead, settled down into the reeds. By -twos, threes, or hundreds in a flock, in straight, even lines of battle, -or bent like the two sides of a triangle, or in long single file, their -wings whistling in the still air, or producing reports like pop-guns as -they flirted or touched one another--immense numbers moved over us. - -Having ascertained by several ineffectual shots that they were far out -of range, we watched them with delight and curiosity, wondering whence -they could all come, and whither they were going. There was no abatement -or pause till the increasing darkness shut them out from our sight. Had -we been prepared with Ely’s wire cartridge we could have rained -destruction among them, but as it was we only killed a few chance birds; -and then reassembling our party where the open lead joined the bay, we -returned to the club-house together. - -The next day being clear and still, it was devoted to fishing and -exploring. A Kentuckian who was among our numbers, having no fishing in -his own State, and knowing nothing of salmon or striped-bass, and little -of trout, was devoted to black-bass fishing. Persuading the writer to go -in the boat with him, while two friends accompanied us in another, we -crossed the bay, and having fastened large Buel’s spoons to the end of -stout hand-lines, proceeded to troll in the most primitive manner. - -The bass were plentiful, and rushing from their lairs in the weeds close -to the shore, darted out after the boat had passed, and devoured our -baits. Although quite large, they gave feeble play, turning over and -over in the water, and rarely jumping with the vigor of fish brought up -in cooler latitudes; in fact, the river and lake bass differ so greatly -as to seem almost to belong to different species. The river fish, which -lie in the discolored water where long weeds grow from a bottom of deep -mud, are yellow in color, have a large head, and a yellow iris to the -eye. The lake fish, which prefer the clearer element near rocky shoals, -have a small head and reddish eye, are dark-sided and vigorous, have a -large forked tail, and are infinitely preferable on the table. - -One of our friends in the other boat was a practical joker, and of a -lively turn of mind. He at first amused himself by jerking the line of -his companion who sat nearer the bow, to induce him to think it was a -bite; then he landed all the fish that were taken on either hook; and -finally, having accidentally caught his hook into his companion’s and -drawn it in without the latter’s knowledge, he hung it on the gunwale -and had the fishing to himself. As the portion of the line, or bight as -sailors call it, which still towed overboard kept up the ordinary -strain, his associate was in great wonderment at his bad luck, and did -not discover the reason till the fishing was over. - -Having absolutely filled our boats with bass that weighed from two to -four pounds, and having ordered a good dinner at the club-house to -entertain some strangers, we returned, rather disgusted with such tame -sport. - -We caught, besides the bass, a few pickerel and a small pike-perch, -_lucioperca Americana_; and found the most successful bait was a red and -tin spoon, with a white feather on the hook. The natives call the -pickerel a grass-pike, and the pike-perch a pickerel. Those curious -nondescripts--half fish, half reptile--bill or gar-fish, _lepidosteus_, -relics of antediluvian ages, were seen in the water, but are only taken -in the net. - -The weather had been clear, mild, and still; it continued so for several -days, and as storm and wind are necessary to duck-shooting, our sport, -although pleasant, was greatly diminished. Consequently we rose at -reasonable hours, ate comfortable breakfasts, and smoked our pipes -before we left the house. One morning, as I was about departing, the -Kentucky fisherman, who had found the weather admirable for his sport, -offered to bet ten of the largest fish he would catch against the -largest bird I should shoot, that I would not kill a dozen ducks. Of -course I accepted the wager. - -It was unpromising weather, still and warm, and there was absolutely no -flight either during the morning or evening; but by chance two -cormorants came close to my stand. Without waiting to distinguish what -they were I fired, killing one dead, and dropping the other some -distance off in the open water. My disgust on picking up the one -nearest, and observing the thick legs, ugly shape, and crooked yellow -bill, was only diminished by the recollection of my bet. I lost, failing -in the end to bring home the dozen birds--although I shot more than that -number, but was unable to recover several that fell in the weeds--and on -my return, using that fact as an excuse, endeavored to beg off. The -Kentuckian was delighted; imagining from my conversation that I had shot -a canvas-back, and anticipating an amusing triumph, he insisted upon the -letter of the law. - -Our discussion, as was intended on my part, attracted the attention and -interest of all the members, and my opponent waited with a victorious -air till I should bring him my largest bird. At last, after much -procrastination, it was produced amid such shouts as rarely rang through -the old club-house. In vain did my Kentucky friend attempt to disclaim -his acquisition or propose to waive his rights; “he would have the bird, -and he must take him; it was a remarkably fine one of the kind, and a -good specimen.” At last he burst forth: - -“Oh, get out with your cormorant; take him away; do, and I’ll never make -another bet with you as long as I live.” - -To this day, in that section of the West, a man who is too exacting -occasionally wins a cormorant. - -The time that circumstances permitted me to devote to pleasure was -drawing to a close, and the last morning that was to be appropriated to -the ducks had arrived, when, as I was about loading my boat, Henry stood -before me, and with great earnestness remarked: - -“I am going to shoot with you to-day, sir.” - -If he had said, “I am going to shoot you,” he could not have spoken with -more firmness and solemnity; or, if he had anticipated the most violent -contradiction, he could not have assumed a more convincing manner. The -proposal, as it suggested an augmented bag for my last day, was, -however, cordially welcome; and, as soon as he was ready, I inquired in -an unconcerned manner: - -“Well, which way shall we go?” - -The effrontery of the question fairly took him aback, and, pausing in -apparent irresolution as to whether he was not in danger of being caught -at last, he seemed for a moment half inclined to run for it. -Incoherently he commenced his usual response about not giving advice; -paused, and then, in a sadly reproachful tone, remonstrated as follows: - -“You know if I were to give advice to gentlemen, and they were to have -bad luck, they would blame me; and how can I know all the time where the -ducks are flying?” - -“But, Henry, as we are going together, I must certainly be told where -the place is to be.” - -This appeared to surprise him; for, after a moment’s deliberation, he -jumped into his boat, and, seizing his paddle, said, “I am going to -Grassy Point,” and made off as fast as he could. - -“Well, Henry, I suppose I shall have to go with you, instead of you with -me; but the difference is not very great.” - -He seemed confused, and in doubt whether he had not compromised himself, -and paddled with such speed that I could scarcely keep up with him. -Seated with his face towards the bow of the boat, his guns lying ready -for instant use in front of him, he plied his double paddle--that is to -say, a long paddle with a blade at both ends, which are dipped -alternately--with a vigor that would have distanced, for a short -stretch, the most expert rower. Like the other natives, he preferred -the double paddle to the oars. While using it he could make an accurate -course--an important consideration in the intricate channels; could -watch for a chance shot ahead of him, or chase a wounded duck -advantageously; at a moderate speed, could travel a long journey; and, -for a spurt, could surpass the same boat propelled by oars; and was not -annoyed by catching the blades in the innumerable weeds. So great was -the respect that I acquired for the double paddle, from his manner of -wielding it, that I thereupon resolved to have one and learn to use it, -even if I did suffer somewhat in the attempt. - -We proceeded in unbroken silence, and, reaching the point, located -ourselves well upon it, not far apart, and awaited the ducks. Henry was -an excellent shot, and set me an example that I did my best to follow; -but as the birds did not fly well, we left at the expiration of a couple -of hours, and crossed Mud Creek into the main swamp, called Lattimer -Marsh. On the way, happening to pass an old muskrat house, my curiosity -was excited, and I inquired: - -“Are there any animals in that house now?” - -“I don’t know whether there are any animals, sir; there might be some -sort of animals, but there are not any rats.” - -“Where are the rats, then?” - -“They all disappear in summer; they leave their houses, and in the fall -build new ones. I can’t tell what becomes of them; but they have queer -ways. They build a big house--a sort of family house, as I call -it--where a number of them dwell; and around it, about fifty rods off, -smaller ones, where each rat appears to feed or go when he wants to be -alone. There are generally two entrances, one above and the other under -water, so that when the bay is frozen over they can get in.” - -“How do you catch them?” - -“We set spring-traps of iron, but without teeth, so as not to hurt the -skin, near their houses, and where we think they will be apt to step -into them. The time to catch them is from the 1st of March till the 10th -of April.” - -“Can anybody trap them?” - -“Oh no, sir; that wouldn’t do at all; a person has to own the land, or -have the right to trap. The land isn’t worth much, though--only about a -dollar an acre.” - -“The Indian name of muskrat is said to be musksquash?” - -“I don’t know how that is; but I have heard people call them so. There -are a good many in the marsh, and we sometimes make three or four -hundred dollars a year from them.” - -“But, as the swamp fills up and the land makes, won’t they disappear?” - -“No, sir; the swamp isn’t filling up; but the land is sinking, or the -water rising--either one or the other; for the swamp is growing larger. -The trees on the island are being killed by the water--some are dead -already; and every year more high land becomes meadow, and the meadow -turns into swamp.” - -“I thought the Western lakes were growing shallow, and receding yearly.” - -“Not here, sir. Why, that long spit of reeds beyond Grassy Point was dry -land once, so that you could drive a team clear over to Squaw Island; -there were large trees on it, but they are all dead, and the channel -between it and the island is six feet deep.” - -“All the better for us sportsmen. Have you any other valuable animals -besides the rats?” - -“A few otter; but not many. No, sir; the ducks are the most valuable -things we have.” - -“They will soon be killed off.” - -“No, sir; as there is no shooting allowed in the spring they are -becoming more plentiful. They are tamer, too; and some stay here all -summer and breed. It was the spring shooting, when they were poor and -thin, that killed them off or drove them away.” - -“How many birds can a good shot average daily the season through?” - -“I think I can kill forty a day, but perhaps there are some men who can -shoot better. But now, sir, if you will choose your stand, I will go a -little way below.” - -I ensconced myself in a bunch of high weeds surrounded by a pond of open -water, and killed a few mallards. The birds did not fly well, however, -and we moved from place to place in the hope of better luck, and with a -restlessness that showed increasing dissatisfaction on the part of -Henry; so that I was not surprised when, early in the afternoon, he told -me that he must return to the club-house. I remained for some hours -where he left me; but hearing rapid shooting near the Gap, I poled my -way there through a broad field of lilies, known as the Pond Lily -Channel, and there, to my surprise, found Henry. - -Whether it was the desire to be alone, for his peculiarity of preferring -to shoot by himself has been mentioned, or whether he was tempted by a -favorable flight of birds, I never knew; when I appeared, he paddled -hastily away as though ashamed, and made no answer to my inquiries as to -what detained him, or how they could manage without him at the house. -Unceremoniously occupying his place, I completed the evening, and the -allotted hours of my stay, with some excellent shooting at flocks of -mallards, widgeons, and blue-bills, that poured through the Gap in -endless flights, till after dark. - -Then, for the last time, I rowed through the darkness towards the -well-known point; for the last time sat down at the groaning board which -our kind-hearted landlady had furnished so liberally; played my last -game with the euchre-loving son of Kentucky; smoked a farewell pipe of -Killikinnick in the sociable circle around the air-tight; slept for the -last time in the comfortable bed under the hospitable roof of the -club-house; and next morning, having seen my associates depart, each in -his little boat, and bid them all farewell, I set out, with my birds -packed in ice, for the City of New York. My friends welcomed me and my -birds gladly. Reader, had you been my friend, you would also have -welcomed us both. - -It is surprising how well the duck-shooting in the confluents of the -great lakes has held out in spite of time and breech-loaders. Wild -ducks, like tame ones, lay fifteen to twenty eggs, not like the English -snipe, which rarely lays more than four. They go to inaccessible places -to breed, and are so tough, strong, and active, that they can put their -natural enemies almost at defiance. Spring shooting has been forbidden, -and the result is that as many are now killed every fall as were killed -twenty years ago. - -[Illustration] - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -SUGGESTIONS TO SPORTSMEN. - - -The word “sport” has been more abused, ill-treated, and misapplied than -any other in our language; of a high, pure, and noble signification, it -has been debased to unworthy objects; of a restricted and refined -significance, it has been extended to a mass of improper matters; from -its natural elegant appropriateness, it has been degraded to vulgar and -dishonest associations. - -The miserable wretch who lives on the most contemptible passion in human -nature, and with practised skill cheats those who would cheat -him--winning by the unfair rules of games, so-called, of chance--or, -with less conscience, converting that chance into a certainty, calls -himself a sporting man. The individual who, having trained a horse up to -the finest condition of activity and endurance, drives or rides him -under lash and spur round a course to win a sum of money, although he -may call himself a sportsman, is really a business man. The daring -backwoodsman of the Far West, who follows the fleet elk or timid deer, -and who attacks the formidable buffalo or grizzly bear, is less a -sportsman than a mighty hunter; the man who shoots with a view of -selling his game is a market-gunner; and he who kills that he may eat is -a pot-hunter. - -The sportsman pursues his game for pleasure; he does not aspire to -follow the grander animals of the chase, makes no profit of his success, -giving to his friends more than he retains, shoots invariably upon the -wing, and never takes a mean advantage of bird or man. It is his pride -to kill what he does kill elegantly, scientifically, and mercifully. -Quantity is not his ambition; he never slays more than he can use; he -never inflicts an unnecessary pang or fires an unfair shot. - -The man who, happening to find birds plentiful in warm weather, and, -after murdering all that he can, leaves them to spoil, is no more a -sportsman than he who fires into a huddled bevy of quail, or who -considers every bird as representing so much money value, and to be -converted into it as soon as possible. - -The sportsman is generous to his associate, not seeking to obtain the -most shots, but giving away the advantage in that particular, and -recovering it if possible by superiority of aim; for although to be a -sportsman a person must naturally be an enthusiast, he should never -forget what he owes to his friend, and above all what he owes to -himself. - -Boys and Germans need not imagine that killing robins or blackbirds on -trees, no matter how numerously, is sport. Robins and blackbirds, the -latter especially, if the old song is to be believed, make dainty pies, -but do not constitute an object of pursuit to the sportsman. Diminutive -birds shot sitting are as far beneath sport as gigantic wild animals -shot standing or running are above it. The only objects of the -sportsman’s pursuit are the game birds; not in the confined sense used -in old times by the English, when the very prince of all--the -woodcock--was excluded from the list, but embracing every bird, fit for -the table, that is habitually shot on the wing. Many of these, perhaps -the finest, gamest, and bravest, are shot over dogs, where the wonderful -instinct of the animal aids the intelligence of the human; but whether -followed by the faithful setter, or lured to bobbing decoy; killed from -points where, prone in the reeds, the eager sportsman, insensible to -cold or wet, at the grey of dawn or dusk of night, awaits his prey; or -from the convenient blind which the deluded birds approach without -suspicion, or pursued with horse and wagon on the open plain--these all -are game birds, and he who follows them legitimately is a sportsman. - -Wild birds, like the tame ones, are given for man’s use, and the best -use that can be made of them is the one that will confer most health, -nourishment, and happiness on mankind. Fanatics imagine that although -birds may be killed, it must be done only to furnish food; as if there -was nothing beyond eating in this world, and as if contribution to -health were not as essential as supplies to the stomach. The two may and -should be combined; a man who is hungry may kill that he may be -satisfied, the man who is sickly may kill that he may recover--neither -may kill in excess; and a third may kill lest he become sick, provided -nothing is injured that is not used. - -Death before the muzzle of a gun, in the hands of an experienced -marksman, when the body of the charge striking the object terminates -life instantly--and even when, in the hands of a bungler, the wounded -bird is not put out of his pain till he is retrieved--is far more -merciful than after capture in a trap, accompanied with agonies of -apprehension and perhaps days of starvation, till the thoughtless boy -shall remember his snare and awkwardly end life. The birds of the air -and beasts of the field are given for man’s use and advantage, whether -domesticated, or wild as they once all were; and if they serve to supply -him with food or healthful exercise, and especially if they do both, -they have answered their purpose. It is certainly no more brutalizing to -shoot them on the wing or in the open field, when they have a reasonable -chance to escape, than to wring their necks in the barn-yard, or knock -them on the head with an axe. - -To become a sportsman, the first thing to acquire--provided nature has -kindly furnished the proper groundwork of heart and body, without which -little can be done--is the art of shooting. A few, very few men become, -through fortuitous circumstances of nature and practice, splendid shots; -many shoot well, and some cannot shoot at all. The author of this work -has handled a gun from his twelfth year, and been out with thousands of -sportsmen, but he never yet saw a dead shot--one who can kill every -time. - -Crack shots, however, are numerous; and include, according to Frank -Forester, those who, in covert and out of covert, the season through, -will kill three out of five of the birds that rise fairly within range; -but in the opinion of the author, the application should be extended to -any man who can kill two out of five on an average. This calculation, -however, has no reference to fair shots; every bird that rises within -twenty-five yards and is seen, though it be but for an instant, and many -that rise at thirty-five yards, are to be counted. - -In our country there is so much covert, that the man who picks his birds -and only fires at open chances, is a potterer, unworthy even of the -common-place name of gunner; he has nothing of the sportsman and little -of the man about him. Afraid to miss, anxious to boast of his skill, -desirous of surpassing his friends, he unites the qualities of braggart -and sneak. - -Be liberal in your shots; do not grudge ammunition, nor dread the -disgrace of a miss--the disgrace of eluding the trial is far greater; -and no man who waits for open shots, and acquires a hesitating manner, -will ever effect anything brilliant. If you miss, there are always -plenty of excellent excuses at hand--your foot slipped, the bird dodged, -a tree intervened; or, you hit him hard, cut out his feathers, or even -killed him stone dead, but he did not fall at once. If you doubt the -validity of these excuses, go out with the best shot you know and -observe whether he does not furnish you with ten times the number in a -week. - -Now, the author cannot shoot, and never could; but he manages to bring -home as many quail, wood cock, snipe, rail, ruffed grouse, and ducks, on -the average, as any of his friends. He observes that most of them miss -as often as he does, with no better excuses, and some far oftener; but -still he never, to the best of his belief, saw the season during which -he killed--that is, bagged--one-half of the birds he shot at. Some -professionals, of course, shoot at one kind of game wonderfully; the -gunners of Long Island Bay are astoundingly accurate on wild-fowl, but -would not kill one quail in a week; while some men who could scarcely -touch a duck, handle their guns splendidly in the thickest cover. -Professionals, however, usually yield the best chances to their -employers, and may be more skilful than they seem; but among amateurs -the author claims a rank that will at least entitle him to judge of -others. - -The majority of persons rarely consider how many birds escape, without -the fault of the marksman; at over thirty yards the best gun, especially -when a little dirty, will leave openings in the charge where a bird may -be hit with only one shot, if at all. Ducks, the larger bay-snipe, -ruffed grouse, and, above all, quail late in the season, will carry off -several shots--flying away apparently unhurt, although in the end they -may fall dead. If the gun was held perfectly straight this would happen -less frequently; but to so hold it is almost impossible, for no living -man could kill, once in a dozen times, a flying bird with a single ball; -and even then the probabilities are, that a yellow-leg snipe shot at -more than thirty-five yards off, would once in five times carry away the -few pellets that may strike him; and at forty yards escape entirely -untouched. If the reader will select the best target his gun can make -with an ounce of No. 8 shot at forty yards, and see how many spaces -there are entirely vacant large enough to contain a snipe, he will be -convinced that the above statement is correct; and at fifty yards, the -chances are three to one against the marksman. Sir Francis Francis, who -is a good authority in England, says, that to kill one bird in two shots -is good shooting; and there the grounds are almost always open, while -the reverse is the case with us. - -Do not be discouraged, therefore, if the sun gets in your eyes, your -foot slips, the bird dodges, a few floating feathers are the only result -of your effort, or you make a clean miss; others do the same. Neither -lose your temper nor curse your luck, as by so doing you may excite your -nerves and injure your shooting, and cannot improve it. Be cool, never -shoot without an attempt at aim, if it is only where the bird -disappeared; take your disappointments pleasantly, strive to do your -best, and you will improve. - -Many ducks fly at least ninety miles an hour; that is, twenty-six -hundred yards a minute, or forty-four yards a second; if, therefore, a -duck starts at your feet with that velocity, and you require a second to -cover him, he will be out of range; or if he is flying across, and you -dwell one forty-fourth part of a second on your aim, you will miss him. -A quail, late in the season, flies as fast as this, and rises with a -rapidity equal to his flight. He is often found in coverts, dodges and -twists with remarkable skill and judgment, frequently flies off in a -direct line behind the thickest bush, and requires the perfection of -training to bring down with certainty. These are difficulties that -patience alone can overcome; for if shooting were simple, there would be -no art or pleasure in it. - -All books on sporting tell you to fire ahead of cross shots, and in this -they are right; but the reason they give is, that time is necessary for -the shot to reach the object--in this they are wrong; shot moves -infinitely faster than the bird, and for practical purposes, reaches its -mark instantaneously. Human nerves and muscles, however, are imperfect, -and it requires an instant, an important one, to discharge the gun after -the aim is taken. The result, therefore, is the same, and you must -endeavor to shoot ahead of the bird; and if he is flying fast, far ahead -of him. If the motion of the object is followed and the gun kept moving -before the discharge, some writers allege no allowance need be made, but -it is so difficult not to pause slightly, that it is better in all cases -to allow some inches. - -To follow the motion of a very fast-flying bird, is almost, if not quite -impossible, and the attempt to do so at all, is apt to create a popping -habit. When a broad-bill, driving before a strong north-wester, darts -past, the best plan is to try and fire many feet, even ten or fifteen, -ahead of him; and then you will rarely succeed in discharging your piece -before he is abreast of the muzzle, and frequently will lag behind him. -The aim must be taken on the line of flight, and a little attention will -convince you that the bird is up with the sight ere the trigger is -fairly pulled. A knowledge of this principle, and an ability to practise -it, may be said to be the art of duck-shooting; as in that there are a -vast majority of cross shots, and the birds fly rapidly. - -There is an erroneous idea that the eye must be lowered close down to -the breech, in order to have a correct aim; but, while it is apparent if -the neck is not bent at all there can be no aim, a slight inaccuracy -will not only make no difference, but will give an advantage by throwing -the shot high. It will be perceived, on fastening the gun in an -immovable position, that the eye may be moved from near one hammer to -the other, and the aim altered but a few inches, on an object thirty -yards distant--an inaccuracy, considering the spread of shot, which is -utterly unimportant. - -So also, although by the attraction of gravitation the charge falls -somewhat, the deflection is too inconsiderable to merit attention. - -After watching himself carefully, reading what the best authors have -written, and comparing experiences with his friends, the author has -concluded that experienced sportsmen miss from hesitation in pulling the -trigger, dwelling on the aim, and nervously shrinking from the recoil. -The first fault arises from some temporary or permanent condition of -mind or body, the second from anxiety to make assurance doubly sure, and -the last from habit. - -If a man is naturally slow he can never shoot fast-flying birds, but if -his fingers are stiff from cold he can warm them. A resolution to fire -boldly, and not to dread missing, will cure the over-anxiety that -destroys its own intent, but to meet the recoil without giving to it, or -pushing against it, which is the more common mistake, is often extremely -difficult. This unfortunate habit, occurring at the moment of highest -excitement amid the noise and smoke, is rarely noticed by the guilty -party, and some will at first stoutly deny its existence. - -To mind the recoil of a gun seems pusillanimous, and few can believe, -till assured by actual experiment, that it equals sixty or seventy -pounds, and will crush the bones of the body if immovably fixed. Let the -reader observe the next time that his gun is unwittingly left at -half-cock, how far he will pull it out of aim, and how he will push -against it, when attempting to discharge it at game. An acquaintance of -the writer, who would scout the idea of being affected by the recoil of -his gun, and indeed would have sworn “it did not kick a bit,” was once -chasing a diver on a placid, sluggish stream, in a dug-out. When the -bird rose close to the boat, the sportsman was standing erect, poising -himself with care in the unsteady craft, but as he pulled the trigger he -instinctively pushed so hard, that, as the cap snapped, he lost his -balance, upset the canoe, and pitched forward head-foremost overboard! - -Probably one half of the fair shots that are missed escape on account of -this unfortunate nervousness; and it is a habit that can only be cured -by incessant care and unrelated watchfulness. Anything that affects the -nerves, as smoking or drinking, increases the difficulty, and the sudden -flushing of a bird will cause it. Unhappily it is apt to be most -prevalent when the shooting is good and the sportsman excited, thus -ruining many of his best days. With heavy loads, or what is known as a -kicking gun, the error will be aggravated; and most persons have no idea -of the proper proportions of powder and shot, putting in immense -quantities of the latter and sparing the former. - -The true load for a gun not exceeding eight pounds in weight, regardless -of its size or bore, is one ounce and a quarter of shot and three -drachma of the strongest powder, or three and a half drachms of common -powder. The same proportion should be retained if the gun is heavier or -the charge increased. Where more shot is used power is lost and recoil -aggravated; and if the powder is not augmented one ounce of shot will do -better execution than two. - -Many persons who have ascertained this fact and practise upon it, will -inform you that they drive their shot through the birds, and -consequently kill them instantly. This is a mistake; small shot are -rarely, if ever, driven through a bird; but where the force is -increased the blow is much harder, and stuns. It is the velocity rather -than the size or number of the shot that tells. A soldier in battle was -struck on the belt-plate by a spent minié bullet not a half inch in -diameter, and he described himself as feeling that he had been torn to -pieces, and that a cannon-ball had gone directly through his body. - -The size of the shot is to be proportioned to the size of the -bird--weight, of course, being an element of power and telling on each -individual pellet--but the more the aggregate amount can be reduced the -less the recoil. Six drachms of powder and one ounce of shot, will not -occasion as much recoil as three drachms of powder and an ounce and a -half of shot. - -The gun should always be held firmly to the shoulder, and the shoulder -never rested against a solid substance; indeed, the collar-bone may be -broken by simply firing directly upwards. Therefore, never fire in the -air while lying on your back upon the ground, and be careful when -shooting at ducks from a boat not to support yourself upon the latter. - -If the reader still doubts the universally disastrous effects of -cringing at the moment of discharge, let him have an assistant to load -the gun out of sight, who without his knowledge shall vary the load, and -occasionally put in none at all. Then let the reader fire at a mark, and -in spite of the efforts which he will naturally make, he will find when -there is no load, and consequently nothing to distract his attention, -that he does shrink, and pull the muzzle somewhat off the object. - -This book is not written for beginners; there are plenty of works with -every variety of instruction in them, and the reader is supposed to have -read them, digested their contents, acquired a knowledge of the gun, and -some skill in its use, and to have been frequently in the field, but to -be perfect neither in the use of the gun, nor the practice of the -sportsman’s art. There are, however, a few simple suggestions that may -prove valuable, not only in acquiring the ability to shoot, but in -restoring it where, from want of practice, it has diminished. - -The sportsman must be as quick and ready in handling his gun as the -juggler in handling his tools; he must be able to bring it to his -shoulder and point the muzzle at a stationary mark simultaneously, to -aim in every direction with equal facility, and to follow a moving -object accurately. This is merely mechanical, and is acquired, like -every other mechanical art, by dint of practice. - -Some writers recommend firing at turnips tossed through the air by an -assistant, and this is well; but an equally advantageous plan is to -throw a soft ball about a room and take aim at it, pulling the trigger -every time, with an unloaded and uncocked gun. The sole, but important, -recommendation of this idea is, that it may be carried out anywhere and -at all seasons, and if the reader will try it daily for a week before -going into the field, he will perceive the effects. - -So also, to acquire quickness: if the reader will throw two small -objects--pennies, or the like--into the air, and endeavor to aim at or -hit them both before they reach the ground, he will in a short time -obtain such facility that he will be able to lay down his gun, and after -throwing the pennies, to pick it up and hit them both twice out of three -times. - -To shoot at pigeons from a trap, robins from trees, and even swallows on -the wing, although the practice differs greatly from shooting at game, -is useful to a certain extent; but steady and long-continued practice of -this nature is injurious rather than beneficial. It is somewhat -notorious that the celebrated pigeon-shots are generally poor marksmen -in the field, and entirely at a loss in thick covert. - -After all, however, the best place to learn the use of the gun, while it -is by all odds the pleasantest, is in the field; where, amid the -thousand beauties of nature, and under the excitement of the presence of -game, the sportsman by slow degrees overcomes the innumerable -difficulties that surround the art of shooting flying. - -Closely allied to skill in killing the right object is the ability to -avoid killing the wrong one. A gun is extremely dangerous--how much so -is known only to those who have handled it long; in spite of the best -care it will occasionally go off at unexpected times, and in careless -hands is sure, sooner or later, to do terrible damage. Every possible -precaution must be taken, vigilance must never be relaxed, the muzzle -must under no circumstances point towards the owner or his companions; -if two men are crawling through thick brush, the gun of the first must -point forwards, and of the last, backwards; the caps of muzzle-loaders -should be removed on getting into a wagon, and when the loaded weapon is -left in a house the hammers ought never to be left down on the caps; -but, above all, no man who is not in search of an early grave should -pull a gun towards him by the barrels. - -These rules are simple, and the reasons for them apparent; if the hammer -is on the cap, a blow on it, or its catching on a twig, will discharge -the load; if a horse runs away, as horses have an unpleasant habit of -doing, even if the lock is at half-cock, the tumbler may be broken down; -if a gun is capped in a house, every one but an idiot knows it is -loaded; and if it is drawn towards a person--as will be often done by -thoughtless people in taking it from a wagon or lifting it from a boat -or from the ground--it is almost sure to go off. - -In the field it should be earned either at whole or half-cock; -authorities differ as to which of these two modes is the safer. If the -hammer is at full cock, a touch on the trigger will set it loose; if it -is at half-cock, in the excitement of cocking it when a bird rises -unexpectedly, it will often slip unintentionally. I prefer the former -method, believing that the sense of danger makes the person more -careful, and that the risk of a twig’s touching the trigger in spite of -the trigger-guard is very slight, while the weapon is ready for instant -use, and only has to be pointed at the object and discharged. Moreover, -I have twice seen a gun that was at half-cock discharged when the -sportsman was in the act of cocking it hastily, and twice when putting -it back to half-cock; but the piece should never for a moment be trusted -out of the sportsman’s hands without his first putting it at half-cock; -nor should he ever cross a fence without the same precaution. In -changing from whole to half-cock, pass the hammer below the first notch, -so as to hear a distinct click when it is drawn back. - -Countrymen when about to walk a log over a rapid stream, will usually -carefully put the hammers down on the caps, and placing the butt on the -log, steady themselves by it, thus insuring their destruction if they -should happen to slip; and if they stand on a fence they do the same -thing, and rest the stock on the upper rail. Not only should such -follies be avoided, but the gun should never be leaned against a tree, -as thoughtless people are apt to do when they stop at a spring to drink, -and never placed where it can slip or roll. - -When you desire to reload a muzzle-loader, put the hammer of the loaded -barrel at half-cock, and if the right barrel has been discharged, set -down the butt so that the hammers are towards you, and the contrary way -if the left barrel is to be loaded; in this manner you will avoid -bringing your hand over the loaded barrel, and in case the other charge -should go off you would lose the end of your thumb, perhaps, but save -most of your fingers. - -From the foregoing rules, which apply mainly to muzzle-loaders, it will -be seen how much safer are breech-loaders; with them the entire charge -can be withdrawn on entering a house or getting into a wagon, and there -is absolutely no danger to fingers or thumb in the process of loading. -And in carrying the weapon on long tramps in the woods, where it is -frequently removed from boat to shoulder, from shoulder to boat, and -from wagon to case, and when it has to be ready at any instant, with the -muzzle-loader the only possible precaution is to leave the nipples -without caps, which are to be carried in the vest pocket, and must be -removed after every vain alarm; while with the breech-loader, the charge -itself is not inserted till needed. - -With these few suggestions, which are applicable not merely to the kinds -of sport treated of in this volume, but to every species of shooting, we -leave the young sportsman to his own resources and to the knowledge that -he will acquire in the field, hoping that he may find something in them -that will aid him to kill reasonably often the game he points at, and to -avoid the dreadful misfortune of injuring a friend or companion. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -DIRECTIONS FOR BUILDING A BATTERY. - - -A battery, or sink-boat as it is called in some parts of the country, is -a narrow box with a platform around it, so arranged that the weight of -the shooter will sink it so nearly level with the water that the ducks -will not notice it when it is hidden among the stand of stools that are -always anchored around it. The box is almost square, narrowed a little -on the bottom and at the foot, twenty-two inches across at the head, -eighteen at the foot on the top, and four less on the bottom; the two -end pieces are of one and a half inch oak, the sides of three-quarter -inch white pine. It is fifteen inches deep, except at the head, which -shoals up to six inches, beginning about two feet abaft the end. This is -done in order to enable the sportsman to look over the edge of the box -without getting a cramp in his neck, and besides to reduce the flotation -of the battery as much as possible, which is a most important thing to -effect. The narrowing of the bottom is for the same purpose of -diminishing the buoyancy, for as it has to be sunk to the level of the -water if the weight of the sportsman will not bring it down -sufficiently, iron weights, or what is far preferable, iron decoys, have -to be placed in it or on it, and weights in the box are always in the -way. - -Two oak carlings are cut out six feet long, one and a quarter inch -thick, and two and a half wide in the middle, tapering off to one and a -quarter at the ends, with a bow or spring of an inch from the center to -the extremities. Nail these firmly on each end an inch below the top of -the box, and to them fasten the platform, which is made of planed stuff -ten feet long, and to each end of which a batten is nailed as well as a -short additional carling in the middle, projecting from the side of the -box. Fill in the head and foot of the platform with short pieces, so as -to make it compact, and take especial care to have it fit tightly around -the box. As it is made of three-quarter inch stuff, there will be left a -quarter of an inch all around the box to which, when the other work is -done, a narrow piece of lead is nailed that can be raised to keep out -the water in rough weather. Two boards, or what is better, two frames -covered with duck, are hinged together by leather hinges. These are one -foot wide each, and as long as the platform, and are hinged to it on -both sides. A foot-piece made of two boards is hinged to the foot in the -same way. To the head it is customary, on Long Island, to fasten a -fender of the width of the battery and wings, and eighteen or twenty -feet long. It is made of duck nailed to thin wooden slats, is tied on to -the battery when in use, and taken off at other times. In other parts of -the country it is customary to dispense with the fender and substitute a -head wing of three boards hinged on like the foot and side wings. A -single board, fourteen to sixteen inches wide, can be used at the foot -in place of the double foot wing. Sometimes an additional row of lead is -put on about the middle of the platform as an additional breakwater. - -The battery is anchored at both ends. From the head of the fender a sort -of bridle, a short rope tied into the two corners, is fastened at the -center or bight to the anchor rope. A small grapnel or light anchor is -used at the head, as it is important that it should not drag, while at -the stern, to a rope led through a hole in the foot board, a stone is -fastened. This is arranged in this way as it is occasionally necessary -to haul it in and throw it out again on a change of wind. The entire -surface of the battery, wings and all, is to be painted a dull blue, as -near the color of the water as possible. The necessary iron decoys, to -bring the whole structure down to a level with the water, are set upon -the platform, and the stand of stools, not less than a hundred and -fifty, and double that number is better, are placed around the battery, -mostly at the foot and towards the left side if the shooter is -right-handed. A bottom board of half-inch stuff, with half-inch cleats -under it, is put in the bottom of the box for the gunner to lie on, and -all is ready for the exercises to begin. A sink-box made on this plan -will stand quite a heavy sea, but care must be exercised in taking it up -that the wind does not get under the fender when it is being hauled -aboard the sailing vessel, that is ordinarily used in this kind of -shooting, for if it does, and it is blowing at all hard, the fender, -box, platform and all will be lifted out of the water and tossed -skyward. Wear dull-colored clothes, never a red shirt, and a cap in -battery shooting. And first and last, remember never to rise to shoot -before the birds are well into the lower portion of the stools. More -birds are lost by getting up too soon to shoot than from any other -cause. - -[Illustration] - - - - -APPENDIX. - - -The following technical descriptions are taken mainly from “Giraud’s -Birds of Long Island,” a work that is now almost out of print, but which -is more valuable to the student of nature than some of its more -pretentious rivals; and I have interpolated such suggestions and made -such alterations as my experience dictated and the purposes of this work -demanded. A discourse on the wild-fowl of the Northern States hardly -seemed complete without such a description of them as would enable the -sportsman to distinguish one from another; and yet it was not within the -purview of a work intended for sportsmen, to devote much attention or -many of its pages to ornithology. This is therefore condensed into an -Appendix, where it will not trouble the general reader, but will be easy -of reference when the information it contains is wanted. - - -THE GOOSE. - -_Genus Anser_, Briss. - -_Generic Distinctions._--In this class of birds, the bill is shorter -than the head, rather higher than broad at the base; head small, -compressed; neck long and slender; body full; feet short, stout, and -central, which enables them to walk with ease; wings long; tail short, -rounded. - - -THE WILD GOOSE. - -Canada Goose. - -_Anas Canadensis_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Length of bill from the corner of the mouth to -the end, two inches and three-sixteenths; length of tarsi, two inches -and seven-eighths; length from the point of the bill to the end of the -tail, about forty inches; wing, eighteen; the head and greater portion -of the neck black; cheeks and throat white. Adult with the head, greater -part of the neck, primaries, rump, and tail, black; back and wings -brown, margined with paler brown; lower part of the neck and under -plumage, whitish-grey; flanks, darker grey; cheeks and throat white, as -are the upper and under tail-coverts. The plumage of the female rather -duller. - -This bird is nowhere very abundant, but migrates across the Northern -States in their entire breadth from ocean to ocean; it obeys the call -well, and stools readily if the gunner is carefully concealed. It is the -latest in its migrations of the wild-fowl. - - -THE BRANT. - -Barnacle Goose--Brent Goose. - -_Anas Bernicla_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Bill black; head and neck all round black; a -patch on the sides of the neck white; upper parts brownish-grey, the -feathers margined with light greyish-brown; quills and primary coverts -greyish-black; fore part of breast light brownish-grey, the feathers -terminally margined with greyish-white; abdomen and lower tail-coverts -white; sides grey; feathers rather broadly tipped with white. Length two -feet; wing fourteen inches and a half. Female rather smaller. - -The brant is not fond of the fresh lakes and streams, but prefers the -ocean and its contiguous bays and lagoons; it is far more abundant along -the sea-coast than upon the western waters, and in fact I am not aware -that I have ever killed one in the inland States. It responds to its -peculiar note, stools well, and is often killed in great numbers on the -South Bay of Long Island. - - -THE SWAN. - -_Genus Cygnus_, Meyer. - -_Generic Distinctions._--Bill longer than the head, higher than broad at -the base, depressed and a little widened towards the end; upper -mandible, rounded, with the dorsal line sloping; lower mandible -flattened, with the angle very long, and rather narrow; nostrils placed -near the ridge; head of moderate size, oblong, compressed; neck -extremely long and slender; body very large, compact, depressed; feet -short, stout, placed a little behind the centre of the body; tarsi -short; wings long, broad; tail very short, graduated. - - -THE WHITE SWAN. - -American Swan. - -_Cygnus Americanus_, Aud. - -_Specific Character._--Plumage, pure white; bill and feet black; length -of the specimen before us, four feet; wing twenty-one and a half inches. - -These magnificent birds, the most majestic of the game-birds of our -continent, are rarely shot to the northward and eastward of Chesapeake -bay, but are much more abundant in the far West--even to and beyond the -Rocky Mountains. - - -FRESH-WATER DUCKS. - -_Genus Anas_, Linn. - -_Generic Distinctions._--Bill higher than broad at the base, widening -towards the end, and about the same length as the head; the upper -mandible with a slight nail at the end; neck rather long; body full; -wings moderate, pointed; feet short, stout, and placed behind the centre -of the body; walks with a waddling gait; hind toe furnished with a -narrow membrane. - - -MALLARD. - -Green Head, English Duck, Grey Duck (female), the Duck, the Wild Duck. - -_Anas Boschas_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Speculum bright purple, reflecting green, -bordered with black; secondaries broadly tipped with black; secondary -coverts towards their ends white, broadly tipped with black; adult male -with the entire head and upper part of the neck bright green, with a few -touches of reddish-brown passing from the forehead, on the occiput; -middle of the neck with a white ring; the lower part of the neck and -breast reddish-brown, approaching to chocolate; fore part of the back -light brown, rest of the back darker; rump black; upper tail coverts -greenish-black; upper parts of the wings brown, intermixed with grey; -breast, sides, flanks, and abdomen, grey, transversely barred with -dusky; bill greenish-yellow; feet reddish-orange; tail rounded, -consisting of sixteen pointed feathers, nearly white; speculum violet; -length two feet, wing eleven inches. - -Female smaller than the male; speculum less brilliant; general plumage -brown; head and neck streaked with dusky; the feathers on the back and -flanks margined with white, with a central spot of brown on the outer -webs; bill black, changing to orange at the extremity. - -This bird is abundant both at the West and along the coast, but on the -fresh water it frequents the mud-holes and shallow marshes, in -contradistinction to the open water-ducks that affect the broad unbroken -stretches of water. - - -BLACK DUCK. - -Dusky Duck. - -_Anas Obscura_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--General plumage dusky; speculum green, reflecting -purple, bordered with black; secondaries tipped with white. Adult with -the forehead, crown, occiput, and middle space on the hind neck -brownish-black, the feathers slightly margined with greyish-brown; -cheeks, loral space, and sides of the neck dusky grey, streaked with -black; throat reddish-brown; general plumage dusky, lighter beneath; -under wing-coverts white; speculum brilliant green; bill yellowish; feet -reddish-orange. Female rather smaller, plumage lighter, speculum less -brilliant. Length of male about two feet; wing eleven inches. - -These ducks are killed equally in the fresh and salt waters; they come -to the decoys warily. - - -GADWALL. - -Welsh Drake, German Duck. - -_Anas Strepera_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Speculum white; secondary coverts black; upper -wing-coverts chestnut red; general plumage dusky grey, waved with white; -abdomen white. Adult with the bill bluish-black; head and upper part of -the neck grey, streaked with dusky--darkest on the upper part of the -head, as well as the middle space on the hind neck; lower neck, upper -part of the breast and fore part of the back blackish-brown, the -feathers marked with semicircular bands of white, more distinctly on the -fore part of the neck and upper part of the breast; sides of the body -pencilled with greyish-white and dusky; lower part of the breast and -abdomen white, the latter barred with dusky towards the vent; lower and -upper tail-coverts and sides of the rump greenish-black; tail -greyish-brown, margined with white; hind part of the back dark brown, -faintly barred with white; primaries brown; secondaries greyish-brown, -tipped with white; middle coverts reddish-brown; a few of the outer -secondaries broadly margined with greenish-black; inner scapulars brown, -broadly margined with dull yellowish-brown; outer undulated with dark -brown and yellowish-white; feet dull orange. Female two inches shorter; -about four inches less in extent. Length twenty-one inches and a half; -wing eleven. - -This is an ugly duck, and not much esteemed by epicure or sportsman. - - -WIDGEON. - -Bald-pate. - -_Anas Americana_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Bill short, the color light greyish-blue; -speculum green, banded with black; under wing-coverts white. Adult male -with the loral space, sides of the head below the eye, upper part of the -neck and throat, brownish-white, spotted with black; a broad band of -white, commencing at the base of the upper mandible, passing over the -crown; behind the eye, a broad band of light green, extending backwards -on the hind neck about three inches; the feathers on the nape rather -long; lower neck and sides of the breast, with a portion of the upper -part of the breast, reddish-brown; rest of the lower parts white, -excepting a patch of black at the base of the tail; under tail-coverts -same color; flanks brown, barred with dusky; tail greyish-brown, tipped -with white; two middle feathers darker and longest; upper tail-coverts -white, barred with dusky; lower part of the hind-neck and fore part of -the back undulated with brownish and light brownish-red, hind part -undulated with greyish-white; primaries brown; outer webs of inner -secondaries black, margined with white--inner webs greyish-brown; -secondary coverts white tipped with black; speculum brilliant green, -formed by the middle secondaries. Length twenty-one inches, wing ten and -a half. Female smaller, plumage duller, without the green markings. - -This duck is much prized along the sea-coast, but at the West he holds -an inferior rank. - - -PINTAIL. - -Sprig-tail--Pigeon-tail--Grey-Duck. - -_Anas Acuta_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Bill long and narrow, lead color; at the tip a -spot of block, at the corner of the mouth a spot of similar color; neck -long and slender; speculum bright purple, with reflecting deep green -bordered with black; the feathers broadly tipped with white; tail long -and pointed. Adult male with head, cheeks, throat, upper parts of the -neck in front and sides, dark brown; a band of light purple behind the -eye, extending about three inches on the sides of the neck; on the hind -neck a band of black, with green reflections, fading as it extends on -the back--a band of white commencing between the two former, passing -down the neck on the lower part of the fore neck; breast and fore part -of the abdomen white, tinged with pale yellow--hind part of the abdomen -and vent greyish-white tinged with yellow, and marked with undulated -lines of brown or dusky; at the base of the tail a patch of black; under -tail-coverts black, margined with whitish; two middle feathers black, -with green reflections, narrow, and about three inches longer than the -rest, which are rather long and tapering; upper tail-coverts ash-grey, -margined with yellowish-white, with a central streak of dusky. Rump -greyish-brown, marked with undulating lines of white; sides of the rump -cream color; sides of the body, back, and sides of the breast, marked -with undulating lines of black and white. Primaries brown; shafts -brownish-white, darker at their tips; secondaries and scapulars black, -with green reflections, the former margined with grey, which is the -color of the greater part of the outer web, the latter margined with -white; speculum bright purple, with splendid green reflections edged -with black, the feathers broadly tipped with white. Length twenty-nine -inches, wing eleven. Female with the upper part of the head and hind -neck dark brown, streaked with dusky; sides of the throat and fore neck -lighter; a few touches of rust color on the chin and on the base of the -bill. Upper plumage brown, the feathers margined and tipped with -brownish-white; lower plumage brownish-white, mottled with brown; -speculum less extensive, and without the lengthened tail feathers so -conspicuous in the male. - -This duck is more abundant in the neighborhood of the great lakes than -along the margin of the ocean; in epicurean qualities it ranks with the -black duck. - - -WOOD-DUCK. - -Summer-Duck. - -_Anas Sponsa_, Aud. - -_Specific Character._--The pendant crest, the throat, upper portion of -the fore neck, and bands on the sides of the neck white, with the -speculum blue, glossed with green and tipped with white. Adult male with -the bill bright red at the base, the sides yellow; between the nostrils -a black spot reaching nearly to the black, hooked nail; the head is -furnished with long silken feathers, which fall gracefully over the hind -neck, in certain lights exhibiting all the colors of the rainbow; a -narrow white line from the base of the upper mandible, passing over the -eye; a broader band of the same color behind the eye, both bands -mingling with the long feathers on the occiput; throat and upper portion -of the fore neck pure white, a band of the same color inclining towards -the eye; a similar band on the sides of the neck, nearly meeting on the -nape; lower portion of the neck reddish-purple, the fore part marked -with triangular spots of white; breast and abdomen dull white; sides of -the body yellowish-grey, undulated with black; the feathers towards the -ends marked with a broad band of black, succeeded by a band of white; -tips black; tail and upper tail-coverts greenish-black; lower -tail-coverts brown; sides of the rump dull reddish-purple; rump, back, -and middle portions of the hind neck, dark reddish-brown, tinged with -green; a broad white band before the wings, terminating with black; -lesser wing-coverts and primaries brown, most of the latter with a -portion of their outer webs silvery white; the inner webs glossed with -green towards the ends; secondaries tipped with white; their webs blue, -glossed with green; the inner webs brown, their crowns violet-blue; -secondaries black. - -Female, upper part of the head dusky, glossed with green; sides of the -head, upper portion of the sides of the neck, with the nape, -greyish-brown; a white patch behind the eye; throat white, the bands on -the sides of the neck faintly developed; fore part and sides of the -neck, with the sides of the body, yellowish-brown, marked with -greyish-brown; breast and abdomen white, the former spotted with brown; -lower tail-coverts greyish-white, mottled with brown; tail and upper -tail-coverts dark brown, glossed with green; rump, back, and hind neck, -dark brown, glossed with green and purple; bill dusky, feet dull green. -The crest less than that of the male, and plain dull brown. Length -twenty inches; wing eight inches and a half. - -This is an extremely beautiful duck, but of moderate size; it is rare on -the sea-coast, but absolutely swarms during the month of September among -the lily-pads of the Western swamps. Fed upon the berry of this plant, -called at the South chincapin, it becomes fat and deliciously tender. It -does not pay much attention to decoys. - - -GREEN-WINGED TEAL. - -_Anas._ - -_Anas Crecca_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Bill black, short, and narrow; the outer webs of -the first five secondaries black, tipped with white; the next five plain -rich green, forming the speculum; secondary coverts tipped with pale -reddish-buff. Adult male with a dusky band at the base of the bill, of -which color is the throat; a faint white band under the eye; upper part -of the neck, sides of the head, and the crown, chestnut brown; a broad -band of bright green commencing behind the eye, passing down on the -nape, where it is separated by the terminal portion of the crest, which -is dark blue; lower part of the hind neck, a small space on the fore -neck, and the sides of the body, undulated with lines of black and -white; lower portion of the fore neck and upper part of the breast -reddish-brown, distinctly marked with round spots of brownish-black; -abdomen yellowish-white, faintly undulated with dusky; a patch of black -under the tail; outer tail-feathers buff, inner white, with a large spot -of black on the inner webs; tail brown, margined with whitish, the outer -feathers greenish-black; upper parts brown, faintly undulated with black -and white, on the fore part of the back; outer scapulars similar, with a -portion of their outer webs black; lesser wing-coverts brown-ash; -greater coverts tipped with reddish-cream; the first five secondaries -velvety-black; the next five bright green, forming the speculum, which -is bounded above by pale reddish-buff, and on each side by deep black; -before the wing a transverse, broad white band. - -Female smaller; head and neck streaked with brownish-white and dusky, -darker on the upper part of the head; lower parts reddish-brown, the -feathers margined with dusky, upper parts dusky-brown, the feathers -margined and spotted with pale reddish-white, without the chestnut red -and the green on the head; the black patch is wanting, as is the white -band before the wings, the conspicuous spot on the wings is less -extensive. Its short and narrow bill is at all times a strong specific -character; length fifteen inches; wing seven inches and a half. - -This is an excellent little duck, too confiding for its own security, -but capable of saving itself by great rapidity of flight. It is greatly -attracted by decoys, and will generally alight among them if permitted. - - -BLUE-WINGED TEAL. - -_Anas Discors_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Bill bluish-black and long in proportion with the -other dimensions of this species; smaller wing-coverts light-blue; -speculum purplish-green. Adult male with the upper part of the head -black; a broad band of white on the sides of the head, before the eye -margined with black; rest part of the head, and upper part of the neck -greyish-brown, with purple reflections on the hind neck; chin black; -lower parts reddish-brown; lower part of the fore neck and sides of the -body spotted with blackish-brown; breast and abdomen barred with the -same color; lower tail-coverts blackish-brown; tail brown, margined with -paler, the feathers pointed, a patch of white on the sides of the rump; -back brownish-black, glossed with green; the feathers on the fore part -of the back and lower portion of the hind neck margined with -yellowish-white; primaries brown; inner webs of the secondaries same -color; outer vanes dark green, which form the speculum; secondary -coverts brown, the outer broadly tipped with white, the inner tipped -with blue; tertials dark-green, with central markings of deep buff; -feet dull yellow. - -Female without the white patch on the sides of the head; throat white; -lower parts greyish-brown, the feathers spotted with darker; upper parts -blackish-brown, the feathers margined with bluish-white and pale buff; -smaller wing-coverts blue; speculum green; secondary coverts the same as -those of the male; length fourteen inches, wing seven inches and a half. - -This species greatly resembles the last. - - -SPOONBILL. - -Shoveller. - -_Anas Clypeata_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Bill brownish-black, about three inches in -length, near the end it is more than twice as broad as it is at the -base; much rounded and closely pectinated, the size of the upper -mandible at the base having the appearance of a fine-toothed comb. Adult -male with the head and the neck for about half its length glossy green, -with purple reflections; lower part of the neck and upper part of the -breast white; rest of the lower plumage deep chestnut-brown, excepting -the lower tail-coverts and a band across the vent, which is black, some -of the feathers partly green; flanks brownish-yellow pencilled with -black and blackish-brown; inner secondaries dark green with terminal -spot of white; outer secondaries lighter green; primaries dark brown, -their shafts white, with dusky tips; lesser wing-coverts light blue; -speculum golden-green; rump and upper tail-coverts greenish-black, a -patch of white at the sides of the rump; tail dark brown, the feathers -pointed, broadly edged with white, of which color are the inner webs of -the three outer feathers. - -Female with the crown dusky; upper plumage blackish-brown, the feathers -edged with reddish-brown; breast yellowish-white, marked with -semicircular spots of white. Young male with similar markings on the -breast; length twenty inches and a half, wing ten. - - -SEA-DUCK. - -_Genus Fuligula._ - -_Generic Distinctions._--In this class the head is rather larger, neck -rather shorter and thicker, than in the preceding genus (Anas), plumage -more dense, feet stronger, and the hind toe with a broad appendage, -which is the principal distinction. - - -CANVAS-BACK. - -_Fuligula Valisneria_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Bill black, the length about three inches, and -very high at the base; fore part of the head and the throat dusky; -irides deep red; breast brownish-black. Adult male with the forehead, -loral space, throat, and upper part of the head dusky; sides of the -head, neck all round for nearly the entire length, reddish-chestnut; -lower neck, fore part of the breast and back black; rest of the back -white, closely marked with undulating lines of black; rump and upper -tail-coverts blackish; wing-coverts grey, speckled with blackish; -primaries and secondaries light slate color; tail short, the feathers -pointed; lower part of the breast and abdomen white; flanks same color, -finely pencilled with dusky; lower tail-coverts blackish-brown, -intermixed with white; length twenty-two inches, wing nine and a -quarter. - -Female, upper parts greyish-brown; neck, sides, and abdomen the same; -upper part of the breast brown; belly white, pencilled with blackish; -rather smaller than the male, with the crown blackish-brown. - -This is without question the finest duck that flies, as it is the -largest and gamest; it is abundant late in the season, but wary. - - -RED-HEAD. - -_Fuligula Ferina_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Bill bluish, towards the end black, and about two -inches and a quarter long; irides yellowish-red. Adult male with head, -which is rather large, and the upper part of the neck all round, dark -reddish chestnut, brightest on the hind neck; lower part of the neck, -extending on the back and upper part of the breast, black; abdomen -white, darker towards the vent, where it is barred with undulating lines -of dusky; flanks grey, closely barred with black; scapulars the same; -primaries brownish-grey; secondaries lighter; back greyish-brown, barred -with fine lines of white; rump and upper tail coverts blackish-brown; -tail feathers greyish-brown, lighter at the base; lower tail-coverts -brownish-black, rather lighter than the upper; length twenty inches; -wing nine and a half. Female about two inches smaller, with the head, -neck, breast, and general color of the upper parts brown; darker on the -upper part of the head, lighter on the back; bill, legs, and feet, -similar to those of the male. - -This duck, as it is scarcely distinguishable from the canvas-back, and -has mainly the same habits, is but little inferior to that incomparable -bird. - - -BROAD-BILL. - -Blue Bill, Scaup, Black Head, Raft Duck. - -_Fuligula Marila_, Linn. - -_Specific Character._--The head and neck all round, with the fore part -of the breast and fore part of back, black; the sides of the head and -the sides and hind part of the neck dark green, reflecting purple; -length of bill, when measured along the gap, two inches and -five-sixteenths; length of tarsi one inch and three-eighths; length from -the point of the bill to the end of the tail nineteen inches; wing eight -inches and five-eighths; a broad white band crossing the secondaries -and continues on the inner primaries. Adult male with the forehead, -crown, throat, and upper part of the fore neck brownish-black; sides of -the head, neck, and hind neck, dark green; lower portion of the neck all -round, with the upper part of the breast, purplish-black; rest of the -lower parts white, undulated with black towards the vent; under -tail-coverts blackish-brown; tail short, dark brown, margined and tipped -with lighter brown; upper tail-coverts and rump blackish-brown; middle -of the back undulated with black and white; fore part black; wings -brown, darker at the base and tips; speculum white, formed by the band -crossing the secondaries and inner primaries; scapulars and inner -secondaries undulated with black and white; secondary coverts -blackish-brown, undulated with white. Female with a broad patch of white -on the forehead; head, neck, and fore part of the breast umber brown; -upper parts blackish-brown; abdomen and lower portions of breast white; -scapulars faintly marked with white. - - -WHISTLER. - -Golden Eye, Great Head. - -_Fuligula Clangula_, Linn. - -_Specific Character._--Bill black, high at the base, where there is -quite a large spot of white; head ornamented with a beautiful crest, and -feathers more than an inch long and loose; insides yellow; the entire -head and upper part of the neck rich glossy-green, with purple -reflections, more particularly so on the throat and forehead; rest of -the neck, with the entire plumage, white; sides of the rump and vent -dusky grey; tail greyish-brown; back and wings brownish-black--a large -patch of white on the latter, formed by the larger portion of the -secondaries and the tips of its coverts; legs reddish-orange. Length -twenty inches; wing nine inches. Female head and upper part of the neck -dull brown; wings dusky; lower parts white, as are six of the -secondaries and their coverts; the tips of the latter dusky. About three -inches smaller than the male. - - -DIPPER. - -Butter Ball, Buffel-Headed Duck, Spirit Duck. - -_Fuligula Albeola_, Linn. - -_Specific Character._--Bill blue, from the corner of the mouth to the -end about one inch and a half, the sides rounded, narrowed towards the -point; head thickly crested, a patch behind the eye and a band on the -wings white. Adult male with the plumage of the head and neck thick, and -long forehead; loral space and hind neck rich glossy green, changing -into purple on the crown and sides of the head; from the eye backwards -over the head a triangular patch of white; the entire breast and sides -of the body pure white; abdomen dusky white; tail rounded, -greyish-brown; upper tail-coverts lighter; under tail-coverts soiled -white; back and wings black, with a patch of white on the latter. Female -upper plumage sooty-brown, with a band of white on the sides of the -head; outer webs of a few of the secondaries same color; lower part of -the fore neck ash-color; breast and abdomen soiled white; tail feathers -rather darker than those of the male. Male fourteen and a half inches -long; wing six inches and three-fourths. Female rather smaller. - -The dipper is quite plentiful everywhere in the Northern States, but not -much valued. - - -OLD WIFE. - -South Southerly, Old Squaw, Long-Tailed Duck. - -_Faligula Glacialis_, Linn. - -_Specific Character._--Length of bill, from the termination of the -frontlet feathers to the point, one inch and one-sixteenth--the upper -mandible rounded; the sides very thin; the bill rather deeply serrated, -and furnished with a long nail; tail feathers acute. In the male the -middle pair of tail feathers are extended about four inches beyond the -next longest, which character is wanting with the female. Adult male -with the bill black at the base; anterior to the nostril reddish-orange, -with a dusky line margining the nail; fore part of the head white, the -same color passing over the head down the hind neck on the back; eyes -dark red; cheeks and loral space dusky-white, with a few touches of -yellowish-brown; a black patch on the sides of the neck terminating in -reddish-brown; fore neck white; breast brownish-black, terminating in an -oval form on the abdomen--the latter white; flanks bluish-white; -primaries dark brown; secondaries lighter brown, their coverts black; a -semicircular band of black on the fore part of the back; the outer two -tail feathers white--the rest marked with brown, excepting the four -acuminated feathers, which are blackish-brown, the middle pair extending -several inches beyond the others. Female without the long scapulars or -elongated tail feathers; bill dusky-green; head dark, greyish-brown--a -patch of greyish-white on the sides of the neck; crown blackish; upper -parts dark greyish-brown; lower parts white. Length of male from the -point of the bill to the end of the elongated tail feathers twenty-three -inches; wing eight inches and five-eighths. Female about six inches less -in length. - -This bird is abundant along the coast, but is generally tough and fishy. - - -MERGANSER. - -_Genus Mergus_, Linn. - -_Generic Distinctions._--Bill straight, higher than broad at base; much -smaller towards the end; upper mandible hooked; teeth sharp; head rather -large, compressed; body rather long, depressed; plumage very thick; feet -placed far behind; wings moderate, acute; tail short, rounded. - -[Illustration: SHELDRAKE.] - - -SHELL-DRAKE. - -Goosander Wenser. - -_Mergus Merganser_, Wils. - -_Specific Character._--Forehead low; head rounded, crested; bill bright -red, the ridge black, high at base; upper mandible much hooked. Adult -male with the head and upper part of the neck greenish-black; lower -portion of the neck white; under plumage light buff, delicately tinged -with rose-color, which fades after death; sides of the rump -greyish-white, marked with undulating lines of dusky; fore part of the -back and inner scapulars glossy black; hind part of the back ash-grey; -the feathers margined and tipped with greyish-white, lighter on the -rump; upper tail-coverts grey, the feathers marked with central streaks -of dusky; tail feathers darker; primaries dark brown; wing coverts and -secondaries white, the outer webs of the latter edged with black; the -basal part of the greater coverts black, forming a conspicuous band on -the wings; under tail-coverts white, outer webs marked with dusky grey, -which is the color of the greater part of the web; bill and feet bright -red. Female with the head and upper part of the neck reddish-brown; -throat and lower neck in front white; breast and abdomen deeply tinged -with buff; upper parts and sides of the body ash-grey; speculum white. -Length of male, twenty-seven inches; wing, ten and a half. Female about -three inches smaller. Young like the female. - - * * * * * - - [Illustration] - - - The American Agriculturist - FOR THE - Farm, Garden, and Household. - -Established in 1842. - -The Best and Cheapest Agricultural Journal in the World. - -TERMS, which include postage _pre-paid_ by the Publishers: $1.50 per -annum, in advance; 3 copies for $4; 4 copies for $5; 5 copies for $6; 6 -copies for $7; 7 copies for $8; 10 or more copies, only $1 each, Single -Numbers, 15 cents. - - -AMERIKANISCHER AGRICULTURIST. - -The only purely Agricultural German paper in the United States, and the -best in the world. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Florida and the Game Water-Birds - -Author: Robert Barnwell Roosevelt - -Release Date: July 24, 2017 [EBook #55190] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLORIDA AND THE GAME WATER-BIRDDS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_002.jpg" alt="ROBERT BARNWELL ROOSEVELT." title="" /> -<br /> -<span class="caption">ROBERT BARNWELL ROOSEVELT.</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_002" id="page_002"></a>{02}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_003" id="page_003"></a>{3}</span> </p> - -<h1> -FLORIDA<br /> - -<small><small><small>AND THE</small></small></small><br /> - -GAME WATER-BIRDS</h1> - -<p class="cb">OF THE<br /> -<br /> -ATLANTIC COAST AND THE LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES, -<br /><br /> -<small>WITH<br /><br /> - -A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE SPORTING ALONG OUR SEASHORES<br /> -AND INLAND WATERS, AND REMARKS ON<br /> -BREECH-LOADERS AND HAMMERLESS GUNS.</small><br /><br /> -BY<br /> - -ROBERT BARNWELL ROOSEVELT,<br /> - -<small>AUTHOR OF “THE GAME-FISH OF NORTH AMERICA,” “SUPERIOR FISHING,”<br /> -“FIVE ACRES TOO MUCH,” “ISMS,” “POLYANTHUS,” ETC., ETC.</small><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -ILLUSTRATED.<br /> -<br /> -<img src="images/colophon.png" -alt="" -width="75" -/><br /> -<br /> -NEW YORK:<br /> -ORANGE JUDD COMPANY,<br /> -751 BROADWAY.<br /> -1884.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_004" id="page_004"></a>{4}</span><br /> -<br /> -Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, by the<br /> -ORANGE JUDD COMPANY,<br /> -In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_005" id="page_005"></a>{5}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="PREFACE" id="PREFACE"></a>PREFACE.</h2> - -<p>In preparing this work, after I had written the account of Florida, -which, as a sporting country, had never been fully described, and was to -occupy the principal part of my attention, and when I came to the second -division, that relating to the game-birds of our waters and coasts -generally, I found so much in a book on a kindred subject, which I had -written years ago, that I concluded I could do no better than quote from -it freely. The directions therein given are as correct now as then, the -information as well founded, and I hope the reader will find the stories -of sporting excursions as interesting.</p> - -<p>My main purpose is to call the attention of my brother sportsmen to that -paradise of the devotee of the rod and gun, the Southern Peninsula of -our Atlantic States. Game is disappearing from our home country; -woodcock and ruffed grouse have almost been exterminated; ducks are less -plentiful; bay snipe now make many of their flights directly at sea -without passing over the land; and if we are to obtain satisfactory -shooting, we must go some distance for it. Many persons who are fond of -outdoor life cannot stand exposure to cold weather, and still more, to -keep up their interest, must have the chance of making a larger bag than -they can count on at the North. Yachtsmen are in the habit of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_006" id="page_006"></a>{6}</span> laying up -their craft during the best season of the year for the enjoyment of -sailing. They have looked upon the South either as an uninteresting or a -dangerous country, a land merely of alligators or of hurricanes. They -will be as surprised as pleased to learn that there is no better sailing -ground, and that the Southern waters in winter are as safe as Northern -waters in summer; so much so that small vessels and open boats have -braved their terrors, while their sporting advantages are not to be -surpassed, if they are to be equalled, by any in the world.</p> - -<p>While not absolutely the pioneer in this exploration, I happen to be -nearly so, for no completed work or continued record has been published -which covers the ground described, or conveys the information contained -in these pages. No more delightful excursion can be conceived than that -to Florida during the winter, and no man can so thoroughly enjoy it as -the yachtsman. Thousands of tourists have been going there for years, -and their number is augmenting every season. But such persons merely -rummage a country; they do not possess it; they rush along sight-seeing -and curiosity-purchasing. Let the sportsman or the invalid go to remain -during the inclement winter weather, and they will never regret the -excursion.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">The Author.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_007" id="page_007"></a>{7}</span></p> - -<h2>PART I.<br /> -<br /> -F L O R I D A.<br /> -</h2> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_008" id="page_008"></a>{8}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS.</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="margin:auto auto;max-width:80%;"> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#PART_I">PART I.—FLORIDA.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td> </td><td class="rt"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_Ia"><span class="smcap">Chapter I.</span></a>—Florida.—The Inland Passage </td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_009">9</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IIa"><span class="smcap">Chapter II.</span></a>—In Florida</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_059">59</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IIIa"><span class="smcap">Chapter III.</span></a>—Currituck Marshes</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_116">116</a></td></tr> - -<tr><th class="c" colspan="2"><a href="#PART_II">PART II.—THE GAME WATER-BIRDS.</a></th></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_I"><span class="smcap">Chapter I.</span></a>—Game of Ancient and Modern Days.—Its Protection and -Importance.—The proper Shooting Seasons.—The Impolicy of -Using Batteries and Pivot-Guns</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_139">139</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_II"><span class="smcap">Chapter II.</span></a>—Guns and Gunnery.—Breech-loaders compared with -Muzzle-loaders.—All the Late Improvements in Breech-loaders.—Hammerless -Guns</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_159">159</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_III"><span class="smcap">Chapter III.</span></a>—Bay-snipe Shooting.—The Birds, their Habits, Peculiarities, -and places of Resort.—Stools and Whistles.—Dress and -Implements appropriate to their pursuit.—Their Names and -Mode of Capture</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_185">185</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV"><span class="smcap">Chapter IV.</span></a>—The New Jersey Coast.—Jersey Girls and their -pleasant ways.—The peculiarities of Bay-snipe further elucidated.—Mosquitoes -rampant.—Good Shooting and “Fancy” -Sport.—Shipwrecks and Ghosts</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_219">219</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_V"><span class="smcap">Chapter V.</span></a>—Bay-Birds.—Particular Descriptions and Scientific -Characteristics.—A Complete Account of each Variety</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_261">261</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI"><span class="smcap">Chapter VI.</span></a>—Montauk Point.—American Golden Plover or Frost-Bird.—A -True Story of Three Thousand in a Flock.—Lester’s -Tavern.—Good Eating, Fine Fishing, and Splendid Shooting.—The -Nepeague Beach</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_301">301</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII"><span class="smcap">Chapter VII.</span></a>—Rail and Rail-Shooting.—Seasons, Localities, and -Incidents of Sport.—Use of Breech-loader or Muzzle-loader.—Equipment</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_313">313</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII"><span class="smcap">Chapter VIII.</span></a>—Wild-Fowl Shooting.—General Directions, from -Boats, Blinds, or Batteries.—Retrievers from Baltimore and -Newfoundland.—Western Sport.—Equipment</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_328">328</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX"><span class="smcap">Chapter IX.</span></a>—Duck-Shooting on the Inland Lakes.—The Club -House.—Practical Views of Practical Men.—Moral Tales.—A -Day’s Fishing.—The Closing Scenes</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_344">344</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_X"><span class="smcap">Chapter X.</span></a>—Suggestions to Sportsmen.—A Definition of the Term.—Crack -Shots.—The Art of Shooting.—The Art of not Shooting</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_398">398</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="hang" valign="top"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI"><span class="smcap">Chapter XI.</span></a>—Directions for Building a Battery</td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_415">415</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_009" id="page_009"></a>{9}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="PART_I" id="PART_I"></a>F L O R I D A.</h2> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_Ia" id="CHAPTER_Ia"></a>CHAPTER I.<br /><br /> -THE INLAND PASSAGE.</h3> - -<p>Florida—so named by its discoverers from the abundance, beauty and -fragrance of its flowers. The Land of Flowers—what a beautiful -sentiment. Alas, it was never called anything of the sort. Land -happening to be first seen by the brave and sturdy warrior but not -imaginative linguist, Juan Ponce de Leon, on Palm Sunday, his discovery -was called, with due and Catholic reverence, after the day and not after -any abundance of flowers, which were probably not abundant on the sand -spit where he planted his intrusive feet. But no matter about the origin -of the term, the epithet is more than justified, and the Peninsular -State is not only glorious in the endless beauty and variety of its -flowers—till in good old English it might be termed one huge -nosegay—but it is magnificent in the grandeur and originality of its -foliage. The jessamine climbs above the deep swamps and lights up their -darkness with its yellow stars; the magnolia towers in the open upland a -pyramid of vestal splendor; the cabbage palmetto waves its huge -fan-shaped leaves, seven feet long, like great green hands, and the moss -hangs and sways and covers the bare limbs with its ragged clothing.</p> - -<p>To the rough, practical Northern mind, Florida<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_010" id="page_010"></a>{10}</span> is a land of dreams, a -strange country full of surprises, an intangible sort of a place, where -at first nothing is believed to be real and where finally everything is -considered to be possible. When the visitor first arrives he cannot be -convinced that the cows feed under water; before he leaves he is willing -to concede that alligators may live on chestnuts. The animals and birds -are as queer and unnatural as the herbage, or as a climate which -furnishes strawberries, green peas, shad, and roses at Christmas. There -is the Limpkin, the pursuit of which reminds one of hunting the Snark. -You are in continual terror of catching the Boojum. It is a bird about -the size of a fish-hawk, but it roars like a lion and screeches like a -wild-cat, although it occasionally whistles like a canary. It has a bill -like that of a curlew, adapted to probing in the sand, and yet it sits -on trees as though it were a woodpecker. It is conversational and talks -to you in a friendly way during daytime, but at night it harrows up your -soul and makes your blood run cold with the fearful noises it utters. If -you hear any charming note or awful sound, any pretty song or terrifying -scream, and ask a native Floridian, with pleased or trembling tongue, -“What is that?” he will calmly answer, “That? that is a Limpkin.” There -are no dangerous animals in Florida, only a few of Eve’s old enemies, -and the sportsman is safer in the woods at night under the moss-covered -trees and on his moss-constructed mattress than in his bed in the family -mansion on Fifth avenue. If he hears any<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_011" id="page_011"></a>{11}</span> unearthly noises, any -soul-curdling shrieks, he can turn to sleep again with the comfortable -assurance “that it is only a Limpkin.”</p> - -<p>To the sportsman it is needless to say that Florida, when properly -investigated, is a Paradise. Birds and fish and game are only too -plentiful, till it has become a land of shameful slaughter. The brute -with a gun slays the less brutish animal for the mere pleasure of murder -when he cannot get, much less use, what he kills, till on most of the -pleasure steamers shooting has been prohibited; while the idiot with the -rod fills his boat with splendid fish that rot in the hot sun and have -to be thrown back, putrefying, into the water from which his -undisciplined passion hauled them. Sportsman should not come to this -land of promise and performance unless they can control their instincts, -for fear that they should degenerate into mere killers. In truth, the -excess of abundance takes away the keener zest of sport, which is -largely due to the difficulties that surround success. But for the -ordinary inhabitant of the rugged North, the quaintness of this border -land of the equator has an immense charm, while to the invalid the pure, -dry, warm air of both winter and summer brings balm and health. The -feeble and sickly, especially the consumptive, should seek Florida, for -to them it offers the fabled springs of perennial youth, which Ponce de -Leon sought more coarsely in vain. To the seeker after amusement, to the -man and woman of leisure, who wish to improve as well as enjoy -themselves, it is a very wonderland<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_012" id="page_012"></a>{12}</span> of delight. It has a store of -novelties which are absolutely exhaustless, and tracts of interesting -country which, while perfectly accessible, have never even been -explored.</p> - -<p>To enjoy Florida, however, one must seek it aright. If the visitor -follows the beaten track, he will see the beaten things—well beaten by -many vulgar footsteps. If he takes the steamers and lives at the hotels, -he will make quick trips and have good, accommodations. If he wants -originality he must pursue original methods. There are many ways of -reaching this floral El Dorado—the ocean steamer will carry you to -Savannah, whence the steamboat will transport you through byways and -inside cuts to Jacksonville, or the railroad will drag and hurl you -through dust and dirt by day and night at headlong pace from the St. -Lawrence to the Gulf. But if you want to enjoy Florida, if you want to -go where no man has gone, and see what no eye has seen, and handle what -no hand has touched, then go there in a yacht—in a small yacht, just as -small and of as light draft of water as will accommodate comfortably the -party, that must be composed of individuals sufficiently accustomed to -one another to be sure they can live together for three months without -quarrelling. Then, indeed, will you learn what Florida is, will possess -its charms in close embrace and have experiences and pleasures never to -be forgotten and not otherwise to be obtained. How is this to be done, -you may ask, and the purpose of this chapter is to tell you exactly -how.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_013" id="page_013"></a>{13}</span></p> - -<p>A wealthy magnate may go in a big yacht to Florida, give good dinners -aboard and live in grandeur and luxury, and he will see about as -much—not quite—as if he had left his yacht at home; or the -hasty-plate-of-soup man may take a little steam launch and stave her in -on the first snag or oyster rock he runs her against. But if the -traveller and his friends hire or buy a light-draught sailing vessel, -they will require more time, but they can go almost everywhere and see -absolutely everything. It was just such a vessel that I had built for -use in the shoal Great South Bay of Long Island—a sharpie, to give its -nautical appellation—of sixty feet length and fifteen beam, with two -state-rooms, a cabin having four comfortable berths and over six feet -head-room, and a cuddy for the men and for cooking, although we had an -auxiliary cook stove in the cabin. This vessel was intended to carry six -passengers and two men; but boats of seventeen feet length and a -catamaran have safely made the passage to the St. John’s River and are -there now, so that a much smaller craft would do. The advantage of the -sharpie style of construction was that the yacht only drew two feet of -water, and as I proposed to run entirely by chart, and not to use the -services of a pilot, this was an inestimable advantage. We could have -braved the battle and the breeze of the Atlantic and gone outside all -the way, but those who know most of the ocean care least to have to do -with it unless equipped on the most thorough basis to encounter its -buffets. As an old sea captain said to me:—“When I go to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_014" id="page_014"></a>{14}</span> sea I want to -go in a steamer, and the biggest and strongest steamer at that.” -Moreover, the inside route is much the more interesting; there is -nothing very novel about the sea but the danger of it, whereas the bays, -creeks, canals and rivers furnish a fresh and continually changing -panorama. There is a frequent encounter with strange people, with -vessels of queer rigs and builds, an alternation of scenery, the arrival -at and departure from cities, the chance to occasionally kill a bird or -catch a mess of fish—something new happening every day. At sea there is -the ocean—a great deal of ocean—and nothing else.</p> - -<p>There exists a complete inside route from New York to the St. John’s -River, with the exception of about a hundred miles south of Beaufort, -North Carolina, and on this stretch there are many accessible inlets -only a few miles apart, so that no vessel need be caught out overnight -or can fail to make a safe harbor in case of necessity. The charts are -nearly complete and enable a person of ordinary intelligence, in a -vessel drawing not over four feet of water, to be entirely independent -of pilots. The lighter the draught, however, the better, and I should -not advise the use of any boat which requires more than three feet to -float in, two feet being greatly preferable.</p> - -<p>Do not start for the South before the first day of November unless you -wish to encounter a multiplicity, variety and intensity of fever that -would be the delight of the medical profession. Until frost<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_015" id="page_015"></a>{15}</span> comes, -there is waiting for you a choice between fever and ague, intermittent, -remittent, typhoid, putrid, break-bone, yellow, and <i>d’engue</i> fevers, -each of which, when you have it, seems a little worse than all the -others until you have one of them also, an event which is very likely to -happen, when you discover that your first conclusions were erroneous. -Then before you start get good and ready. Look over your fishing tackle; -be sure you have cartridges enough, and load them all with powder, but -not shot, so as to avoid unpleasant explosions. Use your five hundred -pounds of shot for ballast.</p> - -<p>Lay in a tub of Northern butter and some white potatoes, but do not -imagine you are going to a land of barbarism. You can get better hams, -better hard-tack, and as good and cheap canned goods in Norfolk as you -can in New York. Fresh eggs are to be had everywhere, turkeys and -chickens are fair, and are sold in market cleaned, and if Southern beef -is tough it has a peculiar game flavor which is very agreeable. Take in -a good supply of coal; use it for ballast if there is no other place to -stow it, for you may get frozen in during a cold spell, and will surely -want plenty of extraneous warmth before you reach the “Sunny South.” -Then when you are ready, sail up Raritan Bay, get a tow through the -Raritan and Delaware Bay Canal, and even across to Delaware City if you -please, and so across to the Chesapeake Bay, where your journey may be -said really to commence, for thenceforth you will have to rely on your -sails and your brains,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_016" id="page_016"></a>{16}</span> your motive power and your charts. There are -very thorough and complete charts of the Chesapeake, six in number, -carrying you the entire way to Norfolk and insuring you a good and safe -harbor whenever you need it. Do not forget that this is a big sheet of -water, and that you are on a pleasure trip, and will be much more -comfortable if at anchor during the night. Besides, there is time -enough; you have all winter before you, as you cannot get back until -spring if you wanted to, now that Jack Frost is about shutting the -gates. From Norfolk you can take a tow through the Albemarle and -Chesapeake Canal or not, as you please; much better not if you happen to -have a good northerly wind, as there is only one lock, and you can make -the distance more pleasantly and safely under sail. If your vessel draws -less than three feet, you leave the canal when you reach North Landing -River, of which there is a chart, and you go down through Currituck -Sound by Van Slyck’s Landing, and thence through the Narrows. Beyond -that for some distance, as the chart says, you “can only carry three -feet of water, and that with difficulty.” If your vessel is of greater -draught, you must take the extension of the canal which carries you to -North River, from which point there is plenty of water all the way. You -can get a condensed chart from the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal -Company, which will give you a general idea of the route from Norfolk to -Smithville, and which will be found very useful. But the Government -charts<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_017" id="page_017"></a>{17}</span> of Pamlico Sound, which were completed in the fall of 1883, -should by all means be taken also, as they are simply invaluable in case -of storm and the necessity of seeking harbor unexpectedly. Government -chart No. 40 or 140 (both numbers are used) will give you Currituck -Sound from just above Van Slyck’s, and also North River from the mouth -of the canal, all that is necessary of Albemarle Sound, Croatan and -Roanoke Sounds, either of which you may take, and the magnetic courses -and distances to steer by as far south as Roanoke Marshes Light. The -post office at Van Slyck’s Landing is called Poplar Branch Post Office, -Currituck County, N. C., and you can get your letters and coarse -supplies there, but no bread. The next good harbor is Kitty Hawk, where -there is also a store and post office. If you go through Roanoke Sound, -remember that below Shallowbag Bay the channel runs close along shore, -closer than it seems on the chart. You will have to feel your way -carefully across below Broad Creek. There is plenty of water if you find -it, but it is not easy to find. From the southerly end of Roanoke Island -to Long Shoal Light the course is south by west; from Roanoke Marshes -Light it is south, one half west. You can go a mile inside of this -light, but not further, as the shoal beyond has not a foot of water on -it. Just north of this light is Stumpy Point Bay, where you can make a -good harbor, carrying clear inside four feet of water. From Long Shoal -Light the course is south-west to a buoy on Bluff<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_018" id="page_018"></a>{18}</span> Shoal; but as there -is seven feet of water on the shoal, accuracy is not necessary, and the -same course continued will take you near Royal Shoal, which is easily -made out, as there are two lights on it. From this the course is south -by west to Harbor Island light, at the entrance of Core Sound. This -light is abandoned and is falling down, but during the day the building -is visible a long distance. If you can get a free wind, you can make the -run from Long Shoal to Harbor Island in a day, provided you get under -way early, which every sensible yachtsman is careful to do. If not, you -must hug the main shore and look out, as there are many shoals and no -tide to help you off if you get aground. The waters are salt and only -moved by the wind; and as Pamlico Sound is a miniature ocean and gets up -a big sea, it is well to be careful. If you are caught near Royal Shoal, -unless you are acquainted with the channels, steer for the beach, where -you can get holding ground if not much of a harbor. The charts of -Pamlico Sound are Nos. 42, 43, and 44.</p> - -<p>There is a good chart of Core Sound, which is shallow but well staked -out, the stakes having hands on them to show on which side is the best -water. You can carry two feet of water close along the shore from the -buoy off the middle marshes, just west of Harker’s Island into Beaufort, -but the main channel is more to the southward and runs to the point of -Shackleford Banks. Then you go up Bulkhead Channel, keep along the north -shore of Town<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_019" id="page_019"></a>{19}</span> Marsh a hundred rods, and then northeast and keep the -lead going to Beaufort, N. C. From here you can either sail through -Bogue Sound, of which there is no chart, or go directly to sea. As the -land trends westward, it makes a lee even from a north-easter and is as -safe as any outside sailing can be.</p> - -<p>There is a chart of Beaufort, N. C., which takes you a few miles into -Bogue Sound, but that is all. South of Bogue Inlet, New Topsail Inlet is -one of the best, then Masonboro, and from either of these a good wind -will carry you past Cape Fear, the only spot you have to dread and where -you must manage not to get caught. There is a good chart of Cape Fear, -but the rule of the local pilots is to follow the eighteen-foot shoal -down till you open Fort Caswell by the main Light on Bald Head, and then -steer straight for the Fort, which will give you six feet of water up to -the beach. But remember, there is shoal water outside of you, and you -must look out for breakers. The next harbor is Little River Inlet, and -then comes Winyah Bay, of which there is a chart, and then Bull’s Bay, -of which also you can get a chart.</p> - -<p>From Bull’s Bay it is inside work and a shoal, but not a difficult -passage, to Charleston Harbor. Of this there is no chart yet printed, -and it ought to be run, if possible, in a tide which will help at both -ends by running up from Bull’s Bay and down into Charleston Harbor. You -come out at the cove near Fort Moultrie where it is well to stop, as -Charleston Harbor is a large place in rough weather for small<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_020" id="page_020"></a>{20}</span> boats. -Here you begin on Coast Chart No. 54 (or 154). Go up the Ashley River -till St. Michael’s Church (which has the whitest spire) opens to the -north of the rice mills, and steer into Wappoo Cut, which lies just -south of some prominent buildings on a point on the left shore. It will -carry you without trouble into the Stono River. Here the chart fails -you, you ascend the Stono, keeping a westerly course past the first -branch to the north which heads toward a railroad in full view. When a -large mill on the north side is reached a lead branches to the south. -This must be avoided, and a mill with a tower will soon be reached. This -is on Wadmelaw River, where the chart resumes its proper vocation. -Thence across the North Edisto, the Dawho River, thence into the South -Edisto, around Jehossee, but not through Wall’s Cut, which the natives -assured me was not open. Just at the south point of Jehossee Island, -Mosquito Creek enters the South Edisto; take the westerly lead where -they branch just inside the mouth, and then through Bull’s Cut into the -Ashepoo; down the Ashepoo and across St. Helena Sound and either up the -Coosaw and past Beaufort, S. C. The name of the town being pronounced -Bufort, which is about as short as any route, or across the Sound to -Harbor River and through it and Story and Station Creeks into Port Royal -Sound. This is a big place again and uncomfortable at night in a storm -with a heavy tide and sea.</p> - -<p>You now take Coast Chart No. 55 (or 155). There is a special chart of -the route from St. Helena to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_021" id="page_021"></a>{21}</span> Port Royal, but it is not necessary. You -steer nearly west from the buoys off the mouth of Station Creek to -Bobee’s Island at the mouth of Skull Creek. There is an oyster rock in -the middle of Skull Creek where it makes its first bend to the -southeast, and this is the only danger before reaching Calibogue Sound. -In crossing Tybee roads, keep well out to Red Buoy No. 2, whether you go -directly south or turn north to visit Savannah. If the latter, go by the -Light Beacon and to the westward of it, if the former, take Lazaretto -Creek into Tybee River and Warsaw Sound. Keep well out by the buoys -again and head for Romerly Marsh Creek.</p> - -<p>If you have gone to Savannah, continue your journey by the way of -Wilmington River to the same place, unless your boat is small enough to -pole easily, in which case you can go through Skiddaway Narrows. Romerly -Marsh and Adams Creeks will bring you into Vernon River, when you steer -for Hell Gate, between Little Don Island and Raccoon Key. If you have -come through Skiddaway and down the Burnside and Vernon Rivers, you can -go inside of Little Don Island. Here you use chart No. 56 (or 156). -Cross the Ogeechee River, and follow up the west bank to Florida -Passage, through it and Bear River to St. Catharine’s Sound, across it -and up Newport River to Johnson’s Creek; thence down the South Newport -to Sapelo Sound.</p> - -<p>There is good fishing in Barbour’s River, just above where the words -“Barbour’s Island” are on the chart. Continue across Sapelo Sound and -into<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_022" id="page_022"></a>{22}</span> Mud River; take the middle of this to New Teakettle Creek, which -will bring you into Doboy Sound. Keep to the north of Doboy town, which -is a prominent object on the flat meadows. Here chart No. 57 (or 157) -begins, and you go from Duboy straight through Little Mud River and the -same course across Altamaha Sound; then follow the channel northwesterly -into Buttermilk Sound; then either through Mackay’s or Frederica Rivers, -as the wind best serves, into St. Simon’s Sound. Here the water is -deeper and you can go directly across from the black buoy No. 7 to the -black buoy at the mouth of Jekyls Creek. There are two mouths to this -creek. Take the easterly one and run straight from the ranges on the -point. Follow across Jekyls and St. Andrew’s Sounds up Cumberland River. -At its head waters there are some islands; the channel is from a stake -on shore to the west of the eastermost island, then by ranges on the -point, which carry you past a little island with ranges which give you -the course south. Use the lead here. Thence down Cumberland Sound by -Dungeness, formerly the property of Gen. Nathaniel Green, and which is -much visited by tourist parties, across the St. Mary’s River and up the -Amelia to Fernandina.</p> - -<p>Here chart No. 58 (or 158) begins. From the Amelia River you go to -Kingley’s Creek past two drawbridges. The railroad bridge is out of -order and will not open square with the bulkhead. Be careful here, as -several accidents have happened and the tide runs strong. Continue -across Nassau Sound<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_023" id="page_023"></a>{23}</span> to Sawpit Creek, at the mouth of which there is a -black buoy not laid down on the chart. Keep to the southward of this -buoy and run on through Gunnison’s Cut, which you will recognize by two -palmetto trees that look like gate-posts at a distance. Down Fort George -River to the Sisters Creek and thence to the St. John’s River where you -will find a dock—a watermark not to be forgotten on your return trip. -There are three charts of the St. John’s, which give it in full from its -mouth to Lake Harney; the points to remember are to cross from Hannah -Mills Creek to St. John’s Bluff, and thence back again to Clapboard -Creek, whence you follow up the north shore, keeping it as far as Dame -Point close aboard. Beyond this you can have no trouble as the St. -John’s has but one or two shoals where there is less than six feet of -water, and it is well marked out with buoys and beacons.</p> - -<p>If this description sounds a little tedious to the reader, he will not -think it so when he makes the trip. If you want a pilot for any part of -the route, one can be had by applying to Captain Coste, of the -Lighthouse Service at Charleston; but there are few persons who know -what I have herein recorded, and none of those will tell. We have had a -long trip—for long as it has been on paper, it has been longer in -reality. Two weeks from New York to Beaufort, N. C.; ten days thence to -Charleston, and ten more to Jacksonville may be required, unless the -traveller is one of those lucky fellows who always have a free wind -through life. So he may want to rest, have<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_024" id="page_024"></a>{24}</span> his clothes washed, dress up -in “a boiled shirt” for a change, and revive the fact that he is one of -the aristocracy, not an ordinary seaman. He will soon tire of -civilization, however, and long for the pleasures of the chase. Then let -him ascend any of the tributaries of the St. John’s from San Pablo at -its mouth to Juniper Creek, which empties into the southerly end of Lake -George. It was on the latter stream that I nearly killed a Limpkin.</p> - -<p>The man does not live who has actually caught or shot a Limpkin. There -are no Limpkins for sale in the curiosity shops, where almost every -other production of Florida is to be had. It is admitted that the -Limpkin, like the recognized ghost, is proof against powder and ball. -But the writer never misses—that is, on paper and when he is recording -his shots. All writers do the same. So when the Limpkin sat on a limb -and whistled and chuckled and bobbed and bowed and finally flew away -just before we were near enough, and I fired as he disappeared with -horrible screams through the forest, one leg dropped! I had not killed -him, but even a Limpkin was not quite proof against my aim. Mr. Seth -Green, who was with me at the time and can vouch for the truth of this -statement, remarked in a melancholy tone of voice that he wished he had -had his rifle. As he had not succeeded in hitting anything with his -rifle thus far since we started, although he had fired away half his -cartridges, there is a chance that he might have succeeded this time by -way of a change, and so I agreed with him heartily.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_025" id="page_025"></a>{25}</span></p> - -<p>Alligators will not appear till warm weather—that is, till the middle -of January—by which time the tourists will think he has got into the -dog days, but fish are abundant in all the fresh-water streams. In that -very Juniper Creek we caught so many big-mouthed bass with fly and spoon -that we not only gave up fishing, but had to salt down dozens. And, by -the way, these fish are much more of game fish than they are at the -North; the smallest fight well, take the fly freely and jump out of -water as frequently and fiercely as the small-mouthed variety in our -waters.</p> - -<p>Before leaving the instructive branch of my subject I wish to advise the -yachtsman against giving too much weight to the appearance of the -Southern sky. This will often cloud up toward evening in the most -threatening way. Such a heavenly monitor at the North would warn us to -make everything snug and get the best bower over, but in the South these -appearances signify nothing. After a most frightful-looking evening the -morning will break clear and warm and quiet. There are few storms in -Florida during the winter, a “norther” occasionally and possible a -thunder storm, but no fierce northeasters and no hurricanes. As to the -comparative advantages of working through the tortuous creeks with -changing tides, or running outside for short stretches, a preference -might be given to the latter were it not that the shoals off the mouths -of the inlets extend so far to sea. Many of the rivers have carried down -so much sediment that they have made shoals ten or<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_026" id="page_026"></a>{26}</span> fifteen miles off -shore. So that apart from questions of safety and comfort, the distance -by the inside passage is the shortest.</p> - -<p>In going South the yachtsman will pass large and numerous flocks of bay -snipe on all the marshes south of Charleston. These marshes are muddy -islands and of a peculiar nature. On the surface when dry they are firm -enough for walking, but their shores are unfathomable ooze beneath which -a man would sink at once out of sight and into which an oar can be run -for its entire length without an effort. Curlew, willet, marlin, all -varieties down to the tiny ox-eye, and in immense flocks, frequent these -islands, where they seem to find food without stint. To stool them you -can set out your decoys in the thin grass and make a stand near by from -reeds or bushes. They are quite wary, however, and seem to have learned -the evil significance of a gun. These marshy islands are honeycombed -with the burrows of the fiddler crab, and mussels grow on their surface -in soft mounds of earth. They are covered by very high tides and are -always more or less damp. The bay snipe, however, do not seem to winter -here. They leave a small proportion of their numbers, but the main body -goes further South, possibly beyond the equator. There are no such -myriads as the Northern flight would require, and they grow fewer and -fewer as the season advances, till in March they are almost scarce. Let -the sportsman take his toll from them while he can; stopping amidst the -lonesomeness of these islands<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_027" id="page_027"></a>{27}</span> where it is certain death to pass a -summer, and few of which are inhabited, and where he may sail tens of -miles without seeing a man, white or black. Let him try the deep holes -alongside of bluffs or where two creeks meet for sheepshead, using for -bait the Southern prawn, that gigantic shrimp, with its body six inches -long and its feelers ten; and if he can catch no fish and misses the -birds, let him rejoice in knowing that there are millions of both in -Florida.</p> - -<p>In describing my trip to Florida, I do not intend to pursue any -consecutive plan, or follow the positive order of events. It is not -important to know that we turned out—to use the proper nautical -term—at a certain hour in the morning of a certain day, and that we -turned in again at night at some other division of mean sidereal or -solar time, nor that we went a certain course or made so many miles one -day and so many more or less the next. That is, the reader does not want -to have too much of this, although a little now and then may tend to -give a general idea of the trials, difficulties, and enjoyments of a -yachtman’s life. But whether we arrived at a place at five <small>P.M.</small> or five -<small>A.M.</small>, important as it may have been to us at the time, cannot, so far as -I can judge, interest the reader as deeply as I hope to interest him. -For all such information I will refer him to the ordinary books of -travel. That we did occasionally make fast time in our little half scow, -half yacht, that I built on the scheme of putting a sail in a canal -boat, will be proved by this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_028" id="page_028"></a>{28}</span> single event; when running across St. -Simon’s sound in a fog, we passed a large steamer yacht, called the -“Gleam,” one of the largest and finest of Herreschoff’s productions. We -found her again in Jacksonville when we reached there. She had left -Savannah on the second of January, we had left Charleston on the tenth; -she had arrived two days ahead of us, so that by being able to keep -inside out of the storms and fogs of the Atlantic, we had actually gone -nearly double the distance in six days less time.</p> - -<p>The personnel of our party was made up of a sporting medical man, Mr. -Seth Green, the famous fish-culturist, the ladies of the families and -myself. We went without any restriction as to time, which is a most -essential point in a yachting trip, and we stopped where we pleased, and -as long as we pleased, we shot where there were birds to shoot, we -fished where there were fish to catch, and where there were neither, we -lay in the shade of the awning, if the weather was warm, and smoked, or -ate those globes of concentrated lusciousness, the grape fruit when we -felt too energetic to loaf, and not energetic enough to fish or shoot. -Our trip was something of an exploring expedition, and we had possible -dangers and inevitable inconveniences to encounter. Other parties had -gone to Florida in the same way, but they had left no record of their -adventures, no guide-posts for those who should come after them. So far -as we were concerned, the country from North Carolina to the Land of -Flowers was a <i>terra<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_029" id="page_029"></a>{29}</span> incognita</i>. We knew that there were birds, and -beasts, and fish, in that equatorial region, but where to find them, how -to reach them, and by what methods to catch and kill them, were wholly -unknown to us. No one, after reading this record, will have the same -complaint to make. Several of the Government charts were not completed, -notably those of Pamlico Sound, and the corrections of that from -Charleston south, so as to show the inside route had not been made in -the year 1882, which was the one I had selected for the expedition.</p> - -<p>We had sent the “Heartsease” to Norfolk, and were to meet her there, as -by so doing we would save time that could be better utilized than by -going over ground with which we were pretty well familiar—that of New -Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. At Norfolk, after we had purchased -what hard-bread, cake, pies, and other stores and luxuries we needed, -and had been through the fish market, and selected an abundance of the -largest “spot,” which is regarded as the most delicious native fish, -although it is nothing more than what we call the Lafayette fish at the -North, we engaged a tow and started on our journey. We had to go through -the Albemarle and Chesapeake canal, and made our first mistake in -supposing that a tow was a necessity for the operation. The puffy, -dirty, fussy, little steamboat ran us against everything that she came -near, and were it not that she was unable to attain any considerable -rate of speed, our journey might have terminated before it fairly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_030" id="page_030"></a>{30}</span> -began. She jammed us against the dock when we were starting, banged us -into the first vessel we met on our way, bumped us into the banks of the -canal when we had entered it, dashed us into the only lock there was to -get foul of, and then rammed us against a dredging scow so fiercely, -that there was a momentary doubt whether we should not be dredged out as -an impediment to travel.</p> - -<p>However, in spite of all these misadventures, we made Currituck before -night. We determined to stay there some days for duck shooting, but I -shall not stop to describe the sport we had. It is enough, that we -loaded down our vessel with provisions, which, as the weather came out -cold, kept till they were all consumed, and saved us from recourse to -those last resources of the way-farer, the insipid canned meats, which, -somehow, the manufacturers manage to make taste so nearly alike, that -one will answer for the other, whether it is called mutton, beef, or -fowl. Then we sped away south, running into Kittyhawk Bay for a harbor -and a turkey, for no one must imagine that it is necessary to starve in -the South, even amid the desolation of the desolate Eastern Shore. Not -only does the proverbial hospitality of the Southern people still exist -as far as the effect of a desolating war has left it a possibility, but -there are certain kinds of food to be got there more readily than even -at the North. It has heretofore been a reproach to our Southern colored -brother, that the attractions of a hen-roost and lusciousness of a fat -turkey gobbler were too much for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_031" id="page_031"></a>{31}</span> his virtue. But this state of facts -and morals is changing, the darkey is turning poultry fancier, he is -getting to raise chickens and sell eggs, he is fast becoming a bloated -fowl holder, and regular goose and turkey wing clipper; in his eyes the -chicken is assuming a different status, and hen-roost marauding is fast -becoming a heinous crime, than which there is none more unpardonable. He -will soon be the fowl monopolist, and when that day comes I predict that -the chicken will be regarded as a sacred bird, and placed in the same -category as the ibis of Egypt. As it is, eggs can be obtained almost -anywhere, and wherever there is a darkey’s hut, there the voice of the -cackling hen ascends in welcome and suggestive music to high heaven, -resonant of omelettes plain, omelettes <i>aux fines herbes</i>, with ham or -with onion, of scrambled eggs, boiled, roasted eggs, of pan cakes and -sweet cakes, of custards, egg-nog, and all the thousands delicacies -towards which the hen contributes with enthusiastic zeal, and greatly to -the happiness of man.</p> - -<p>The course of the contraband can be exemplified by that of the milk -farmer, if the story which I once heard from an eminent retired -politician is true, as I think it may be. Many of the farmers living in -the neighborhood of Utica were in the habit of supplying that city with -milk from the herds of cows that the magnificent meadows of the vicinity -easily supported. Those careful and conscientious gentlemen, aware of -the heating properties of milk in its strong and crude state, felt it -was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_032" id="page_032"></a>{32}</span> but a duty they owed their fellow beings, and especially their -customers, to make sure that they did not incur the evils which were -certain to arise from the unguarded use of so deleterious a beverage. -They mixed the dangerous fluid with a sufficient proportion of water to -kill the germs of disease, and lest their motives should be -misunderstood, they did not mention their thoughtfulness to the -consumers. Hence it was that Utica enjoyed unexampled health, and it -would no doubt have continued in the same enjoyment except for a change -in the methods of milk culture. Milk, instead of being converted into -butter or sold in its natural state, came in time to be manufactured -into cheese. Great cheese dairies were established, to which the farmers -sent their milk, in place of disposing of it by local trade. Now it was -essential that the milk so delivered should be absolutely pure, for the -excellence of the product not only depended on this, but also in order -that the amount might be fairly credited to each of the persons -furnishing a share of the supply. Then the bucolic view that had -heretofore obtained in that neighborhood was modified, and of all the -sins in the decalogue, none was quite so heinious as the adulteration of -milk. I do not vouch for this story, although a long course of lactic -experience in the city of New York gives it an air of possibility. -Certain it is that since the introduction of cheese factories, the -health of Utica has declined, but then no one can positively say that -this change is due entirely to the purity of the milk.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_033" id="page_033"></a>{33}</span></p> - -<p>On our way to Kitty Hawk, we had passed a number of nets which the local -fishermen were hauling, and Mr. Green, who had a mania for interviewing -every one he met, had promptly boarded the first of the boats, obtained -all the statistics, and even helped make one haul. He found out that -they caught what they called chub, the big-mouthed bass (<i>Grystes -salmoides</i>), as large as eight pounds; white perch; the robin, which is -our sunfish; red fin, our yellow perch; bull sucker, our black sucker; -sucker-mullet, our mullet, which were taken in the creeks and up in the -swamps, and nanny shad, which seemed to be our gizzard shad, known in -Baltimore as bream. As they did not have all these varieties in the boat -at the time, we were not quite sure as to the last. The fishermen knew -nothing of the spawning season, but we found roe three inches long in a -seven-pound big-mouthed black bass.</p> - -<p>There is a club house at Kitty Hawk Bay, belonging to the Kitty Hawk -Ducking Club, but it was deserted when we were there by the club, and -given over to the possession of Captain Cain, who runs the principal -fishery in that part of the country. He told us that the bass spawned in -March, and that the same kinds of fish were caught near there which I -have described. While we were ashore enjoying his hospitality, a sudden -squall came up and blew most of the water out of the bay, so that the -small boat in which we had come ashore was left a hundred feet from the -edge of the water.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_034" id="page_034"></a>{34}</span>The next day, which was December 8th, we passed Nag’s-head Hotel, and -came to anchor in a perfect little harbor in the lower part of Roanoke -Island, where Captain Cain once had a terrapin farm. It was a charming, -though deserted, spot, a bay just large enough for the yacht to swing -in, and completely land-locked, the buildings tumbling to pieces, the -terrapin ponds still there, but with not only their occupants departed, -but the very fences falling down or being used for firewood. The -speculation had failed, because even there, in the very home and abiding -place of the terrapin, he had grown so scarce that a sufficient business -could not be done to make it profitable. Terrapins are taken, as Mr. -Green soon found out, in bag or trawl nets, that are drawn along the -bottom, as we at the North use a dredge for oysters. On the front of the -net, which hangs loosely behind, is an iron bar, of sufficient weight to -lie close to the bottom as it is being dragged; this slips under the -terrapins, which are thus carried into the net. We readily understood -that they were not plenty, when we were informed that “count” terrapins, -that is, those over six inches in length, bring on the ground one dollar -apiece.</p> - -<p>The weather had become very cold for yachting. The thermometer fell to -eighteen degrees during the night, and we found that all the resources -of our vessel were hardly equal to keeping us warm in our berths. Early -next morning we obtained our first oysters. We had brought oyster tongs -with us; in fact, if there was any kind<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_035" id="page_035"></a>{35}</span> of rod, reel, line, net, hook, -sinker, swivel, or fishing device whatever that we had not brought I -should like to be informed of it. When Mr. Green joined the yacht and -produced from the bowels of an immense trunk, a luxury that in itself I -never knew him to allow himself before, and which was in our way the -entire journey till we got rid of it at Jacksonville, much to its -owner’s chagrin—first two breech-loaders, then a rifle and a hundred -weight of ammunition, then an immense bundle of sporting rods, next a -box of lines and reels, and finally an overgrown scrapbook filled with -all manner of gangs of hooks, the doctor and myself felt that the -sporting interest would not suffer. As I had sent him word that he need -bring neither guns, fishing tackle, nor ammunition, it was evident that -he intended we should not fall short. But now when our men began tonging -up the delicious bivalves which we had not seen for so many days, on -account of the freshness of the water, we felt thankful for one of our -precautions. Here let me warn the reader that he be sure to bring oyster -tongs with him. He will find it difficult to get them in the South at -all, and if he can they will be much heavier and more awkward than those -in use with us. Just South of the opening into our night’s harbor, and -in the main channel, we found a man at work oystering and we joined him -promptly, confident that where there was enough for one there was in -this matter enough for two. Either the oysters off the lower end of -Roanoke Island are very delicious, or else our appetites were sharp -from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_036" id="page_036"></a>{36}</span> abstinence. For as fast as our man Charley brought them to the -surface and deposited them on the deck, we opened them with a skill -founded on some experience and more desire, and devoured them with -hearty gusto.</p> - -<p>We loaded up with oysters and then started once more on our course, but -the wind fell off and we anchored in Stumpy Point Bay, some thirty miles -to the southward and on the main shore. At our last stopping place a -sick man had come aboard for advice, and here we not only found two -others, but were also informed that their mother was at the point of -death. There seemed to be a sublime faith in these people that all -Northerners must know something of medicine, as none of them had a -suspicion of our having a physician in the party. Indeed they came for -“a drawing of tea” as they called it, rather than for any special -medicine, for they appeared to consider sickness the natural condition -of man, as among those terribly unhealthy swamps and low lands it -probably is. After that almost everywhere we went we were asked for “a -drawing of tea” for some sick person.</p> - -<p>Their ailments were evidently only too well founded, and as the people -were clearly not a complaining set, we were sorry that we had not -brought more of the coveted article with us. The whites of this coast -looked weazened, thin, yellow, and cadaverous, as if they had a -perpetual conflict with fever in which they invariably got the worst of -it. They had the shadow of death in their faces. In their motions<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_037" id="page_037"></a>{37}</span> they -exhibited a langour which strangers are apt to attribute to laziness, -but which I believe due to disease. Let a man once take the southern -fever, and it will be many months if not years before he feels like -himself again. Our latest patients were fishermen, and to Mr. Green’s -insatiable inquiries they explained that they caught in their seasons -shad; rock, our striped bass; trout, our weakfish; hickory shad, white -perch, mullet, spot, round-nosed shad and flat backs, though what these -latter were was more than we could guess. They said that the fishing had -fallen off greatly of late years, but that the prices had increased and -that now they were paid seventy five cents for a roe shad, and thirty -for bucks.</p> - -<p>Next day was clear and cold, with a strong and favorable wind from the -north-west, so much so that even the imperturbable doctor was impatient -to be off, but Mr. Green had an idea, and when he has anything of that -sort he is the last man to part with it without full fruition. To our -proposal to get under weigh early he replied.</p> - -<p>“Beyond this you tell me that we have a great stretch of open water?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” I answered, “the entire Pamlico Sound, which must be a hundred -and fifty miles long and fifty broad, so the more advantage we take of -this favorable wind the better.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you expect to find ducks, don’t you, on the route?” he inquired -by way of response.</p> - -<p>“I hardly know what we shall find,” I answered, “but I should like to -find ducks, and have heard<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_038" id="page_038"></a>{38}</span> that there are innumerable brant on the -ocean side.”</p> - -<p>“That is just as I supposed,” was Mr. Green’s reply, as he took up the -axe that lay on the deck, “and as you have no battery, how do you expect -to kill them?”</p> - -<p>The doctor and I had nothing to reply, and Mr. Green, carrying the axe, -called one of the men and rowed away to the shore in triumph. During his -absence the doctor, who is a <i>cordon bleu</i>, prepared the turkey that we -had purchased at Kitty Hawk for cooking, by stuffing it with the oysters -that we had tonged at Roanoke Island. By the time this culinary feat was -accomplished, our master of fish culture had returned. He had cut a -dozen stakes about eight feet long, which were to be used to improvise a -blind, by thrusting them into the bottom and tying strings around from -one to the other, and hanging reeds or grass tied in bunches over the -strings.</p> - -<p>These precautionary measures being taken, we got under-way. The wind had -increased to almost a gale, and our brave little vessel fairly leaped -before it towards the South like a race horse. Quite a sea had made in -the broad expanse of Pamlico Sound, which can be stormy enough when in -the humor, and the waves rolled after us in vain and vindictive fury. -There were two large steamers going South, and we held them for some -time, and had hopes of keeping up with them, but they slowly drew ahead, -and left us alone in the waste of tumultuous waves.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_039" id="page_039"></a>{39}</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_003.jpg" alt="ENGLISH SNIPE." title="" /> -<br /> -<span class="caption">ENGLISH SNIPE.</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_040" id="page_040"></a>{40}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_041" id="page_041"></a>{41}</span> </p> - -<p>We made one of our best runs that day. The weather was too perfect for -us to stop for fish or birds, although we saw clouds of the latter -rising up in the distance from the disturbed surface of the Sound. We -ought to have gone to Hatteras, or Roanoke Inlet, where we had been -assured by the residents the brant shooting was magnificent, but we -could not lose such unusually favorable weather, and sped on and on -through the seething waves, hour after hour, till when the sun was still -quite well above the horizon, we ran through the narrow channel into the -peaceful waters of Core Sound.</p> - -<p>What a change came over the spirit of our sailing, from the boisterous -violence and rough seas that beat our vessel’s sides turbulently, or -followed us fiercely to the scarcely ruffled bosom of the small and -shallow bay, only a few miles wide, and shut in on all sides by the -land. We managed to reach Lewis’s Creek before sunset, where we saw a -number of working boats going to find security for the night. When we -had anchored among them, the fishermen told us that there were the usual -kinds of salt water fish, although there was no tide in Core Sound other -than that made by the wind. They said there was good oystering off the -point of Lewis’s Creek, and next day proved their words. It was a wild -spot. The only mark of human habitation being an old wind-mill, which -stood on the point. The weird effect was further heightened during the -darkness by the lighting of fires by the fishermen, who had no sleeping -accommodations<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_042" id="page_042"></a>{42}</span> on their boats, and who went ashore for the purpose.</p> - -<p>“Would you like to kill an English snipe?” called out Seth Green to me -next morning from the shore, whither he had already gone with our -boatman, Charley. I had been busy, or perhaps, if the truth must be -confessed, sleepy, and had just come on deck.</p> - -<p>“Of course,” was my instantaneous reply, the idea of any one not wanting -to kill an English snipe being too ridiculous to entertain for a moment.</p> - -<p>“Then get your gun, and Charley will come for you in the boat.”</p> - -<p>In five minutes the doctor and I were both ashore, and in less than as -many more we had put up and bagged our first bird. It seemed that -Charley, who, as I have already stated, was an old gunner, had heard the -bird as he flew over, and had seen him alight. He did not know that -there were more than one, but we found quite a flight of them. The spot -was not large, but it was evidently a favorite one. We had no dogs and -went floundering about through the mud, but at every few steps a bird -was flushed, and his appearance commemorated by the report of a gun or -the cheery cry of, “mark!” It was a delicious episode in our trip, for -no sport is more appreciated by the true sportsman than the killing of -our gamest of all game birds, the stylish English snipe. In two hours we -had bagged thirty-one. In fact we had killed them all, for if we did not -get them at the first rise, it was easy to follow them up, as they<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_043" id="page_043"></a>{43}</span> -seemed so fond of the place that they would not leave it. After we had -gone on board with our trophies, and while we were getting under way, we -saw new whisps arriving to take the place of those which we had killed, -as if they were informed of the event, and were anxious to profit by the -disasters of their friends, even at the peril of their own lives.</p> - -<p>Core Sound was full of wild fowl, of which many were red-heads and -canvas-backs, and had we had a battery, we could have killed unlimited -numbers. We had to do as well as we could with Mr. Green’s substitute, -which, although better than nothing, was not at all equal to the proper -machine. Neither had we time to wait. Florida was a long way off, and -well we knew that, once there, we should have all the game we wanted; so -as we struck another favorable wind, we did not stop at Barker’s Island, -where the best shooting is to be had, but ran on to Beaufort. We had -actually dawdled not more than three or four unnecessary days in Core -Sound, before going into the narrow, shallow and difficult harbor of -what was once the watering place as well as business mart of that -section of the Southern country. The port dues are heavy, and I would -advise the yachtsman to avoid it altogether and go, if he needs must go -into any port, directly to Morehead City, which is rapidly appropriating -the trade and fashion of its older rival.</p> - -<p>There is a large business in oysters at Beaufort, and the civilization -of moss-bunker factories has been introduced from the North. Fish were -scarce,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_044" id="page_044"></a>{44}</span> but we purchased some very fair beef at very moderate prices, -eighteen pounds of porterhouse being sold to us for eight cents a pound. -The town is a pretty one, and the next day being Sunday, we went to the -colored Methodist Church, a thing that no visitor must fail to do, and -heard some very charming singing. This was our first experience of the -quaint, wild, and slightly barbaric harmony of the voices of the -negroes, of which we were to hear a great deal before our return to the -North.</p> - -<p>Beaufort was the first thoroughly Southern town, with its fig trees in -the open air, the Yupawn, or native Tea tree, the red-berried evergreen -bushes, whose name we could not ascertain, and its genial air of -Southern indolent happiness, which we had visited. We were sorry to -leave it, and had Florida been only placed where it ought to have been, -five hundred miles nearer New York, we should have stayed days if not -weeks longer. But the time was flitting by, and still we were a thousand -miles from our destination. So without more ado we put to sea. From -Beaufort to Cape Fear there is such a bend in the coast that it is laid -down on the charts as a bay. Being shielded from the terrible -northeasters of the Atlantic, which reach no farther than Cape Hatteras, -it is as safe for a small vessel as any part of the boisterous ocean -ever can be. But I was glad when Heartsease got through the voyage. With -care there is no danger, and the trip is not half as perilous a one as -we are accustomed to take at the North, where we are at home, without a -thought of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_045" id="page_045"></a>{45}</span> fear. There are numerous and very practicable inlets, and -the yachtsman should make sure of getting into one of them at night. The -same may be said of the stretch beyond Cape Fear. Treat the mighty ocean -with the respect it deserves, and it will never illtreat you. On the -charts the northern or old inlet of Cape Fear is laid down as closed by -a bulkhead. This it is no doubt intended to be, to the discomfort of -small sailing craft, but at the time I speak of it was open. Possibly it -was only opened temporarily by a storm, and may be shut again now.</p> - -<p>There were some birds in Bull’s Bay, but not enough to induce us to -pause, as we were anxious to get the yacht to Charleston as quickly as -we could. So we made the most of the wind and the tide, and anchored -over against Fort Moultrie early in January. Does any of my readers care -to hear how we enjoyed Christmas Day! If so, I will in that connection, -and with the happy sacredness of that day in my mind, make a confession. -In one of the opening paragraphs of this history I mentioned the fact -that we had a stove, a cooking as well as heating stove, in the main -saloon. I did not, however, acknowledge what I am now about to make -public, that every one of the party, from the state-rooms to the -forecastle, was a cook, and in the opinion of him or herself a most -sweet and dainty <i>chef de cuisine</i>. Aware of this divine afflatus, they -were none of them entirely content unless they were exhibiting their -skill, so both stoves were run to their utmost capacity, and as the -appetites of the party were good<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_046" id="page_046"></a>{46}</span> and daily growing better, a vast -consumption of provisions was continually taking place. While each was -at heart assured that their own productions were a little the best, and -tempted the others to admission of the fact by the offering of special -delicacies where delicacies were not needed, there was no one mean -enough to repudiate the work of a brother or sister artist, even if it -were ruined in the preparation or burned to tastlessness in the cooking. -Christmas was by common consent set apart as the day on which each and -every member of our briny household should cook whatever they found best -in their own eyes. The store-room was thrown open and free liberty of -selection was given to all.</p> - -<p>To the male kitchen genius the most difficult article to prepare, is the -most necessary one, bread. Within the realms of civilization the staff -of life seems, as it were, to grow of itself. It can be found on every -corner; stares in fat complacency at you from the shop windows on every -block; there is never any dearth of bread so long as there is a penny to -purchase it; delicate-minded tramps scorn it, and in every -well-regulated household enough of it is thrown into the waste pail to -feed another household of equal numbers. But at sea this is different, -and when man, though he pride himself on the brilliant hue of his blue -ribbon, is required to make good the deficiency, he is apt to come to -grief. So the queen of our marine family announced that she would make a -big batch of bread for that special festivity.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_047" id="page_047"></a>{47}</span></p> - -<p>While no one could or would dare to dispute the ability of that lady to -do well whatever she undertook, yet in the matter of bread making her -methods were peculiar. In the first place she had to have the cabin to -herself, and as bread has to be set over night, we were all turned out -on Christmas eve and left to shiver on the deck. Then she has a way of -strewing flour about in the operation till she covers the tables, the -chairs, the floor, even the sides of the saloon and sometimes the cabin -roof with dough or its ingredients. It was not five minutes after we -were allowed to return, the “rising” having been made an accomplished -fact and set away in a corner, before our hands, our clothes, our faces, -and our very hair were covered with incipient bread. But worse even than -that was the injunction that was solemnly laid on us under no -circumstances to presume to touch the “rising” which had been deposited -directly over the stove, and without moving which it would be impossible -to get breakfast. As our lady was a late riser herself, and would never -stir till she was assured through the state-room door that her breakfast -was ready and on the table, the question of having that important meal -was as complicated as getting the fox, the goose, and the corn over the -stream.</p> - -<p>One of the associate lady patronesses devoted herself to making -biscuits, as the bread would not be cooked till dinner time. I evolved -pancakes, the doctor compounded a hash, and altogether we began -Christmas with such a breakfast as is rarely met with on the desert -surface of the inland water communication<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_048" id="page_048"></a>{48}</span> between the North and the -South. Seth Green had reserved himself till, as he politely remarked, -“the rest of you should be through your mussing,” then he began. But his -efforts did not last long unmolested, he had split open a duck, a fat -one had been especially selected for so unusual an occasion. This he had -laid between the wires of an oyster broiler, then he opened the entire -top of the stove and proceeded to broil it upon the hot coals. It is -unnecessary to remark that such a proceeding evolved an amount of smoke -that filled the cabin full in a moment. The rest of the party were busy -at their breakfast enjoying the delicacies which had already been -prepared, when they were fairly suffocated by this torrent of smoke and -began to realize as never before the sad fate of the inhabitants of -Pompeii.</p> - -<p>“Seth” I exclaimed, “can’t you keep part of the stove covered so as to -let some of the smoke go up the chimney?”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Green, Mr. Green,” came from the ladies all at once, “please don’t -smother us.”</p> - -<p>“Smoke and the gas of cooking” gasped the doctor, his philosophy almost -dissipated in it “are injurious at meal times, there is such a thing as -being asphyxiated.”</p> - -<p>“For heaven’s sake,” I implored, for by this time the condition of the -atmosphere was unbearable, “do throw that duck out of the companion -way.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_049" id="page_049"></a>{49}</span></p> - -<p>“Oh Mr. Green do stop cooking that horrid duck,” exclaimed our -princess, “if you do not I shall have to leave the table.”</p> - -<p>That last threat was too much, Seth could not bear to be ranked as an -obstructive when he was accomplishing a culinary triumph which was to -delight our gustatory nerves and establish forever his reputation as a -cookist. He turned a reproachful face towards the party without showing -the slightest sign of discontinuing his fell work, and with an air of -bitter rebuke retorted upon us.</p> - -<p>“This is the first time that I have done any cooking. All the rest of -you have cooked as much as you liked. I have stood to one side and got -out of the way and never had a chance, and now the very instant I cook a -little duck you all make a fuss. I don’t think it’s fair. I did want a -piece of duck for my breakfast and I picked out the smallest one for -fear somebody would think I was greedy, and now you ask me to throw it -overboard; it is almost done, and if you will only have patience for a -few moments I will be through.”</p> - -<p>His manner was more impressive than even his words, and no one had the -heart to reply. We tearfully held our napkins to our noses to keep out -the smoke and smell as well as we could, we coughed and choked, but we -allowed him to finish. Unfortunately Seth believes in cooking a duck to -a chip, and hence he was occupied longer than he had promised, but he -was through at last, and then not only was he happy in the vindication -of his culinary knowledge, but he had the satisfaction of bringing our -ingratitude<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_050" id="page_050"></a>{50}</span> home to us, by pressing on us choice morsels, which he -offered in a delicate and forgiving way upon his own fork, and which we -were fain to accept and swallow in the same fashion under pain of again -offending him.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless the duck was good, the biscuits were good, the pancakes -were excellent, the hash was superb, every article of diet all day long, -from the gorgeous breakfast to the gorging at supper, when appetite had -been more than sated, were unsurpassable and we had a Christmas long to -be remembered.</p> - -<p>We remained in Charleston for two weeks. If the reader asks what we were -doing all that time, let him go to the old time Queen City of the South, -now apparently being displaced by her enterprising rival, Savannah; let -him roam about her quaint streets and mingle with her hospitable people, -and he will find out. There is much of physical and human interest in -and around Charleston, from the live oaks on her Battery or White Point -Park, and the moss covered trees of her famous Magnolia cemetery, to the -oysters growing in thousands around her sea-wall, and which would -furnish unlimited sustenance to her citizens were they not oyster -surfeited. We stood and gawked at the tropical plants in full foliage, -and at the orange trees in full bearing, in the house door gardens till -the residents, unacquainted though they were personally with us, took -pity and gave us the names of the plants and told us that the oranges -were sour, none of the sweet varieties being able to grow so far north. -We loafed around the market<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_051" id="page_051"></a>{51}</span> which was an ever renewing delight to Mr. -Green, who, before we left, had established a personal bond of -admiration and friendship from every darkey fisherman who brought his -cargo there. We fed the turkey buzzards, we ascertained that the fish -about Charleston were, in their various seasons, mostly sheepshead, -bass, the drum of North Carolina and channel bass of Florida, <i>Corvina -Ocellata</i>; sea-bass, here called black fish, which are mostly caught by -the negroes outside the bar in their open boats; sea trout, our weak -fish; mullet, which they told us were becoming scarce; blue fish which -are never caught in winter, and which also were diminishing in numbers; -black drum; big porgees of four or five pounds; both the salt and fresh -water varieties of cat fish, which were very abundant; whiting, our king -fish, and their finest table delicacy; angel fish, crevalle; fresh water -trout, our black bass, and shad, which begin their run in January.</p> - -<p>All around Charleston the negroes seem to be in possession of the -country. They are pleasant, polite, and lazy, are content to do the old -slave tasks even when working for themselves, and will never consent to -do more when working for others at any price of remuneration, as though -if they worked too hard the work would be exhausted and there would soon -be nothing more to do. They are paid fifty cents a cord, for instance, -to cut wood, and they stop when they have cut one cord, although they -are through at one o’clock. They look more healthy and happy than the -whites throughout the entire<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_052" id="page_052"></a>{52}</span> South, which is a probably a climacteric -result, but pregnant of many possibilities for the future. It is they -who supply Charleston market, it is they who do the fishing and the -work, and more important still, it is they who make all the Sea-island -cotton and bring it to the city in their boats from the shores where -inevitable death lurks for the superior race. That most valuable of -Southern products, the old time king of the world, arrives in driblets, -here a pound and there a pound. It is badly baled, but it comes and in -good order too. To day the negro controls the whilom king, which is -indeed putting the bottom rail on top.</p> - -<p>The Charleston “Eagles,” as he called the buzzards, were a source of -infinite complacency to the philosophical soul of the doctor. He would -watch them by the hour, sympathizing with their metaphysically -thoughtful ways. He would study their awkward and ungainly motions on -the ground, and wonder that anything so ungraceful on foot could be so -exquisitely elegant and graceful in the air when on the wing. These -queer creatures stay around the market, and although the law forbids -their being fed, as it is found with them as with human buzzards that -necessity is the mother of scavengering, your butcher is always ready to -throw them a surreptitious piece of meat for your amusement. They are -the only street cleaners, and if they got their dinners gratuitously -they might cease their useful public labors.</p> - -<p>On January tenth we tore ourselves away from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_053" id="page_053"></a>{53}</span> Charleston, bidding good -bye to its pretty streets, its tall spires, its beautiful gardens, and -its pleasant inhabitants, among whom we must especially mention -Commander Merril Miller of the Light-house service, who was very kind in -furnishing us charts and assisting us in many ways. We bid a last -farewell to Forts Sumter and Moultrie, and all the historic memories -which are entwined with those names; to Sullivan’s Island, the Coney -Island of Charleston, to the Three Sisters, three palmettos which guard -the gate where once the confederate soldier stood sentry, and to the -tomb of Oceola close by, to the buzzards and the beauties of the city, -catching a last glimpse of White Point Park to which we waived a tender -adieu. We headed our course towards the creek which has received the -euphuistic appellation of “Wappoo Cut.” We carried away from Charleston -this one valuable piece of information: to make “Hop-in-John,” boil one -quart of cow peas (a sort of small bean), and one pound of bacon till -thoroughly cooked, then put in two quarts of rice, boil for about half -an hour longer and until well done, then add salt and pepper. This -recipe came from the colored <i>chef</i> of the Charleston hotel and must be -correct. Hence hereafter no man or woman can claim to be so ignorant -that they cannot cook “Hop-in-John.”</p> - -<p>Beyond Charleston we had our first disagreeable adventure; it occurred -when we were running through Wappoo Cut. We had been offered a volunteer -tow by a small steam tug that we met there, but had hardly hitched fast -to her,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_054" id="page_054"></a>{54}</span> before a passenger steamer came in sight going the same way. -This vessel gradually gained on us, and when she was close at hand, -finding there was no room to pass, as the cut is extremely narrow near -its outlet where we were, ran deliberately between our yacht and the -tug, cutting our stern line away and nearly sinking us. This was an -occasion, in which we should have been justified in shooting the pilot -at his post, but we were in a foreign country, so to speak, and all we -did was to cast loose our lines and get clear the best we could. The -whole performance was the less excusable, because the wheelman saw there -were ladies on board our boat, and that we were strangers. As this was -the only piece of discourtesy shown us on our entire trip, I give the -name of the vessel which was guilty of it, and warn all passengers to -shun the “Pilot Boy.” It was by good luck alone that we escaped, for -hardly had we got clear, than the two steamers jammed together, filling -the cut from side to side, so that both were aground, and we heard the -crashing of timbers and saw them fast there for nearly an hour. Had the -“Heartsease” been between them, she would have been crushed. If any of -our readers go South by the inland passage from Charleston, and it is a -pleasant way of travel, we hope they will in a measure revenge our -wrongs, and give a brutal captain a lesson in decent behavior, by -refusing to patronize the “Pilot Boy.”</p> - -<p>One of the most interesting features of the country we were now passing -was the rice fields. These<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_055" id="page_055"></a>{55}</span> were separated by dykes, and being nearly -rectangular, gave a novel appearance to the low, marshy land. Had we -known where to go, we could probably have had good English snipe -shooting. But we did not stop to give Mr. Green a chance to interview -any one to find out. We, however, saw numberless flocks of bay snipe on -the lower part of the South Edisto, where the wind left us one night, -and where Mr. Green killed a couple of dozen. On the following day, that -gentleman was so pleased with the performance of the yacht in crossing -St. Helena Sound in a squall, that he insisted on our putting to sea, -upon the ground that he was tired of such tame sailing. The rest of the -party were nothing loth, and the good little ship was soon across the -bar and on the broad bosom of old Mother Ocean, a very step-mother as -she can at times prove herself to be. Unfortunately, the wind died out, -and we were becalmed or nearly so, and crawled slowly past Fripp’s -Inlet. When we were just outside Port Royal breakers, which we reached -at sundown, there was a dead calm, and we drifted backwards till we came -to anchor in some four fathoms of water.</p> - -<p>Our luck did not desert us, and before dark a nice breeze sprang up, -which carried us into the harbor and up to the mouth of Skull Creek, -where we passed the night in perfect comfort. Next morning the wind came -out strong from the northeast, blowing what sailors would call half a -gale of wind. We got under way as soon as we could, and were soon -slashing along at a good nine miles<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_056" id="page_056"></a>{56}</span> an hour. To be sure of our speed, I -proposed to make a log line. Now there is one point about Seth Green, -which is if possible more decidedly developed than another; while he is -perfectly satisfied that anything he does is better done than it ever -was, ever will, or ever can be, by any one else, he is equally well -convinced that no one else can do anything that he cannot, so when I -made this proposition he simply smiled an incredulous smile. Under the -force of that implication, a log line had to be made, and made to work, -if all hands had to swear that she was making ten miles an hour when she -was only making two.</p> - -<p>It was an original species of a log. I knew the proper divisions for a -fourteen second glass, which was the one we had on board, but the “chip” -had to be manufactured out of the side of an old cigar box. I never -shall forget Seth’s air of triumph, when having driven in the pin too -hard, it did not slip out at the scientific jerk I gave when “time” was -called on the first trial, the result being that the line parted when I -was drawing it in. This merely encouraged me, as there was no difficulty -in curing that defect, the only danger having been that my improvised -“chip” would not hold well enough. So the log was soon in working order, -and informed us that we were running nine miles an hour, and repeated -the figure so often, that the skeptic was convinced, and asked me to -join him while he apologized.</p> - -<p>More bay snipe of all sorts, little and big, but no<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_057" id="page_057"></a>{57}</span> time to shoot them. -They were flying about by twos, by threes, by dozens, by hundreds, but -the wind was too fair and too fresh for us to lose it. We might be -punished by being reduced to living on canned food, which, with the -exception of corned beef, vegetables, and preserves, was an abomination -to the entire party, and we did not stop voluntarily, till we reached -Jekyl’s Creek. In reference to Jekyl’s Creek, there is an entry in my -log, that is interesting to show how history repeats itself; “Oysters -Excellent.” Half a century before, Professor Bache, who made the very -charts by which we were sailing, had appreciated the excellence of the -Jekyl Creek oysters, and had them barrelled and sent to him every year. -I doubt, however, whether he knew how to cook them, at least in the -quantity necessary for a hungry yachting party, and with the limited -cooking appliances of a yacht.</p> - -<p>They are called “Raccoon Oysters,” for the reason that the raccoons -exhibited so much human nature in first appreciating their excellence, -and in getting at their contents. They exist in immense mounds and -piles, and to the Northern eye seem inexhaustible in numbers, covering -hundreds, if not thousands of square miles, and averaging three feet -thick. They line the shores of the creeks and water courses like two -walls, and cling to branches of bushes, till it can be truly said of -them that they grow on trees. Their natural position is with their edges -upward, and these are nearly as sharp as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_058" id="page_058"></a>{58}</span> razors, and will cut one’s -fingers or a raccoon’s paw terribly, unless care is taken in handling -them. The ’coon’s plan is to slyly watch at low tide, when the beds are -bare, till the unsuspicious bivalve, longing for a breath of the pure -air of heaven as a change from the insipid diet of salt water, opens his -mouth, when he quietly creeps forward and drops a piece of shell into -the opening. Master oyster endeavors to resume his natural closeness of -mouth, but in vain; the early closing movement has no reference to him.</p> - -<p>My plan of treatment was different, although the final consequence to -the oyster was about the same. To open such sharp-edged creatures in the -ordinary way would soon have put our crew, experienced in oyster opening -though they were, <i>hors du combat</i>, or to state it in English, useless -for rope-hauling. Even to separate them from one another was a perilous -job, so I hit upon the simple plan of putting them in bunches just as -they grew into the ovens of the two stoves. There I let them roast till -they opened their mouths of their own accord, precisely as they had done -for the raccoon, but under a little more compulsion. Cooked in this way -they were so delicious as to be worth a trip to Jekyl’s Creek merely to -get. We almost lived on Jekyl Creek oysters, and if any one of the party -got out of spirits, if Mr. Green or the Doctor wanted to propitiate one -of the queens of the yacht, and the Doctor especially was continually -engaged in that way, he never failed with a roasted raccoon oyster.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_059" id="page_059"></a>{59}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IIa" id="CHAPTER_IIa"></a>CHAPTER II.<br /><br /> -IN FLORIDA.</h3> - -<p>And now we are at Fernandina, in Florida at last. It has been a long but -a delightful trip. Of all the yachting we ever did, and all of us have -been more or less followers of the sea, that is, the inland sea, since -childhood, we agreed unanimously this sail from New York to the South by -the inland navigation, was the most delightful. It was an unbroken charm -from the beginning to the end, with no more of real danger about it than -would have been encountered on Broadway under falling bricks and over -caving vaults. The variety of scenery was charming, the oddity of the -trees and plants most interesting, and had we had the time to devote to -it, the fishing and shooting would have been superb.</p> - -<p>We had passed old Fernandina, and came to anchor opposite the new town -of the same name, which had been selected on account of its having a -better harbor in a norther, that terror of southern latitudes in winter, -and which must have raked the old town pretty thoroughly. We had to go -ashore at once. The tides have a great rise and fall, and we were glad -to avail ourselves of the boat club landing which was kindly placed at -our disposal. We found Fernandina a quaint old town, with a mixture of -newness and age about it. Northern<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_060" id="page_060"></a>{60}</span> men coming for their health had -brought Northern ways and extravagances; there were modern villas and -trim gardens, but the old mansions were still to be seen, and a few of -the ancient houses built of coquina, a combination of lime and shell. No -innovations could do away with the Southern foliage, which here was in -rank growth and profusion. We saw orange trees in full bearing; palmetto -trees in abundance, from the scrub saw-palmetto to the lordly cabbage -palm, and cactuses six feet high, together with all the other trees and -plants of the warm latitudes.</p> - -<p>There is a fine shell road to the sea beach that is so hard that the -wheels of a wagon scarcely make a mark upon it. This beach is the -favorite promenade drive of natives and visitors in the season which had -not come quite yet, although near at hand. Boys in the streets were -selling sugar-canes at five cents a stick, and banana bushes, which are -herbacious plants, were growing in many of the gardens. Mr. Green -proceeded first to indulge in the entire luxuries of a barber’s -establishment that he found, and then to interview the whole population. -He came to the yacht in time for supper, laden with information and two -fine Southern weakfish, which are much better to eat than our Northern -variety, and which are locally known as trout.</p> - -<p>The fishing around Fernandina is exceedingly good, and we found the -colored population, which takes to fishing as naturally as the bee is -nautically supposed to take to a tar bucket, everywhere, pursuing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_061" id="page_061"></a>{61}</span> the -finny tribes through the numerous creeks and arms of the sea. Here we -saw for the first time the circular cast net. It was used for catching -the enormous shrimp or prawn, which, while shaped like the common -shrimp, has a body six inches long, and feelers still longer. This -curious creature is mostly used for bait, though it is excellent eating -when boiled. There is good sheepsheading in the creek opposite the last -house before reaching the cut, and as it was impossible to keep Mr. -Green quiet longer without a day’s fishing, we had to let him go while -the rest of us enjoyed the mere pleasure of existence in the delicious -climate. We ate oranges and sucked sugar-cane in true childhood style, -and wandered through the village while he was pursuing science. We were -not a little ashamed of ourselves when he returned with a magnificent -string of sheepshead, both the large and small kinds, sea trout, and a -dozen other varieties, victualling the ship for several days. Then our -sails were once more set and we were off for the further South, for -there always is a higher height and a deeper depth; so there is a -further south, a further west, and a more inaccessible north. We did not -go far, however, before we had to stop. Not that there was any dire -necessity, not that any member of our party was sick, nor that the wind -or the bread had given out; not that we had lost our course or were -actually impeded in any wise, but still we had to stop—in order to -catch crabs. I take it for granted that there is none of my readers so -unfortunate as never to have eaten<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_062" id="page_062"></a>{62}</span> that most delicious of table -luxuries, the hard-shell—for I have never given my allegiance to the -soft-crab. If that is so, then I will have no occasion to make further -explanation, when I say that the finest crabs which we got in the -Southern waters, we caught at Fernandina, or rather between that place -and Jacksonville, for the crabbing was good all the way. Mr. Seth Green -is especially fond of these strange animals, who insist on wearing their -bones outside of their skins, and no inducement except satiety will -persuade him away from good crabbing ground. The Doctor is also fond of -crabs, and so were all the rest of those on board, and hence there was -not the slightest objection when Mr. Green made the following sensible -remark:</p> - -<p>“Well now that we have got to Florida, don’t you think it ’most time to -begin to enjoy ourselves? You have kept us all hard at work as if our -lives depended on it, driving away through good weather and bad, through -rain and shine in order to get here, and now that we are here don’t you -think that you might let up for a few days at least till we could have a -little of the pleasure we came after?”</p> - -<p>The wild ducks which we had killed in Currituck were gone long ago, the -snipe we had found on the way down, had lasted only a short time, but -Mr. Green had supplied us with all the fish we could eat, oysters lay -around us begging to be picked up and roasted, and now we had an -unlimited supply of crabs, which merely requested us to offer them a -piece of refuse meat in exchange for their luscious bodies.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_063" id="page_063"></a>{63}</span> If a man -wants to live well and cheaply let him go to Florida, there certainly -never was such a place for a yachting expedition. When we had boiled a -reserve of nearly a hundred crabs, and we had all eaten as many as we -could, we ceased crabbing and went to sailing once more.</p> - -<p>Instead of going through the Sisters Creek, which is the shorter course, -we stood out to sea from Fort George Inlet and ran into the St. John’s, -a thing which I would advise no man to do unless he was well acquainted -with the bars, or had like myself a very light draft vessel, for both -the channels are narrow and shoal. When we were once inside the St. -John’s we got out our nets in order to ascertain just what the waters -contained. Although net fishing is not so stimulating as that with the -hook and line, it is more certain even if both are in skilful hands.</p> - -<p>We were rewarded by some small yearling mossbunkers and bluefish, which, -while the Doctor looked on them as a disappointment, were valuable as -settling the question that both of these fish spawn in the Southern -waters. A further result of our efforts was, that we hurried on to -Jacksonville as fast as we could. On the way we ran over a shad net. It -was early in the morning, and there was a sort of haze on the water, so -that we did not see the log that the fishermen tie to the end of their -nets, to point out where it is. The owners of it were taking it in from -the other side of their boat, and even so old a fisherman as Mr. Green -was deceived as to the direction<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_064" id="page_064"></a>{64}</span> in which it was stretched. We carried -a piece of it away with us, and had to cut it off from our rudder. For -this we were sorry, but were miles off before we had even got an idea of -the extent of apology we would have to make, or of the damage for which -we would gladly have paid.</p> - -<p>At Jacksonville we felt almost as much at home as if we were in New -York. We found friends there, we made others, and enjoyed ourselves so -thoroughly that it was only the imperative demands of sport that -compelled us to move on. Just in the neighborhood of so large a city -there is naturally not much to shoot or to catch. There are innumerable -cat-fish which Mr. Green was never tired of taking, and which weighed as -much as ten pounds each. He insisted they were excellent eating, a -matter in which we allowed him to have his opinion without contesting -the question. The water on the surface is fresh, and some black-bass can -always be caught in the vicinity. The condition of the water in the St. -John’s is different from that of any other stream with which I am -familiar. Even as high up as Pilatka, eighty miles above, the surface -water is absolutely fresh, while near the bottom there is a current so -salt that crabs are caught in the shad nets. The salter fluid seems to -be denser and heavier than the other, and will not mingle with it, so -that we have the anomaly of both fresh and salt-water fish being caught -at the same time and place.</p> - -<p>Into the St. John’s there empty at every few miles tributary streams -that are rarely ascended by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_065" id="page_065"></a>{65}</span> visiting sportsman, and where the birds -and fish exist in their primeval abundance and fearlessness. It is -unnecessary to specify these by name, or to particularize any as better -than others, for they are essentially alike. We could not explore them -all, but those which we did, we found filled with fish and with a fair -amount of game. It was too early in the year for alligators, if they can -be called game, to show themselves, but birds were to be had -plentifully, and fish were simply innumerable. Of these we killed so -many that we had to salt them down. There is an additional interest, the -interest of new explorations, in ascending the secluded rivers, and I -advise every tourist who visits this portion of Florida in his own -conveyance, not to omit going up one or more of them.</p> - -<p>This was a late season, shad were running, and we had them continually -on our table, but roses were not in full bloom in the open air, and as -for strawberries, which are usually abundant by New Year’s, they had not -come in at all yet. We had bought up all the curiosities that we could -distribute among our Northern friends; we had played with the baby -alligators in the jewelry stores; we had listened to the first -installment of the wonderful Florida stories; we had dined at all the -excellent Jacksonville hotels, and were ready to withdraw once more from -civilization. So the Heartsease spread her sails again, and started up -the river. I say “up,” because by the current our course was up stream; -but it was down by the map. We were going south, the St.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_066" id="page_066"></a>{66}</span> John’s being -one of the few of the North American rivers which seem to run the wrong -way, that is, from the south to the north. In our short stay in -Jacksonville we had learned that alligator-tooth jewelry is occasionally -made of celluloid; that one of the best drinks in the world of -bar-keeping is a punch compounded from the native sour orange; that -Florida stories are always reliable, even when they assert that -mosquitoes are so abundant that hogs make meals of them, or inform us -that the favorite game fish of Florida, the tarpon, jumps six feet out -of water when he is hooked, or that sharks will seize a man if they have -to leap as high as the deck of the yacht to do so. In leaving -Jacksonville, we supposed we were leaving all this behind us, not -knowing that Florida is full of quaint jewelry made, as the jewelry of -no other part of the world, out of fish scales, saurian teeth, sea -beans, shells, orange tree woods, and sharks’ molars; that everywhere -there are wonderful stories which only differ from one another in size; -that palmetto hats were to be bought in every village store, and that -sour oranges hang from innumerable trees, valueless for traffic, and -only begging to be made into nectar fit for gods.</p> - -<p>By the time the Doctor had made these philosophical reflections, -Heartsease was tearing along before a favoring breeze past Mandarin, -past the Magnolia Hotel and Green Cove Spring; past Tocoi, the terminus -of the St. Augustine Railroad, till she made anchorage by nightfall off -Pilatka. On the way we had put up many ducks, had seen the cows<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_067" id="page_067"></a>{67}</span> up to -their backs in water feeding off the cabbage at the bottom, and -thrusting their heads clear under to get it, and we began to realize -that in the end we might come to believe anything of the wonders of this -wonderful land. On the last day of our stay in Jacksonville, we had -given a little lunch on board, and to show what dinners can be got up -there, and how easily, I will reproduce the bill of fare. Everything had -been prepared on board, and although our cabin could only seat twelve, -we placed before the guests cold turkey, beef and tongue, chicken salad, -prepared by the Doctor in most artistic style, stewed oysters, roast -potatoes, radishes, and for dessert banana salad—an invention of the -better part of the party,—Dummit Grove oranges, sapidillas, and grape -fruit, with <i>pieces montées</i> of palmetto leaves and sour oranges <i>en -branches</i>. There was a little <i>paté de foies gras</i> also, but that need -not be counted, because it came from the North.</p> - -<p>We found that when we had reached Pilatka the stories, instead of -diminishing, developed yet more astonishing proportions. The mosquitoes, -that the hogs fed on at Jacksonville, put out the head light of the -locomotive at Pilatka, extinguished a bonfire, and made nothing of the -negroes “light wood torches;” the tarpon of Jacksonville could only jump -six feet high when hooked, while the tarpon of Pilatka, without being -hooked, bounded clear over the rail of the steamboat Seth Low, which was -ten feet from the water, struck the captain in the stomach, and knocked -him down. We had not been at Pilatka two days,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_068" id="page_068"></a>{68}</span> before we were ready to -swallow any mental hallucination, so rapidly does faith grow in the -glorious, and balmy air of Florida.</p> - -<p>If Jacksonville had been attractive, Pilatka was equally so. Opposite to -if is the famous orange grove of Mr. Hart, which we had to visit, and -where we ate our first oranges, plucked by ourselves from the trees, -beside tasting mandarins and tangerines, lemons, limes, guava and -bananas, and that best of all oranges, the grape fruit. There were great -plantations of bananas, which grow by suckers from the roots, and -increase like weeds. They have to be three years old before they bear, -and the development of the flower and fruit, which was going on while we -were there, was a pretty sight. The top of the stalk turns over and -produces a huge purple flower of a single leaf, as large as the hand of -a giant. From under this large leaf starts a circle of small sprouts -like fingers. The big leaf falls off, but from the ends of the fingers -burst other, much smaller purple flowers. Then below the row of fingers -grows another large flower like the first, and it also uncovers another -row of fingers, so on till the entire bunch of bananas, as we know it in -the market, is formed. Even then the flower point does not cease -growing, but exhibits flower after flower, which are merely ornamental -and do not result in fruit. Sprouts start so freely from the roots, that -the young bushes have to be cut away every year with scythes, or they -would become crowded, and the fruit degenerate. Every day, that was -spent studying the wonderful<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_069" id="page_069"></a>{69}</span> productions of Florida, every new tree or -bush, which attracted our attention by its beauty, or its oddity, every -new species of fruit, which charmed our palate with its originality of -flavor, made us more in love with this interesting country, and wish -that it and its accompaniments could only exist in a colder climate. -There was but one feeling in the minds of the party on leaving Mr. -Hart’s plantation, which was that each of us could own an orange grove, -and have it close at home.</p> - -<p>One evening as we were returning after a sailing excursion to visit the -neighborhood, we heard cries which sounded like cries of distress. The -negroes were so in the habit of laughing at, and jibing one another, -that we at first took no notice of these. It was nearly night, so dark, -that objects could not be distinguished at any considerable distance; -but the cries continuing, we determined to see whether they meant merely -fun or something more serious, and kept away in the direction from which -they came. That moment’s delay cost at least one man his life, and -brought sorrow to one household. After sailing a few minutes, we were -able to distinguish an object in the water, which looked like a boat -capsized. Such it turned out to be, and as we approached, we could make -out a number of men clinging to its sides. It was a launch belonging to -the crew of a steam ferry boat, and was used by the men after their -day’s work was over to take them across the river, as they left the -steamer on the other side. It was abundantly able to carry the number -that started in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_070" id="page_070"></a>{70}</span> it, and more, but some of them had been pouring out -libations to Bacchus, or had been carried away by foolish animal -spirits, we could not exactly determine which, and the result was, that -the party of merry-makers was suddenly turned into one of mourners.</p> - -<p>We luffed up alongside, and lay to, while our men lowered the boats, and -picked up all the poor fellows who were left. Two were unaccounted for, -one of whom had been seen to let go his hold and sink. Several of the -others would have soon followed his example, except for our timely -arrival, for the water happened to be cool that evening, and quickly -benumbed their warm southern blood, although they were whites, and not -blacks, as we at first supposed. After they were all on board, and it -was apparent that there was no use in looking for their lost comrades, -we hitched a line to their boat, and towed it behind us towards the -shore. As the men crowded on our deck, they seemed so miserable, and did -so tremble with the cold, that the hearts of the ladies were touched, -and nothing would do but they must be brought into the cabin, and warmed -at the stove, there being not room enough for so many in the forecastle. -Their clothes dripped and drained over our pretty carpet, and left -stains, which never were to come out, but we felt only too glad that we -had been able to be of some use to any of our fellow “toilers of the -sea.” We finally warmed their blood, and put fresh life into them with -liberal rations of rum, which was fifty years old. Amid their sufferings -what caused<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_071" id="page_071"></a>{71}</span> them the most pain, was, that they would have to tell the -wife of the engineer, who was lost, of his death. This they dreaded as -much as they would have dreaded another struggle in the water.</p> - -<p>There is often danger from the heavy fogs, which roll up dense, and dark -on the St. John’s in the night time, and we saw several accidents from -that cause. We took the precaution of always anchoring, when not in -port, on some flat, and making sure of a well filled anchor light. The -steamers invariably follow the channel, for their own protection, and -the pilots run at full speed, as in that way alone can they be sure of -their position, a knowledge which comes to them by habit. There was, -however, one annoyance, which no lights would prevent, no mosquito nets -keep out, and no preparation mitigate, the plague of gnats; they come, -when they make up their minds to come, in myriads, pour down the -companion way, preferring the inside of the cabin to the outside, make -themselves at home, push into the state-rooms, and do not care in the -least how many millions of their number you immolate. I had been advised -that insect powder, if burned in the cabin, would drive them out. On -their first visitation I tried the remedy. It is to be feared that the -heartless person who gave me that recipe was a practical joker. There is -nothing in the nature of gnats to specially provoke merriment so far as -I could ever see, or feel, but there are persons who extract pleasure -from a funeral. I placed a small quantity of the powder on a piece of -paper, which I lighted.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_072" id="page_072"></a>{72}</span> The paper was soon consumed, but the powder -remained intact, in fact it preserved that part of the paper, which was -directly under it. Then I added some chips, and laying the whole on an -old plate, tried it again; failure number two, the powder was still -unconsumed, and the gnats, who had not neglected these opportunities, -while I was busy, to pay their respects to me, were as happy and lively -as ever. Determined not be foiled, I then built a fire in the stove, and -leaving the stove holes open, poured the powder on the flame. In vain, -it only put out the fire. After that I lost faith in the virtues of -insect powder, and had to endure as well as I could, lamentations coming -faintly through the doors of the state-rooms “Oh what are these strange -things that are biting us so.” Patience seems to be the only cure for -gnat bites, and we did not carry that article with us.</p> - -<p>“Doctor,” said Mr. Green one morning, after we had spent a couple of -weeks in the delightful laziness of sight seeing and curiosity buying, -“how much longer do you think the skipper intends to keep us idling -here?” He had devoted his attention lately to dragging the Doctor with -him on his interviewing expeditions, and they had just returned from -their tenth call upon the northern shad fishermen, who, having brought -their nets from their homes to try and catch the earliest run of shad, -were camping in the woods beyond the town.</p> - -<p>“I am afraid,” replied our medical associate with base dishonesty, for -he was fully as fond of the <i>dolce<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_073" id="page_073"></a>{73}</span> far niente</i> as myself, “that he -intends to remain here for the rest of his natural life.”</p> - -<p>“What, going to stay here for ever!” came from the pretty mouth, which -belonged to a pretty head, that just then appeared above the companion -way, “I do like to go fishing, and get away from people.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” came faintly from another in the bowels of the cabin, “I am -always fond of a change.”</p> - -<p>“We havn’t caught a fish since day before yesterday,” continued Seth in -a most injured tone of voice. “I should like to catch something beside -cat-fish once more.”</p> - -<p>This is the sort of thing that the yachtsman has to bear from his -mutinous crew, and there is but one way of dealing with it. I went -forward without a word, called my men, and we were underway so soon, -that the breath was nearly taken from the party, and I heard low -grumblings about provisions, which ought to have been laid in, and -curiosities, which were to have been bought, and which never could be -got again, for an hour afterwards, as we were rapidly running up the -river.</p> - -<p>The weather had become hot, the thermometer marking eighty-nine in the -shade, and mosquitoes made their appearance in the evenings; for those -we were prepared, as the yacht was especially fitted with mosquito -screens. But the heat was too much for us, and it was unanimously -determined that we must take a bath. We had brought our bathing dresses -more by good luck than good management, for we had no expectation of -quite so summery a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_074" id="page_074"></a>{74}</span> time in the midst of winter. We had been assured -that snakes never enter the waters of a sulphur spring, and that there -was a sulphur spring at Welaka on our way. So we stopped where we -thought it must be according to the chart, and in that instance, as in -all others, the chart was right. In fact from the beginning of our trip -to the end we found ourselves, by the aid of the charts, masters of the -situation, and generally much better informed than the natives.</p> - -<p>We anchored the yacht at the bend of the river just below Welaka, and -taking the small boats rowed into the spring, which was only a hundred -yards away. What a glorious sight it was, no puling little affair, such -as is called a spring at the North, but a basin two hundred feet across, -the water boiling up in the centre in a jet as large round as a -hogshead, and rising a foot above the surface, clear as crystal, and -gleaming like gems, the irridescent waves spreading away from the -central source in lines of glistening transparency, the sunlight -reflected from every ripple, as from a thousand prisms. Such a perfect -bathing spot we had never seen before, it was a bath-room fit for Diana -and her nymphs. We had put on our bathing clothes before leaving the -yacht, and it took us but a few moments to fasten our boats and plunge -overboard.</p> - -<p>Snakes are one of the drawbacks of this warm tropical State. On some of -the keys on the Gulf side, they are so numerous that no man is safe in -landing. The most deadly is the rattlesnake, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_075" id="page_075"></a>{75}</span> the most disagreeable -is the mocassin, which, although not so fatal, sometimes attacks a man -in the water without provocation. The latter’s bite produces paralysis -more frequently than death, but as his attacks cannot be guarded -against, he is really a more unpleasant enemy. The traveller’s safety in -bathing consists in seeking one of these wonderful sulphur springs, into -which snakes do not enter, although fish abound in them, looking like -moving motes in liquid amber. The temperature of these springs is not -cold, being the same as that of the rivers, but there is something -exceedingly exhilarating in bathing in them. The feeling of the water is -different from that of any other bath. There is a peculiar sense of -cleanliness, and a lightness of spirits, which may account for the fancy -of Ponce de Leon, that he had at last found the source of eternal youth. -Many of these springs are brought within the destructive dominion of -man, and are open to every passing tourist, but the one where we were -was sacred to him, who has his own conveyance, and was not to be defiled -or polluted by the common wayfarer.</p> - -<p>We had a delightful bath. There is a common delusion that the water of -the sulphur springs is so thin and light, that it will not support the -best swimmer. We soon ascertained that this was a totally unfounded -fancy, so far as the Welaka spring was concerned. We not only swam to -and fro without difficulty, but enjoyed an additional pleasure in -getting directly over the boiling spout itself,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_076" id="page_076"></a>{76}</span> and being buoyed up by -it, where the water was ten feet deep. All of us were sorry, when -evening and hunger compelled us to return to the yacht.</p> - -<p>The stories concerning the dangerous nature of the snakes of Florida are -probably exaggerated, as we saw no more of them, than we would have seen -in the same amount of country life at the North. The negro children -bathe off the docks of Pilatka and Jacksonville as a common thing, and -later in the year, when the peril from snakes is greater. There are -spots, where, as I have said, they are to be dreaded, and we heard well -authenticated stories of men being snake bitten, but on the other hand -old hunters, who were in the woods most of their time, told us they were -never troubled by their attacks, and the camping out parties, which we -encountered all over, seemed not disturbed by them. Still, while on the -subject, I will give the prescription which was kindly furnished us by -Dr. Kenworthy of Jacksonville, and which will doubtless prove a better -cure than the common one of getting drunk on whiskey; mix two -tablespoonfuls of the carbonate of ammonia with enough spirits of -camphor to make a paste. Apply this on a rag to the bite, changing the -rag as often as it gets discolored. Our medical associate gave his -approval to the remedy, and if those two authorities could not cure a -snake bite, no one can.</p> - -<p>As our little yacht shot out from the St. John’s River, nearly two -hundred miles above the place where we had entered it, and came into -full view of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_077" id="page_077"></a>{77}</span> that beautiful sheet of water, Lake George, thousands of -wild ducks rose three gunshots off, and flew away. The sight rejoiced -our eyes, for we had passed several days on the river without seeing any -large birds except the strange water-turkeys, or snake-birds. -Unfortunately we had no battery with us, and had to trust to finding a -point of land that the ducks would approach. This was no easy thing to -do, and we sailed half the length of the north shore, before reaching a -promising spot, a narrow point running out between two bays, and at the -outer end of which the birds were crowded together in flocks of -thousands. There was nothing to be done till the next morning, and -seeing a farm house on the neck of land, Mr. Seth Green went ashore to -get what information he could from the owner. This gentleman was at the -moment working in his garden, and although the thermometer stood at -eighty in the shade, he wore the encumbrance of a pair of long India -rubber boots. As these seemed rather out of accord with the torrid -temperature, he was delicately asked his reasons for wearing them; -“well,” he replied philosophically, “they cannot strike over those.” -This sounded ominously, for although, as I have said, we had heard a -good deal about snakes, we had seen nothing of them yet. Our doubts were -removed when the gentleman pointed out an immense dead rattlesnake -hanging on the limb of a bush, and added, “I killed him yesterday.” We -returned promptly to the yacht, contented to make our explorations by -water thereafter,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_078" id="page_078"></a>{78}</span> till we should get over the effect of so sudden an -introduction to a new acquaintance.</p> - -<p>Next day we devoted to the ducks, but we were not properly rigged for -them, and soon learned that without a battery we could not expect to -kill many in the wide waters of Lake George, they were mostly -broad-bills, but did not seem to be as healthy as our Northern ducks. -One of my men, who was an old gunner, said that their feathers appeared -to be burnt, as though they had been scorched by the sun. They are -continually chased by all the visitors to Florida, silly shooters, who -fire at them from every passing steamboat, or who pursue them in the -small steam yachts, which are becoming a feature of Southern travel. The -day following, we sailed across the lake to the south-west corner, -intending to ascend the Juniper Creek, which empties into it there. Mr. -Green and myself were all of the party who cared to make the -exploration; we took one of the small boats, and struck into the outlet, -which we had found without difficulty and commenced the ascent. It was a -strange, desolate river, quite unlike our Northern streams, slow and -sluggish most of the way, half grown up with grasses, weeds, and cabbage -plants, lined on either side by a rank, tall mass of reeds, that were -yellow with age, and approaching decay, overhung here and there by some -Southern plants or bushes, and once in a while winding between groves of -palmettos. There was a sombre, savage, and deadly appearance in the -water itself. We proceeded quietly for a time, but Mr. Green,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_079" id="page_079"></a>{79}</span> who is -more alive to the contents of a stream than to its air of gloom or -brightness, broke the silence.</p> - -<p>“Now,” he said, as he began setting up his rod, “I will show you my -favorite rig for catching big-mouthed bass. Look at that trolling spoon, -it is something of my own invention, although the tackle shops are -getting them lately.”</p> - -<p>He had a special arrangement of feathers and tin, not be described on -paper, but long experience has made me skeptical about new all-killing -inventions, and possibly my countenance betrayed my thoughts, for he -went on, as he saw me getting out a cast of bass flies.</p> - -<p>“I know” he observed, throwing his lure overboard, “that other rigs will -take some, but you see now, I shall have one within a minute.”</p> - -<p>I had no choice, as I was seated in the bow of the boat, and could not -have used a trolling spoon if I had wished, as our lines would have -fouled. I had to put on flies and fish by casting.</p> - -<p>“That is all very well,” I replied, “at certain times, and in a stream -like this, but if we had a large, deep river, I would rather use a -number of flies on a long leader.”</p> - -<p>“There,” said Mr. Green at that moment as he struck a fish, “what did I -tell you. If you want to take black-bass, particularly this kind—”</p> - -<p>He never finished his observation, for at that moment a four-pound fish -seized my fly, and it took our joint skill and attention to keep from -fouling. He managed, however, to get his fish in quickly, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_080" id="page_080"></a>{80}</span> it was a -small one, and give me an opportunity to play mine with the light tackle -that I was using. We saved them both, but they were only the forerunners -of an unlimited number. The spoon did undoubtedly kill the most, but -there were all that we both wanted, ten times over, and we had to stop -fishing, to avoid destroying more than we could use. I had the -satisfaction of catching the largest, however, with the fly.</p> - -<p>We had brought a gun, as well as our fishing tackle. Suddenly from out -the bushes there rose with much noise and flurry a large bird. I had -hardly time to grab my gun, before he was out of range, and although I -fired, it was ineffectually.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I am sorry you missed him,” said Mr. Green sadly, for he always -takes a dejected view of other people’s failures, “that was a Limpkin, -and I should like to have got him.”</p> - -<p>“I thought it was a water turkey,” I replied, referring to the queer -creature that we had seen on ever stick and stump in the St. John’s. -“But whatever it was, it was out of range when I fired.”</p> - -<p>“I think he was a Limpkin,” persisted my companion, “don’t you, -Charley?”</p> - -<p>The stream was becoming rapidly narrower, and as that made the fishing -more difficult, and we had all the fish we wanted, we took in our lines. -Soon Charley had to cease rowing and resort to poling. We finally came -to where it was so narrow that there was scarcely room for the boat, and -the overhanging branches and bushes swept against our<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_081" id="page_081"></a>{81}</span> faces. We were -just about to give up any idea of further advance, when suddenly we shot -out from the small brook into a broad river. Instead of having ascended -to the head waters of the Juniper, we had hardly been in it at all, -having mistaken one of its mouths for the stream proper. The hour was -growing late, but this new river seemed so attractive, we were so sure -that it was the one we had been looking for, and that it must lead into -the lake not far from where we had left our yacht, that we determined to -descend it instead of retracing our course by the way we had come. Here -it was that I fired at and wounded a real Limpkin, as I have already -related. We went down with the current, having in the broad stream a -good chance to use the oars. The sun dropped behind the trees, which -were more numerous on the banks of this stream than they had been on -those of the other. On and on, and still we did not come to the outlet. -It began to look as though we had made a mistake, and this river was a -different one from what we had supposed. The prospect of spending the -night in the woods now forced itself upon us. My coat was thin, and -already the evening air felt chill; we could make a fire, for we were -too old stagers to be caught without matches, but the thought of snakes -was not pleasant, in spite of the assurances of their rarity, and the -excellence of our antidote.</p> - -<p>Charley had been rowing a long time and was getting tired, so I offered -to “spell” him. This I did till the sun had gone entirely and darkness -was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_082" id="page_082"></a>{82}</span> closing in upon us fast. Still no signs of the lake, or of an end -to this apparently endless river. Strange noises rang through the -forest, cries like those of wild beasts, but such as we had never heard -before, often as we had passed the night in the woods. I recalled what I -had read of the puma, the dreaded Southern tiger, and realized the fact -that against him number four duck shot would be a feeble defence. The -noises grew louder and louder, the forests fairly reverberated with the -unearthly screams till, when one more than usually horrible burst upon -our ears, Mr. Green inquired with a composure, which seemed slightly -assumed:</p> - -<p>“What sort of an animal do you think it is that makes a noise like -that?”</p> - -<p>I had never heard anything so appalling in my life before, but was not -to be outdone by my associate in coolness, and replied in a hollow -mockery of jest:</p> - -<p>“That? Oh, that is a Limpkin. There can be no doubt of that.”</p> - -<p>To this reply Mr. Green made no direct response, though his face -intimated that jokes on some occasions were out of place. The unnatural -stillness of the country made these noises perhaps more ominous and -unearthly. There was not a breath of air to stir the trees, no ripple or -current to the stream which might have diverted our thoughts by its -musical babble, and deathlike silence hung over the land, except when -broken by the ringing screams. The night was getting darker and darker,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_083" id="page_083"></a>{83}</span> -and at last we came reluctantly to the conclusion that we had better -stop, in order to prepare our camp and make sure that there were no -rattlesnakes while there was light enough to do so.</p> - -<p>“Let us go to the next turn,” said Seth, who had even a greater dislike -than the rest of us to spending the night in the woods. “If we do not -see any signs of an outlet there we may as well give it up.”</p> - -<p>“Agreed,” I replied, as I bent once more to the oars, “let us keep up -hope.”</p> - -<p>We proceeded, but with little expectation of any good results. What was -our surprise and joy then, on reaching the point, to behold the broad -waters of the lake spread out before us, and the Heartsease lying in -full view with her light up. The sight gave me such vigor that I rowed -the rest of the way, although Charley announced that he was rested and -wanted to take the oars.</p> - -<p>In spite of the beauty of the country, there is a sense of desolation -about the wilder parts of Florida. The great trees, covered with moss, -and many of them going to decay; the dull, sluggish rivers with slow -discolored current, the low lands never rising above a shell-mound of -twenty feet height, combine to produce a feeling of dreary solitude. -This was particularly noticeable on the journey to and from Florida, -through the endless swamps, marshes, and reedy islands, which border the -narrow inland passages, and was only occasionally broken by passing a -town, or one of the few country seats that are to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_084" id="page_084"></a>{84}</span> be found on the -unhealthy shores. Nor do there seem to be many water fowl on the -Southern Atlantic Coast, until you pass to the south of St. Augustine -and reach the neighborhood of Indian River. In making the trip to and -from the St. John’s, we only saw, beside the ducks and English snipe the -bay-birds, of which I have spoken, and a number of the handsome and -imposing white herons. These stood in solemn grandeur on the shore of -some creek, and seemed too glorious to shoot. Occasionally, however, we -could not resist, and had to murder them for their loveliness. Then one -of us would hide himself among the reeds on the shore, while the other -would go to the extreme end of the line of stately creatures, and put -them up. They fly slowly along the edge of the water, and if the -sportsman is well hid, there is no difficulty in getting a shot at them. -They should never be killed, unless it is to set them up and preserve -them, as was done for us by the Doctor.</p> - -<p>In Lake George there were millions of mullets jumping continually out of -water, like dancing silver arrows, they would not take the fly, or -trolling spoon, and as we had all the fish we could use, we did not try -the net. We visited a splendid spring, called by a name which seems to -be given by common consent to most of the sulphur springs of Florida, -that of “silver.” It empties into the lake on the western side, about -half way down. A bank of snail shells, which must have been cast up by -the waves, marks the outlet. Many of them are in good<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_085" id="page_085"></a>{85}</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_004.jpg" alt="WILD TURKEY TRAP" title="" /> -<br /> -<span class="caption">WILD TURKEY TRAP</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_086" id="page_086"></a>{86}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_087" id="page_087"></a>{87}</span> </p> - -<p class="nind">preservation, and quite pretty. Several sorts of fish were swimming -hither and thither in the spring, and the stream from it was filled with -a thin green moss, which the ladies converted into a becoming head -covering, and dubbed the “mermaid’s wig.” We saw some big turtles and -alligators and enjoyed a bath.</p> - -<p>It was not safe to take the yacht through the narrow and crooked river -above Lake George, if we were to limit ourselves in the remotest degree -to time, for none but free winds would move us either one way or the -other, so we had to leave our pleasant aquatic mansion and descend to -the humdrum of the little stern wheel steamers, which were continually -passing us, and throwing up fountains of water from their latter ends. -By the same means we explored the Ocklawaha, which falls into the St. -John’s further north. The vessels are adapted to winding round through -the circuitous bends of the streams, where the trees nearly meet -overhead. In order to see their way, the pilots have to build fires of -pine knots at night on the top of the pilot house, which gives a -peculiarly romantic and interesting appearance to the scene. On the way -we saw no end of alligators and forest birds, especially the famous -Limpkin, which laughed, yelled and jeered at us in the security of a -regulation which forbids the discharge of fire arms on board the boats.</p> - -<p>But we had to be getting back, if we were to complete our explorations -of the rest of Florida, so as soon as we could finish our steamboat -travel, we hurried<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_088" id="page_088"></a>{88}</span> down stream once more to Jacksonville. The run -outside to St. Augustine is not a long one, but this coast is more -dangerous than that further north. An easterly wind strikes it more -heavily, and the inlets are shoal. Especially is this the case in the -long run below Matanzas and Mosquito Inlets. In fact I cannot do better -than quote the words of a report on the inland navigation of that -section, kindly furnished me by Mr. J. E. Hilgard, the efficient -Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey, to whom I am under -many obligations for information and advice:</p> - -<p>“There is no inland passage from the St. John’s to St. Augustine. You -must cross St. John’s bar (with eight feet mean low water), but must -take a pilot, as the channel is constantly shifting and changing in -depth. On the whole, I would advise taking a smooth time at St. Mary’s -and going outside all the way to St. Augustine. There is excellent -anchorage off Old Fernandina (but a short distance from the bar); and -the whole run is but about fifty miles, and can be made in a few hours.</p> - -<p>“When off St. Augustine, a pilot will take you up to the town. There is -nine feet on the bar, but it constantly shifts. The famous ‘fresh water -springs’ in the ocean are situated eight miles S. by E half E. from the -‘entering buoy’ of this inlet.</p> - -<p>“Bound to the southward, Matanzas River carries you from St. Augustine -through a distance of nearly thirteen miles to Matanzas Inlet. The -channel is winding, but has deep water for a little over seven<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_089" id="page_089"></a>{89}</span> miles, -where there is a seven-feet bar. Below this, for nearly two miles, five -feet is the least water, in a crooked channel close under the eastern -bank. Thence are depths varying from nine to twenty feet until Matanzas -Inlet is reached. The route to the southward leads across this inlet -with seven feet at mean low water; and on entering the river again, on -the south side of the inlet, you will have but six feet. Matanzas River -heads in the midst of extensive marshes between five and six miles to -the southward of the inlet; and but two feet can be carried through.</p> - -<p>“Beyond this there is no navigation. Wishing to proceed still farther -southward, you must retrace your course to Matanzas Inlet, cross the bar -and skirt the Florida coast for about fifty miles to Mosquito Inlet. -Your pilot (for you must have obtained one at St. Augustine or you -cannot enter at all) will take you over the bar with about six feet at -mean low water—the mean rise and fall being two feet. Once in the inlet -you may go to the northward, through Halifax River to its head, twenty -miles above. While in the narrow passage, which extends from Mosquito -Inlet for over five miles to the northward, you will carry not less than -ten feet; but when the river expands you will find shoal water—the -depths varying from three to nine feet, except in occasional deep holes. -The channel is very narrow, and can only be followed by the stakes. The -small settlements of Port Orange and Daytona are situated on the western -bank of this river. Three feet at mean low water can be taken to its -head, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_090" id="page_090"></a>{90}</span> there is no lunar tide after you get above the influence of -the inlet—the rise and fall being governed solely by the winds.</p> - -<p>“Going southward from Mosquito Inlet you enter Hillsborough River; -which, through a winding course between fifteen and sixteen miles long, -brings you into Mosquito Lagoon, twelve miles to the southward of the -inlet. Two miles and a half up Hillsborough River is New Smyrna, a -pretty little settlement on the western bank among orange, fig and -banana trees. Nine feet may be taken to abreast of the village; not less -than five feet is found for five miles beyond New Smyrna; but above that -point no more than three feet can be carried through to Mosquito -Lagoon;—although there are deep holes with as much as three and a half -fathoms. The channel is narrow and very crooked.</p> - -<p>“Mosquito Lagoon is wide and shallow—its width ranging from one to two -and a half miles. It has a general course about S. E. by S., and is -between fifteen and sixteen miles long. A bar of three and a half feet -obstructs the entrance from Hillsborough River; but, that once crossed, -a good channel, with from five to ten feet takes you to within two miles -of its head. This terminates the inland navigation, unless the vessel be -able to pass through ‘Haul-over Canal.’ There is but a foot and a half -water in this canal.</p> - -<p>“Indian River may be entered from seaward by Indian River Inlet, which -cuts through the sandy strip of coast-line about one hundred miles to -the southward<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_091" id="page_091"></a>{91}</span> of Mosquito Inlet and sixty miles below Cape Canaveral. I -would not advise a small vessel to attempt to navigate this coast; as it -is very dangerous should the wind come to the eastward (which it often -does in this vicinity), and there is no shelter except the precarious -anchorage under Canaveral. The bar at Indian River inlet has seven feet -over it at low water, but shifts constantly in both depth and position, -and can only be crossed in the smoothest weather. Besides the bar there -is an ‘Inner Bulkhead’—so called, over which there is but four feet. It -is said by the natives, however, that by taking what is called the Blue -Hole Passage, five feet to five and a half may be taken safely into the -river.”</p> - -<p>The fishing at St. Augustine, which is a quaint old town, said to be the -oldest in America, and well worth a visit in itself, is better during -the winter months than any to be had north of it. Plenty of boatmen can -be hired who will pilot the stranger to the best spots. Around here the -foliage becomes still more tropical. The frost will occasionally -penetrate, and the most famous oranges are to be grown only still -further South, on the shell hammacks of the Indian and Banana Rivers, -where single trees bear as many as six thousand of these golden fruit -each. But we were actually tired of fishing, and looked on complacently -with the pitying superiority of accomplished success at the patient -anglers, trying their best to kill a few inoffensive finny creatures off -the bridge, across the St. Sebastian River, or bringing triumphantly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_092" id="page_092"></a>{92}</span> -home in the native’s “dug out” the proceeds of a day’s hard work on the -bay. The Doctor was especially indifferent, and excited universal envy -when he told of the wondrous sport we had had during our two months of -recreation. While I do not for a moment intend to impugn his absolute -veracity, some of the adventures which he related had passed from my -memory or had grown since I heard them last. He would make no more -violent sporting effort than repeating these tales, and preferred to sit -on a chair upon the plaza, retailing them, with the encouragement of a -sour orange punch, or wander through the coquina built Fort Marion, -visit the old Cathedral, or roam the narrow streets. We laid in a supply -of native preserves, sketched the graceful date palm, and never ceased -wondering at the odd and extravagant beauty of the semi-equatorial -foliage and plants. There is interesting, although not very extensive -sailing in the harbor, and many varieties of bay snipe to be killed. A -yachting club, which will show every courtesy to brethren from the -North, has a boat house on the shore.</p> - -<p>The further one goes South the better the shooting and fishing become, -and I would advise any one, who feels as if it were impossible ever to -get enough of either, not to stop in the St. John’s, or short of St. -Augustine. There he can spend several weeks profitably, and should -thence go on South to Halifax River and New Smyrna, where he will think -nothing of catching a hundred sheepshead in a day,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_093" id="page_093"></a>{93}</span> no tiny fellows -either, but weighing from six to ten pounds a piece, or half as many -channel bass of fifteen to twenty pounds each, together with as many -sharks thrown in as he has stomach or tackle for. By the way, I forgot -to mention that among our outfit was a couple of shark hooks and a line -of a hundred fathoms, as thick as the little finger, all of which did -good but rather brutal service. Back of New Smyrna, the woods are full -of venison and bear meat, turkeys, and other feathered game. The best -duck shooting is in the southern part of the lagoon or river, but the -bars and beaches everywhere are alive with bay snipe, herons, cranes, -pelicans, and a thousand smaller birds.</p> - -<p>But a truce to this everlasting repetition of sport, which was growing -monotonous even to Mr. Green’s insatiable sporting appetite, and turn to -something pleasanter. The royal lady of the house had resolved to give -us such a feast as we had not had before. The supplies laid in at St. -Augustine enabled her to carry out her idea, but the selection of the -day and date for the event was a mystery. I supposed it must have been -to celebrate my birthday, which, it is true, had come and gone six -months before; but as it had not yet been kept, needed commemoration as -badly as though it had never taken place at all. No matter what was the -moving inducement, the banquet was worthy of it. We men had been -smuggled out of the way while the preparations were being made, so that, -while we had a general idea of the drift of things, we had no -conception<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_094" id="page_094"></a>{94}</span> of the gorgeousness of the result. It was not a feast fit -for a king merely, but a sufficient banquet had all the gods been -invited. There were raw oysters, two kinds of fish, sheepshead boiled, -and channel bass baked, chicken soup, and turtle soup, from turtle -caught on the spot, roast wild turkey, and boiled mutton, scalloped -oysters, venison, and wild ducks, bay snipe, potato salad, peas, -tomatoes, beans, and baked sweet potatoes, while for dessert there was -such an array of goodies, that the room in my log book was in danger of -running short, and I could only record a few, such as fresh cake, -strawberries, spiced figs, and all the preserves and spiced fruits that -the table would hold, closing with cheese and coffee. The only wonder -was, that after such a dinner to which our appetites and our loyalty -both pressed us to do more than ample justice, any of the party -survived. If you have doubts of our state of minds and bodies, go on a -three months’ cruise and wind up with such a dinner and “you will know -how it is yourself.”</p> - -<p>Of all places on the eastern shore of Florida, the Indian and Banana -Rivers are the most delightful and interesting. Here, when you are once -inside the bar, which, as I have said, is a little perilous, there is -room and occupation for a winter. The salt water fishing is mainly near -the inlet, but in the tributary streams is an unlimited supply of the -fresh water varieties. The sailing is splendid, and the climate, except -for its warmth, delicious. By the time the reader peruses these pages, -it is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_095" id="page_095"></a>{95}</span> probable that inland communication will have been opened with the -Indian River, either by the “Haul-over,” which in the year 1882 was only -twelve feet wide and one foot and a half deep, or from the St. John’s, -by the way of Lake Washington; and that there will be finished another -canal from Indian River to Lake Worth and Biscayne Bay, making a safe -and easy passage round the keys to the Gulf side. This was to have been -done when we were there, and if not yet finished, soon will be.</p> - -<p>Then if the sportsman is not yet satiated, or if he is suffering from -consumption, and wishes to regain his health, he can make the grandest -trip in the world, by either sending his yacht to Jacksonville, or to -Cedar Keys, or buying one there, and spending the entire winter in the -exploration of the southern part of Florida. As it is, the voyage from -the Indian River is not difficult or dangerous. Numerous keys or islands -make a shelter from the seas, and once on the Gulf side, the climate, -the country, the water, everything is delightful. Storms are rare, the -Gulf is generally smooth, harbors are numerous, and the shooting is -unsurpassed by any in the world. If the sportsman does not take his own -vessel, he can go by railroad directly to Cedar Keys, and thence take -what conveyance he prefers farther south. At Cedar Keys small sail -boats, suitable to those shallow waters, can be hired, as well as -guides, if they are needed. To enjoy a visit to Florida in its full -scope and meaning, and to make it an expedition never to be forgotten, -make up a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_096" id="page_096"></a>{96}</span> pleasant party, hire a sailing vessel, and her master as -pilot, and coast along from Cedar Keys in water mostly not more than two -feet deep, between forests of primeval wildness, in company with -countless water-fowl and over unnumbered fish, taking toll from turkey, -bear, and alligator, as you go. Sail around the Gulf shore and Cape -Sable, and finally up the eastern shore of Florida, into the Indian -River. Remain there till your heart is glutted with sport, and your -palate with fruit, and thence return to the North by rail or boat. Such -a trip makes a date of delight in one’s life.</p> - -<p>On the Gulf side the most interesting spots are the rivers which flow -into the sea, the Caloosahatchee, Crystal and Hamosassa, all of them -full of fish and game. Alligators, the sport of killing which is indeed -more to be honored in the breach than in the observance, are so abundant -as to be almost troublesome. The only difficulty with Florida is that -the sport is excessive, and that any one except sporting gourmands will -get tired of it. Even Mr. Green, who, as I have said, is almost -insatiable, became surfeited, the Doctor and myself being long before -content. The voyager, whether by sea or land, must bring certain books -with him, such as will not so much help him pass the time, as assist him -in his researches. He will find a thousand things to amuse and occupy -his hours, but will need information which he can not obtain on the -ground. The vast and quaint variety of shells which he will pick up, the -new and curious birds and fish he will kill, but above all, the strange<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_097" id="page_097"></a>{97}</span> -mass of tropical flowers, plants, and trees, which he will meet at every -foot of the route, require to appreciate them not only all the books -which have been written specially on this portion of our country, but a -well selected assortment of popular botanical and conchological works, -and ichthyological also, if he is not up in that subject.</p> - -<p>There is no shooting and little fishing directly around Cedar Keys, -where the wayfarer doth very much abound, but some twenty miles south -Colonel Wingate keeps a sportsman’s hotel, and he can ensure the land -traveller a good time, without separation from his family for an -extended period. His place is at Gulf Hammock, and to reach it, the -sportsman leaves the cars at the station just short of Cedar Keys. From -his house parties are made up to explore the waters further south with -the aid of boats and guides. I mention his place because he is well -known to many of my Northern readers.</p> - -<p>I have spoken mostly of the coast shooting, because it was what we -mainly had in view in our trip, but it must not be imagined that it is -the only kind of sport to be had. We took no dogs, but meeting a party -of Northern sportsmen at Gainesville, we tried the quail. The sport was -magnificent, with a single drawback. There was no trouble in killing -seventy-five birds to three guns, and several times the bag exceeded a -hundred, once reaching a hundred and six; but the weather was so hot -that it did not seem like quail shooting, and the true exhilaration of -the sport, as we Northerners<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_098" id="page_098"></a>{98}</span> know it, was lost. Deer are plenty -everywhere, but to hunt them to any advantage, you must put yourself -under the guidance of the native hunters. We only tried it once, and -then could use but a small part of our venison on account of the heat of -the weather. Bears are occasionally shot; we did not see any, probably -because we were not looking for them, and if any one has the patience, -he can kill wild turkeys. Good water-fowl shooting is also to be had on -the uplands in any of the innumerable lakes which dot Florida from one -end to the other, if they are not too near civilization. A very capital -house was kept by a former employee of Delmonico, at a town called -Waldo, where inland sport of all kinds could be had in reasonable -amounts. It seems almost invidious to specify particular places, as so -far as I could judge, there was shooting and fishing everywhere off the -regular beaten track of tourists.</p> - -<p>“Doctor,” remarked Mr. Green with a quiet subdued intonation which long -practice enabled me to recognize as malice aforethought, “Do you know -what bird I prefer to eat?”</p> - -<p>“I should presume from your past actions,” replied the learned gentleman -thus addressed, “that of all the birds, which swim, fly, or have -feathers, you give a decided preference to broiled duck.”</p> - -<p>“Especially,” I interposed, in order to head off the coming attack if -possible, “provided that the duck is cooked over an open fire in the -cabin when the rest of the party are at breakfast.”</p> - -<p>“Broiled duck is good,” Mr. Green responded, uncrushed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_099" id="page_099"></a>{99}</span> “if -unreasonable people do not deprive it of its natural flavor by -complaining of the manner in which it is cooked. But there is a better -bird than even a wild duck.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said the doctor, “there’s the woodcock, but what is the use of -exciting our minds, and aggravating our palates by referring to -abstractions, which cannot be realized as there are no woodcock in -Florida?”</p> - -<p>“There is a good bird in Florida, the very one I refer to, and which -could be killed, if a person was allowed to stop on hour or two and not -be kept forever on the move like the wandering Jew,” persisted Mr. -Green, cocking back his chair on its hind legs, a favorite position of -his, although he had already reduced two of them to kindling wood by the -operation.</p> - -<p>“You don’t mean bay snipe!” exclaimed the doctor in a disgusted tone, -“we have had enough of them.”</p> - -<p>“He probably alludes to water-turkey,” I observed quietly, “he has -tasted every thing else.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t mean water-turkey either, although for all you can tell it may -be a good bird to eat. I mean turkey without the water.” With that he -brought the front legs of his chair to their natural position with a -thud that shook the deck.</p> - -<p>“Turkey,” shouted the doctor with enthusiasm, “just talk turkey to me, -tell me where and when and how. I would swim ashore, if there was a -chicken much more a turkey in sight, or the hut of a darkey, who might -have either to sell.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_100" id="page_100"></a>{100}</span></p> - -<p>“Well then suppose we go ashore and kill one,” remarked Seth with quiet -complacency, as though such a feat were the simplest everyday occurrence -of life.</p> - -<p>That settled it. “Oh dear, I should so like a piece of turkey” came from -the cabin. “Yes, I am so tired of fish,” was the chorussed approval, and -although I felt assured that, strangers as we were to the country, and -without a guide accustomed to the work, there would be no chance of -success, I had to give in and come to anchor.</p> - -<p>Mr. Green got out his rifle, and the doctor his breech-loader, taking a -dozen cartridges loaded with buck-shot. Our head man Charley was to -accompany them, while I remained in charge of the yacht. None of us knew -by experience much of the habits of turkeys, and as it was still early -in the day it was determined to start at once, and return again on the -following morning if it should be deemed advisible.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said the doctor, “if we only had a turkey call, we would be sure -to succeed.”</p> - -<p>“Can you use the call?” I inquired.</p> - -<p>“Oh no,” he answered promptly, “but I dare say Mr. Green can.”</p> - -<p>Seth said nothing when I looked at him for a response, leaving me to -imply what I pleased as to his accomplishments. I had suddenly -remembered that I had one aboard among some old shooting traps which had -been thrown in together as a sort of refuse addition. Being perfectly -confident that neither of the turkey hunters could use the “strange<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_101" id="page_101"></a>{101}</span> -device,” it was with a malicious pleasure that I went below, and after a -short search found it. An odd-looking affair it was, which I had once -been able to use, but time had utterly obliterated the recollection of -the way to manage it. At one end was a piece of bone about four inches -long with a hole through it, and a larger mouthpiece of wood at the -other. Blowing through it had no effect whatever, as I had previously -found out, and the memory of the proper labial pucker had passed from my -mind and my lips. I handed it calmly to the doctor without a word. He -held it in his hand regarding it with puzzled uncertainty, evidently to -make up his mind, which end was to go in his mouth, till noticing the -knob on the smaller, he correctly concluded that that was the part to -blow through, and applied it to his lips. Then he blew, at first mildly, -producing no result other than a gentle hissing of air; he increased the -force, the hissing was louder, but that was all, no sound which by the -most vigorous imagination could be construed into the cluck of a gobbler -issued. He next tried to pucker up his lips like the trumpeter breathing -into his trumpet, but with worse effect if possible than before. -Dismayed at his futile efforts, he gazed critically into the end as -though some of the machinery must have been lost, but finding nothing to -encourage such a supposition, gave up the attempt and held it out to Mr. -Green, who had been watching the operation with interest. The latter -gentleman was not to be caught, and waving it indifferently aside said -with admirable assurance:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_102" id="page_102"></a>{102}</span></p> - -<p>“We won’t need that, turkeys are too plenty, all we shall have to do -will be to keep our eyes open to kill as many as we want.”</p> - -<p>In that happy state of confidence they departed. We were anchored some -little distance from the shore on account of the shallowness of the -water, but I thought I heard several shots and wondered what they had -found to fire at, as the probability of their killing a turkey was too -slight to be worth considering. Early in the afternoon they returned -with an air of curious self gratulation in their behavior, the manner of -persons who had done an act on which they plumed themselves, but which -would bear a good deal of concealment. This was noticeable even before -they had reached the yacht, and prepared me in a measure for what -followed—the production of a fine fat gobbler from the stem of the -boat. Charley handed it up to me with an air of deprecation quite in -contrast to the truculence with which Seth climbed on deck and -exclaimed:</p> - -<p>“There, what did I tell you, are you satisfied now? Where would the -supplies come from to keep us alive, except for me. You would have had -us down to hard tack and salt junk long ago, if it hadn’t been for the -fish and birds I have had to kill. Have you anything to say against -that?”</p> - -<p>I was examining the turkey critically. I had heard of turkey pens, and -suspected that this came from one of them, but did not see how to prove -the fact. Its head had been shot nearly off.</p> - -<p>“That is where the ball hit him, and I call it a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_103" id="page_103"></a>{103}</span> pretty good shot at -twenty rods,” continued Mr. Green, referring to the wounded spot.</p> - -<p>“Was he as far off as that?” I inquired, as I handed him over to be -picked. I was not familiar enough with a trapped turkey to detect the -deceit if there was any, and Seth, seeing my inability, made the most of -it.</p> - -<p>“What is to be our reward for the hard work we have been doing? I tell -you it is no easy thing to stalk a turkey, and if any other of the party -had done as much, I wouldn’t grudge them the nicest sour orange punch -that could be made.”</p> - -<p>Turkeys are caught in parts of the country by a curious trap or pen, and -I had heard that such a pen was used in Florida. It is built of logs on -the four sides and over the top, a hole being left at one side just -large enough to allow the bird to enter in a stooping posture. Corn is -strewed on the ground leading to this hole, and scattered about so as to -attract attention, and the way the trap works is this: the turkey finds -the food and follows it, picking up grain after grain, keeping his head -bent down, and in that posture enters the pen without trouble. There he -remains without a suspicion of wrong till he has consumed all the corn. -After the food so kindly supplied is gone, he begins to think of moving -on, when to his surprise he discovers that man rarely does any factor -without expecting a return, no less in this case than the toothsome body -of the recipient. The turkey never stoops, even to save his life, he -looks upward and not downward, he will not bow<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_104" id="page_104"></a>{104}</span> his royal head to escape -by the road through which he entered. Becoming alarmed he springs up, -dashing himself against the logs, he thrusts his head between the -crevices and tries to fly through the roof by main force, but in vain, -the pen is too strong, and the only method of escape which is open he -will not condescend to take.</p> - -<p>The owner of such a pen does not visit it regularly, and the turkeys are -often shut up in it for days, frequently falling a prey to wild cats -that find them before their lawful proprietor comes to claim them. My -unholy suspicions were that the doctor, the Superintendent of the New -York Fishery Commission, and the captain of the yacht Heartsease had -accidentally found such a pen, and acted the part of the wild cat. For -although I could see nothing suspicious about the bird, it was strange -that persons who had stalked a wild turkey through a dense Southern -forest hardly seemed to be tired, and wished to sit up half the night to -smoke and talk. Still the bird proved to be delicious, and the entire -party were grateful for him whether honestly obtained or not, so little -does hunger weigh questions of morality.</p> - -<p>Two days after the turkey adventure, when we were sailing along before a -mild breeze, Mr. Green steering, the doctor smoking, and the rest of us -reading, Charley suddenly called out from forward where he was standing:</p> - -<p>“Look at that large bird flying over the woods to the west.”</p> - -<p>We all looked in the direction indicated, and saw<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_105" id="page_105"></a>{105}</span> an immense bird -moving grandly and steadily, with slowly beating wings and extended neck -and legs.</p> - -<p>“What an enormous creature,” exclaimed one of the ladies.</p> - -<p>“It must be a rock,” chimed in the other.</p> - -<p>“Here take the stick, while I get the glass,” saying which, Mr. Green -let go of the tiller, and plunged into the cabin to reappear with the -binocular, which he fixed on the wondrous bird.</p> - -<p>“What do you make out of him?” inquired the doctor, who had forgotten -his pipe in the excitement till it had gone out.</p> - -<p>“It is a crane,” replied Seth, “but the largest one ever I saw. -Charley,” he asked our captain, “did you ever see such a crane as that -before?”</p> - -<p>“No, I never did,” was the answer. “It must be something of the sort -however, from the way it flies and holds its legs.”</p> - -<p>“I wonder whether it can be the whooping crane?” I inquired, “I have -heard that they are occasionally seen on the coast, although supposed to -be more numerous in the interior.”</p> - -<p>“Oh can’t you shoot it, what feathers it must have for hats.” The origin -of this remark was obvious.</p> - -<p>“If you want feathers a yard long! Why it is nearly as large as an -ostrich.”</p> - -<p>“Well, don’t we use ostrich feathers? Oh do shoot it, I want some long -white feathers.”</p> - -<p>“It is a little too far off,” I replied.</p> - -<p>“How far?” was the persistent inquiry.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_106" id="page_106"></a>{106}</span></p> - -<p>“I should say about a mile.”</p> - -<p>“That is the way always,” was the disgusted response, “you pretend to be -great sportsmen, but you say every bird we meet is too far off. If I -knew how to shoot, I wouldn’t be making excuses all the time. If we ever -come to Florida again, I hope we will have somebody with us who can hit -his mark, and not pretend that every bird is too far off.”</p> - -<p>At this the fair speaker retired below just as the crane disappeared -over the distant trees.</p> - -<p>It was several days after this occurrence that we saw what we took to be -another whooping crane standing at the edge of the water, not far from -some bushes. He was quite white, and towered up against a back ground of -grass and sand-bar till his head seemed to come in line with the trees -beyond, and his body to be as tall as that of a man. The yacht was -slowly approaching him by the aid of a light breeze, and Mr. Green was -growing more excited the nearer we came. The crane stood motionless, not -alarmed at the bigger bird, which was gradually swooping down upon him, -and apparently quite tame.</p> - -<p>Mr. Green had redeemed his reputation with the rifle of late, my sarcasm -about the Limpkin, and some ironical allusions from the doctor had -improved his aim, so that we no longer smiled incredulously when he -brought out his rifle. In fact he was a splendid shot, as his -innumerable prizes taken at tournaments abundantly proved, but the -motion of the yacht had at first unsettled his aim. There was not more -than half a mile between us and the bird,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_107" id="page_107"></a>{107}</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_005.jpg" alt="GREEN TURTLE." title="" /> -<br /> -<span class="caption">GREEN TURTLE.</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_108" id="page_108"></a>{108}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_109" id="page_109"></a>{109}</span> </p> - -<p class="nind">which seemed to loom up higher and higher as we approached.</p> - -<p>“Hadn’t we better make sure of him,” asked Seth anxiously, “we may never -have such another chance. You tell me these cranes are very scarce!”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps we had,” I answered, “what do you think we had better do?”</p> - -<p>“By all means,” interrupted the doctor, who was roused out of his usual -equanimity, “let us make every effort to kill him as a specimen. They -are exceedingly rare.”</p> - -<p>“If you lay to,” replied Seth, “and let Charley row me ashore, I will -get behind those bushes, and think I can crawl within range of him.”</p> - -<p>“If you are willing to take the trouble on the chances,” I answered. -“Do, Mr. Green,” begged the ladies both together, their hopes of such -feathers as had never yet graced bonnet quite carrying them into -enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>Seth did not consider the labor of crawling through the matted dense -undergrowth in the hot sun, nor the danger of snakes in the long grass, -all that he saw was the immense bird and all that he wanted was to kill -it. In a moment he and Charley were off in the boat, and pulling for the -shore. Heartsease was luffed up into the wind, and lay motionless on the -scarcely ruffled water, contrasting by its apparent indifference with -the eager excitement of the party on board. We watched the small boat -till it reached the bank, and was hastily concealed by Charley, while -Mr. Green disappeared immediately<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_110" id="page_110"></a>{110}</span> in the bushes. Then we could see -nothing further except the big bird, which had not been alarmed by the -preliminaries, and which there was now every probability would become -our prize. The ladies were in their hearts already priding themselves on -the loves of bonnets to which his gorgeous attire was to contribute, the -doctor had already dissected and stuffed him in imagination, and I was -wondering whether he was good to eat. We waited till our patience was -more than exhausted. Crawling through the tangled mass of a Southern -swamp is no easy matter, and we could do nothing but watch the imposing -bird standing there, unterrified, and as still as though he were a -graven image, instead of being a thing of beauty and vitality.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he gave a great leap into the air, and then fell upon the sand -in death throes which had almost ceased before the report of the -discharged rifle came booming over the water. In a moment the deceitful -calm of the previous moment passed away, we hauled aft our sheets, and -swinging round her head, got Heartsease under way. Charley shoved out -the dinkey which he had concealed in the bushes, and in another minute -Mr. Green pushed his way through the underbrush to the side of his -magnificent victim. When our boatman joined him, the two stood for some -time gazing at and handling the crane, while we waited impatiently for -their return.</p> - -<p>At last they threw the game, it seemed to us irreverently, into the -bottom of the dinkey, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_111" id="page_111"></a>{111}</span> pushed off. We awaited their approach with -eagerness, arising from the fact that none of us had ever seen the -American whooping crane, and were proud of being the participants in the -capture of one. The two fortunate sportsmen did not hurry themselves to -gratify our desires, but appeared exceedingly at their ease, and it was -not till they had nearly arrived that we discovered the cause of their -indifference by perceiving in the boat not a whooping crane at all, but -an ordinary white heron. The clearness of the atmosphere, the bright -rays of the sun, or the nature of the background had tended to mislead -us and had added immensely to the stature of the bird. The ladies -retired to the cabin hatless, so to speak, the doctor was for throwing -the deceiver overboard instead of skinning him, and to this day I am -uncertain as to the taste of the great American whooping crane.</p> - -<p>The Indian River is so shallow in places, that the direction on the -chart of Currituck Sound could be applied to it: “Only three feet of -water can be carried, and that with difficulty.” In other parts it is -deeper; it varies in width from one mile to three, and as a general rule -where it is narrow, it is deep, and where it is wide, it is shallow. -Although it approaches nearly to Mosquito Lagoon, it does not join the -latter unfortunately, and a canal has been cut called the Haul-over, of -which I have already spoken. In the Haul-over, which is only fourteen -feet wide, there is but one foot and a half of water, and for some -distance below not much more than<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_112" id="page_112"></a>{112}</span> two. There are many rivers emptying -into the Indian River on the west or shore side; these are generally -deep and full of fish, and well repay the explorer. The only inlets are -in the southern end, Jupiter Inlet at the lowest extremity, and Indian -River Inlet a short distance above.</p> - -<p>Banana River, which is rather a branch of Indian River than a distinct -stream, is in places broader and deeper; it connects with the main river -at its southern extremity, and by Banana Creek at the northerly end. The -creek of the name is both narrow and shallow, and can only be used by -small craft. There is most interesting yachting in the Halifax and -Hillsborough, north and south of New Smyrna, which is situated on the -Hillsborough, about three miles from Mosquito Inlet, as well as in -Mosquito Lagoon, which is reached through a narrow and tortuous channel -among innumerable islands from the Hillsborough. So also do the Indian -and Banana rivers furnish safe and delightful cruising grounds, with -plenty of harbors or shelter for even small open vessels, the only -danger being that of running on oyster shoals.</p> - -<p>A narrow strip of sand separates Indian River from the ocean, and the -yachtsman can occasionally, by climbing into the rigging, see the blue -waves of the Atlantic. On this bar the bay-birds often collect in large -flocks, and may be killed in numbers more than needed. They are of the -same kinds which have already been described, and are found in the -summer at the North. Bear are occasionally met<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_113" id="page_113"></a>{113}</span> with, and now and then a -wild-cat; deer are more plenty, but the sportsman will be fortunate if -he finds any of these unless he goes especially after them.</p> - -<p>A yacht-club has been established at New Smyrna, with headquarters in -Indian River, where the members expect to do a large part of their -yachting. An excellent choice was made at the first election of -officers, and its prospects for introducing the sport into the waters of -Florida are promising. The president is Mr. Herman Oelrichs, and the -vice president Mr. Girard Stuyvesant, both of New York.</p> - -<p>In extended yachting trips there is often trouble in getting fresh -water, a difficulty which is increased at the South, where the land is -low, and there are none of what at the North would be called springs; -the ice-cold jets of water bubbling from the ground. It is not generally -known that sand is so effectual a filter, that drinkable water can be -obtained by digging down into it almost anywhere. To take advantage of -this, and for many other purposes, it is advisable to carry a spade on -board. Water so obtained may be a little brackish, but by boiling it -will be made, if not quite palatable, at least healthy. Rain falling on -the deck is apt to take up portions of the paint, infinitesimally small, -perhaps, but sufficient to give an unpleasant and unhealthy taste. On -the western keys a bush with a peculiar rich leaf, easily -distinguishable by those who have once seen it, often grows where water -is to be found.</p> - -<p>It would be easy to go on recounting the attractions<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_114" id="page_114"></a>{114}</span> of Florida -indefinitely; there is always something more to say, a fresh point of -interest to speak of, additional beauties to describe, other and still -other reasons for visiting this strange and delightful country. There is -but one way in which even a slight appreciation of the charms of Florida -can be obtained; and that is, to go there as often and stay there as -long as possible. For health, for recreation, for sport, no place in the -world can be compared with it. A vast portion, that of the Everglades, -the “Grassy Water” of the native Seminoles, has never been explored, and -there are thousands of rivers, lakes, and ponds which have rarely been -disturbed by the presence of a white man, and which would amply reward -the adventurous spirit who would explore them.</p> - -<p>When we first arrived in Florida, the flowers, which its name promised -us, were not to be seen. Deceived by the temperature and a thermometer -that recorded rarely less than eighty degrees, we failed to recognize -the season of the year, or recall the truism that, as all nature must -have its spring, it must also have its winter. The climate and the -foliage were as summer-like as we had ever seen them. The grand orange -trees, with their brilliant shining green, flecked with spots of golden -yellow, were the most gorgeous sight that our eyes had ever beheld in -field or forest. The moss-covered forest evergreens, although turned -slightly brown, were still magnificent in their richness of foliage. -There were bare limbs here and there of deciduous trees,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_115" id="page_115"></a>{115}</span> but their -nakedness was nearly covered by the unfading leaves of their neighbors. -The shrubs and undergrowth were as bright in hue, seemingly, to our -uneducated eyes as possible. But by the time we were leaving, even we -could notice a decided change. The green had put on a deeper verdancy, -the brown had disappeared, and suddenly there sprang into life a myriad -of flowers. The yellow jessamine covered the swamps and filled them with -a mass of perfume as well as an array of loveliness. Scarlet lobelias -thrust their bright heads boldly from the water-side, along with white -lilies and arrow-heads, and on the higher grounds hundreds of wild -flowers, many of which we could not name, charmed us with their beauty. -The magnificent magnolia was bursting into bud. As the orange trees were -being denuded of their ripe fruit, the tiny sweet smelling blossoms made -their appearance, till the branches bore at one and the same time, buds, -flowers, and green and ripe fruit. The inland lakes and ponds were -covered with pond lilies, which are called “bonnets” by the natives, and -made a delicious picture with the broad green leaves and the bright -yellow flowers. Language fails in describing the exquisite beauty of the -verdure of the country. We found Florida laden with fruit; we left it -covered with flowers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_116" id="page_116"></a>{116}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IIIa" id="CHAPTER_IIIa"></a>CHAPTER III.<br /><br /> -CURRITUCK MARSHES.</h3> - -<p>Duck shooting has held its own better than any other kind of sport in -the States east of the Mississippi. Ruffed grouse have almost -disappeared, woodcock have grown scarcer and scarcer, English-snipe -visit us less abundantly, while the bay-birds have nearly ceased to be -in sections where they were once overwhelmingly abundant, but it is -possible still, on Lake Erie, along the coast, and at many inland places -to make a fair, if not, as often happens, an excellent bag, of ducks. -But the best place, one where the birds seem to exist in their original -abundance, and where magnificent shooting is still to be had, is on the -eastern shore of North-Carolina. Of this favored locality Currituck is -the most famous. So celebrated is this county that the entire marshes, -the duck-haunted lowlands, have been purchased, and to-day there is -absolutely no free shooting to be had. A stranger is as thoroughly -debarred as if he were in the most barren portion of our land. No one is -allowed to shoot from a battery unless he is a native, and to get a -chance to go out at all after the innumerable flocks of wild-fowl that -temptingly cover the water, the visitor must belong to one of the -numerous sporting clubs which have so wisely and assiduously secured all -the shooting grounds, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_117" id="page_117"></a>{117}</span> most of which are so particular that they -exclude invited guests.</p> - -<p>But if you are one of the favored shareholders you can have a glorious -time. Fifty ducks a day to each gun is no unusual average, and while a -hundred is a large bag, a hundred and fifty is nothing uncommon, and as -many as two hundred and fifty have been killed by a sportsman and his -gunner in a single day. Moreover the birds are of the best possible -kind; there are canvas-backs in the open water, red-heads in still -greater abundance, and broad-bills or blue-bills so plenty that they are -rarely shot at, while in the pond holes black-ducks, mallards, and -widgeons abound. These are all well-fed and fat, and such a thing as a -poor duck is unknown. The law wisely forbids shooting before sunrise or -after sunset, and the club members are wise enough to keep the law, -knowing as they do that one gun fired after sunset is more injurious -than a dozen during the day, so that the ducks do not seem to diminish -but rather to increase and multiply, and as fine a day’s sport has been -had by the members of the club during the past few years as at any time -in the history of the country. A result partly due to breech-loaders -perhaps, while from a battery it is nothing unusual to kill a hundred -brace of red-heads or canvas-backs, and some times twice as many.</p> - -<p>This favored spot is, as it ought to be, of no easy access. The -sportsmen must first go to Norfolk and thence take either the little -steamboat Cygnet, endeared to so many of us by the memory of pleasant<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_118" id="page_118"></a>{118}</span> -excursions in the past, or travel by a new railroad just finished which -passes twenty miles from the traveller’s destination, a place known from -the name of the enterprising widow lady who formerly owned it, as Van -Slyck’s Landing. By boat the entire day is spent in the journey, and by -rail it is not much shorter, but the boat arrives so late that it is not -always possible to make the trip across from the landing to the club -house the same night. Opposite Van Slyck’s are the two most famous and -successful sporting clubs in that section of the United States, the -Currituck and the Palmer’s Island clubs. They own or control immense -tracts of land, and below them to the southward the bay widens out so -that there is no chance to kill ducks to advantage. There are a few good -stands at Kitty Hawk Bay, thirty miles further south, and at the lower -end of Roanoke Island Raft ducks can be shot from batteries. Then again -along the eastern shore of Pamlico Sound, at Hatteras and Ocracoke -inlets and in the western part of Core Sound, to the south of Harker’s -Island, there is good duck, and in its season brant shooting, but these -places can only be reached by the fortunate sportsman who has his own -private conveyance. Therefore it may practically be said that the Palmer -Island marshes are the <i>ultima thule</i> of duck shooting.</p> - -<p>As a general thing, there is attached to every sporting club some old -experienced gunner full of wild-fowl lore and quaint and curious -phrases, who is a mine of interesting information to him who will<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_119" id="page_119"></a>{119}</span> -explore the vein. Such a one belonged to the Palmer Island club, in the -person of William S. Foster, a resident of Long Island, who had followed -Shinnecock Bay for many years, knew the ways and habits of the birds as -well as if he were one of them, and was as fond of shooting as the most -inveterate sportsman. Honest to a farthing, faithful, anxious to give -the person he was with the best sport he could, he was ready to take any -amount of trouble, endure any labor for a good day among the ducks, the -members of the club looked on him, rather as a friend than a paid -employee. Many is the hour I have spent with him on the Currituck -marshes, many a day of splendid shooting have I had, many the big bag -have I made with his aid. One of his peculiarities was that he never was -in a hurry. No matter how thick the birds were, how easy it seemed to -choose a point, he would stand quietly in the bow of the boat with the -sea-glass in his hand scanning the movements of the flocks and -deliberately selecting the best place. I would often grow impatient and -fear he was losing valuable time, but the result rarely failed to -justify his judgment and vindicate his deliberation.</p> - -<p>The first and most important object, as he explained it under such -circumstances, was to so arrange the stools that the ducks would “come -right,” that is would approach without fear and would offer the -sportsman a fair shot. This is a matter of the greatest moment and is -not understood by men who consider themselves expert wild-fowlers. -First, there<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_120" id="page_120"></a>{120}</span> is the question of the wind to take note of, then the -position of the sun, next the cover, and last, but by no means least, -the nature of the species of ducks that are flying. It will not do to -string out the decoys dead to lee-ward of a point as is so often seen, -except perhaps when canvas-backs and red-heads are alone expected, -mallards, sprigtails, and especially the wary black-duck will never or -rarely approach a point. If a point, with the wind blowing directly off -from it has to be chosen, it is better to stretch the decoys around to -one side of it so that the wind “will catch the birds under the wing” as -he expressed it and swing them in farther than they expected. Points -projecting far out into the open water are the favorites of tyro -gunners, but they are especially unsuited for any of the marsh ducks, -the black-ducks, mallards, sprigtails, and even the widgeons, all of -which give a wide berth to such spots, especially after they have been -shot at a few times, and most of which prefer to alight close under the -lee of a bank, in the “slick” as it is called.</p> - -<p>There are two great divisions of ducks, the deep water, diving or raft -ducks, and the shoal water or marsh ducks, which reach down for their -food and can never feed in water more than two feet deep. The habits of -these two varieties are remarkably dissimilar. The open-water birds, -fearless of ambush, are less timid than their pond-loving brethren, who -dread an enemy in every tuft of grass or bunch of reeds, when -canvas-backs once make up their minds to come to the stools, they come -straight on regardless<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_121" id="page_121"></a>{121}</span> of deficiences in the gunner’s blind, and very -frequently pass completely over the stools. On the other hand, a -black-duck in approaching the stand is a model of caution, he is all -eyes and ears, the slightest movement by the sportsman, the least -evidence of danger will arouse his suspicions, and he will veer suddenly -off. Black-ducks and mallards rarely cross the stools to alight at the -head of them, but if they reach them at all, drop in at the lower end, -or more often stop short and alight at a distance just tantalizingly out -of shot, where they remain to lure off every fresh arrival unless they -are driven away. Their noses are especially keen, and care must be taken -to so arrange the stand that the wind will not carry the scent of the -gunner across the water to the lee-ward of the decoys, and the birds get -it before they reach them. If they come in contact with such a warning -they jump into the air as if they had been shot at, and flee with all -the speed that terror can lend to their usually vigorous wings. It is -desirable to set the stools under the lee of a bank of reeds or rushes, -for none of this class of ducks likes the open water, and the most -convenient plan is to place the stools to one side of the stand, -quartering as it were across the wind, so that even if the birds alight -before actually reaching them, they may be within gun-shot.</p> - -<p>The location of the stand is most important. I remember once when I was -shooting from what is known in the club as “Kidder’s Point,” that I was -particularly impressed with this fact. The day had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_122" id="page_122"></a>{122}</span> been dull and rather -quiet, with but a few birds stirring all through the morning; a haze lay -upon the marshes, not dense enough to prevent the ducks flying if they -had been so minded, which they did not seem to be, the wind scarcely -stirred the reeds or rippled the surface of the bay, which was spread -out before me. I was making a poor bag and hardly expected to do better, -when about midday there came a change over the spirit of the earth and -air, the clouds began to condense, the wind commenced to blow, the air -became rapidly colder, a thin steak of gray faintly marked the sky in -the northwest, while in the south the clouds grew blacker and denser. -Then the rain fell in spits and flurries viciously. The atmosphere -intimated a decided change in the weather, which the ducks were the -first to recognize and regulate their proceedings by. Evidently a vast -mass of widgeons were bedded to the lee-ward of us. They commenced to -fly not in their individual capacity, but as the part of a great -movement, as if suddenly they had made up their minds all to go. In -whisps of threes, fours, tens, twenties, in large flocks, or solitary -and alone, they came heading towards me directly across the marsh and -visible for miles. Then it was that I learned that I was not in exactly -the right place, that the birds for some reason best known to themselves -did not care to cross that spot in their migration. Most of them, -especially the largest flocks, passed outside of me and just beyond the -range of my gun. I was in the wrong place, I knew it, but I had no time -to move, the ducks<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_123" id="page_123"></a>{123}</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_006.jpg" alt="FLORIDA “CRACKER.”" title="" /> -<br /> -<span class="caption">FLORIDA “CRACKER.”</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_124" id="page_124"></a>{124}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_125" id="page_125"></a>{125}</span> </p> - -<p class="nind">were flying too fast and too many of them came within range as it was -for me to lose the time necessary for a change. The rain that was -falling, although not heavy, interfered, and would have wet our guns and -clothes which were pretty well protected so long as we remained still. -So we stayed where we were, and as it was the sport was splendid. The -entire mass of widgeons had determined to change their feeding grounds, -and that at once, there was no moment when some of them were not visible -in the air, they came from one quarter and flew in one direction. I had -learned to whistle for widgeon as well as a professional, and did my -best with the aid of William Foster to inveigle them within range. Very -often we were successful, and it was an afternoon of excitement. Not a -minute passed that we did not have the prospect of a shot, and although -the larger flocks mostly kept on their course outside of us, the smaller -whisps and the single ones came in freely.</p> - -<p>“Why is it that the birds seem to be all moving at once?” I asked of -William during the first moment of partial leisure that we had, “and why -are they all going in the same direction?”</p> - -<p>“It is a question of food with them,” he replied, “as is the case with -most other animals. Widgeon can only get their food by reaching down for -it, so they must keep where the water is not over their heads; that is -so that they can touch bottom with their bills by tipping up, as you -have often seen tame ducks do. Now in these shallow marshes a change<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_126" id="page_126"></a>{126}</span> of -wind means a change of depth of water, it is shallower to windward, the -water being piled up to lee-ward and the ducks, knowing this, fly -against the wind, all the shoal feeding birds do so. The canvas-backs, -red-heads, and broad-bills make little account of the wind.”</p> - -<p>“But,” I answered, “this wind cannot as yet have affected the depth of -water.”</p> - -<p>“No, but the birds know that it soon will, and they are getting ready -for to-morrow. There will probably be a greater change than we expect, -wild animals know much more about the weather than man can ever learn, -they have a sort of instinct that is given to them for their protection. -I have always observed that the ducks sought the windward side of the -marshes. If the wind is blowing from the south, I make it a rule to go -to the southward to choose a stand, if from the west I look through the -western marshes and so on. Of course I am not always right.”</p> - -<p>“No,” I interrupted him to remark, “but we have observed that the member -who goes out with you generally brings in the most birds, so the results -tend to demonstrate the theory.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I have studied these marshes as thoroughly as I could; there is -not a tree that I have not climbed, nor an island that I have not -explored.”</p> - -<p>“Can you see much from the trees when you do climb them?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes. A little elevation will enable you to see over the entire marsh, -and many a pond hole have I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_127" id="page_127"></a>{127}</span> found in that way that is not known to most -of the gunners, and not always to the natives.”</p> - -<p>“Keep still,” I remarked at this point of our conversation, “there comes -a magnificent flock of ducks, if they would only turn this way what a -shot they would give us.”</p> - -<p>We were silent except for whistling, which we did with the finest -touches and the utmost skill. The flock, spread out against the distant -sky in an angle-pointed line, was headed directly for our hiding place. -We had crouched down on their first appearance, and grasping our guns -and watched them, waiting with increasing impatience and anxiety. Nearer -and nearer they came, over the distant marsh undisturbed by any other -gunner, and unattracted by other decoys until they were directly in -front of us and not more than three hundred yards distant. It was a -moment of intense excitement, for if we could once get our four barrels -into those serried ranks, there was no telling how many we might not -kill.</p> - -<p>On they came still nearer, we whistled more softly and they answered -with undiminished confidence. Now they were over the meadow just beyond -our stools, a few minutes more of the same course and they would be in -our power. But alas, just as they struck the open water they deflected -their course a little, not much, but enough to carry them beyond fair -reach of our guns, so that when we fired we were only rewarded with -three birds that plunged from the flock headlong into the water. As they -were<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_128" id="page_128"></a>{128}</span> being retrieved by our four legged companion, William sagely -remarked:</p> - -<p>“I have observed that generally there is some misfortune connected with -what would make the finest shots, and that at such times something is -sure to go wrong; either the birds do not come in right, or a twig or -reed gets in front of you, the gun misses fire, or something else -happens, so that the best chances usually prove the worst.”</p> - -<p>“There is an awful deal in luck,” I replied, “after all is said, -Napoleon’s star was not an imaginary planet by any means. I never was a -lucky sportsman, and have had to earn my game by the sweat of my brow.”</p> - -<p>“Did you ever know a sportsman who would admit that he was lucky?” -inquired William, calmly.</p> - -<p>“I can’t say that I ever did; but if you will keep still and not fluster -me with unnecessary generalizations, I will kill that pair of widgeons -that are coming over the marsh, luck or no luck.”</p> - -<p>After uttering that boast, I had to make my words good, and though I -detected a twinkle in my companion’s eye, as if he would not mind should -I happen to miss just that once, I took care to aim straight, not the -sort of excessive care that invariably results in a miss, but the rapid -and confident deliberation that first holds the gun right and then pulls -it off when it is right, without waiting until it gets wrong.</p> - -<p>“Good,” said William, <i>sotto voce</i>, in his quiet way, as the two ducks, -doubled up by the full charge of shot came down splash into the mud, -close to our<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_129" id="page_129"></a>{129}</span> stand, “I have seen a good many misses when a man was most -sure of hitting; I hardly expected that you would kill them both so -neatly.”</p> - -<p>The sport kept up. It is useless to describe each individual shot that -we made. There is endless variety in every one that is fired, for no two -birds come to the decoys precisely alike. There are never the same -conditions of wind, sun, position, readiness, and what not, so that each -is more or less of a surprise. These the sportsman enjoys at the time, -they constitute the great charm of shooting; but they would tire in the -repetition in the cold blood of white paper and black ink. It is enough -that we had a magnificent day’s sport; “magnificent” is not -hyperbolical; we had sport that will be a memory through life, and until -the age-weakened arms can no longer wield the faithful fowling piece, -nor the time-dimmed eyes note the birds approach. Our store of game lay -in a pile uncounted; we knew there was a goodly number, and when at last -the tired sun had performed his allotted task and gone to bed, we were -not surprised to add up nearly a hundred of what is one of the finest of -all the ducks, the handsome little widgeon. Few of our gunners, even the -oldest of them, know that there was a time when the widgeon was valued -more highly than the canvas-back, when in fact in firing a sitting shot -the market gunner would “shew” the latter out of the way, in order that -he might have a better chance at the former. Had we been in exactly the -right spot, there is no doubt that I would then have reached the bag<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_130" id="page_130"></a>{130}</span> of -two hundred, which it has been the ambition of my life to attain.</p> - -<p>On another occasion I had the same misfortune, although from a different -cause. I was with Jesse that time, Jesse who, or Jesse what, I cannot -tell. So faithful and trustworthy a fellow must have another name, a -full name; but often as I have availed myself of his care in the marshes -of Currituck, I am ashamed to confess that I have forgotten it. Every -one calls him simply “Jesse,” out of kindly feeling no doubt, for a -better fellow never set out a stand of decoys; so as simply Jesse he -must go down to the immortality that this book will give him. He is -devoted to the pleasure of his employer, and never more delighted than -when the latter brings home a fine bag of birds; but he is not quite so -skillful as his older associate, William Foster. He had observed, when -out the day previous, that the birds had a favorite feeding place in a -little bay near what in club nomenclature is designated as “the -horse-shoe.” To this place we wended our way as soon as we could cross -the intervening three miles of distance. The bay was not large, and at -its mouth was contracted into two narrow points which were hardly a -hundred yards apart. I had never shot at this particular point, and -Jesse did not think of the effect of the sun when he made his selection. -One point was probably as favorable as the other, with that exception, -but the one he selected brought the birds directly between me and that -luminary when he shot his burning and blinding rays from mid-heaven. -The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_131" id="page_131"></a>{131}</span> result was, that before the day was over, reeds and ducks and spots -swam before my eyes in prismatic hues. The heavens become alive with -them, mixed up with grasses and flowers, the gorgeous colors of -condensed sunlight. Scarlet ducks, golden ducks, fiery ducks floated -before my bewildered vision, interwoven with such flaming reeds and -rushes as were never seen by mortal eye before. To say that under the -circumstances I could not shoot with my accustomed skill, is -unnecessary; I could not help occasionally mistaking the flaming bird -for the natural one, and no doubt would have killed him, had he only -been real enough to kill. This was the second occasion when I might have -reached my stint of two hundred, if I had only been so fortunate as to -locate properly in the first place, or even had had the courage to -change when I found out that I was wrong.</p> - -<p>There are myriads of wild geese and swans in Currituck Sound and its -adjoining waters. The swans are hard to kill, and it rarely falls to the -fortune of any sportsman to bag more than two or three of these -beautiful birds in a season, but the geese are shot in immense numbers -on favorable days—“goosing days,” as they are called. Such days are -made by a southwesterly wind blowing hard enough to constitute a gale, -and the harder the better, which causes the water to rise and enables -the geese to reach the beaches where they go to sand. For this shooting -a “stand,” as it is called, of tamed wild geese are required. The -sportsman hides himself in a large, water-tight box, which has been sunk -in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_132" id="page_132"></a>{132}</span> sand at the spot which the birds frequent, and the “stand” of -living decoys are tethered in front by stout strings fastened to their -legs and pinned to the ground. The geese come to the stools in flocks, -and the slaughter at times is enormous, as many as two hundred being no -unusual bag, and that is often rounded out with forty or fifty ducks. It -is customary on such occasions to put a live swan or two with the geese -decoys, if the sportsman happens to be so fortunate as to possess them, -and I never shall forget seeing four swans come to a stand which was -located some distance from my own, but in full view from it. I have -always believed that birds could converse and had a language of their -own, and on this occasion my theory received confirmation strong as holy -writ. When I have sat listening hour after hour to the unceasing -conversational cacklings of geese, who appear to be the most talkative -of birds, I fancied that I could almost make out the words they uttered, -and which were certainly understood by the fowls themselves, as the -dullest observer would be convinced by their actions. Their expressions -of comfort, their mild observations about the weather may not have been -quite comprehensible, but their cries of alarm, their notes of warning, -no one could mistake. Ignorant hearers not versed in goose language, and -a very pretty tongue I have no doubt it is, may call it contemptuously -“gabble,” but so is the language of any foreigner “gabble” to those who -do not understand it.</p> - -<p>In the instance that I am about to mention with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_133" id="page_133"></a>{133}</span> the swans, there could -be no difficulty in understanding every word. There were four of them, -the wise father, the inquisitive mother, and two pretty, innocent, -dove-colored cygnets. They were sailing along far up in the heavens, -away out of danger, when the attention of the young ones was attracted -to a nice, gentle old swan seated happily among a body of geese that -were evidently having a good time and abundant food. In all the -innocence of their uncorrupted hearts they uttered a shout of joy and -started to join him, the mother who was curious to understand the -meaning of so happy a combination, following eagerly behind them. In -vain the cautious father warned them to “go slow.” They would not stop -to listen or to heed. On they flew or swam after alighting on the water, -giving free expression to their feelings of pleasure. Louder and louder -grew the warning notes of the head of the house, who hung back and tried -to keep the others back, but his efforts were useless, the young were -guileless, and the foolish wife inquisitive. He was too devoted to leave -his family, although the danger into which they were running was -apparent to him. Soon his worst fears were realized. He was out of -gunshot, but his wife and children were within the fatal reach of the -deadly gun. Several loud reports followed one another, and all was over. -In an instant he was childless and wifeless. The two cygnets were killed -dead, but the mother was able to fly a hundred yards, and it was pitiful -to see him go to her, braving all danger, and to hear his cries of -lamentation. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_134" id="page_134"></a>{134}</span> could not save her, however, and when the boat -approached with a gunner to complete the deadly work, the poor old swan -had to leave her. Still he kept circling round for some time and filling -the air with his bitter lamentations.</p> - -<p>In wild fowl shooting it is essential to learn the various calls of the -different species of ducks and of the geese and swans. These it is -impossible to reproduce on paper, and about all that can be said is that -the raft ducks make various modifications of the word “pritt,” if it can -be called a word; that the widgeons whistle, the geese honk, and the -mallards and black-ducks quack. Jesse had a curious way of calling the -shoal-water ducks by uttering in rapid succession the word “Kek-kekkek, -kek-kek-kek-kek;” and he seemed to attract them as well as the patent -duck-call which I had purchased in the gun store for a dollar. For -black-ducks, however, I prefer the manufactured duck-call, and in going -out for them, I cannot too strongly impress upon the reader the -necessity for the utmost caution and the most careful hiding. When -shooting at some small pond hole in the middle of the marshes, it is -better to only use one or two decoys and to be covered entirely, except -for a single opening in front, just large enough to fire through, -overlooking the stools. A single tamed wild duck for this kind of sport -is worth all the wooden decoys in the world, and his quack is better -than Jesse’s “kek” or my “squawk.” Some gunners can set up the birds -they have killed so as to be almost as natural as the living bird, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_135" id="page_135"></a>{135}</span> -to deceive even the elect, but it is not an easy knack to acquire. -Usually such imitation stools look so fearfully and abnormally dead, -that they would drive any duck, with the fear of ghosts before his mind, -out of the country. It is only the most experienced gunner that can take -such liberties with the dead.</p> - -<p>At the North, where the winters are colder than they are at Currituck, -it is customary to shoot in the ice. No waters that ducks frequent are -ever entirely frozen over; there are always what are called “breathing -holes,” where the gunner can place his stools, and which the ducks -frequent for food. He dresses himself in white linen over his other -clothes, so as to be as near the color of the ice as possible, and he -uses a light skiff provided with iron runners underneath. This he shoves -rapidly over the ice without much labor, carrying his dozen or so of -stools aboard, and using an iron-pointed pole to propel himself with. He -has his oars stowed under the narrow deck, so that he can row across -open water, and is safe in case his skiff should break through the ice. -When he has reached the open hole that he has selected, he throws out -his stools and cuts a place in the ice at the edge of the hole, to hide -himself and his boat, piling the cakes that he takes out alongside of -him, to further assist in hiding him. The decoys he uses are black-ducks -and whistlers, which will stool to one another indiscriminately. He must -then lie down on his back in the skiff, and no matter how cold he may -be, he must not move or stir. Though his blood chills and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_136" id="page_136"></a>{136}</span> the marrow of -his bones freezes, he must bear it, for there is no telling at what -instant the birds may dart down upon him from the heavens, as they have -a way of doing without giving the sportsman the least warning. Shooting -in the ice has sent many a healthy man to a consumptive’s grave.</p> - -<p>In closing this article, let me give a final bit of wisdom in the words -of William Foster. It is well known to every wild-fowler, but his way of -putting it covers in a few words the whole ground: “Remember, that as a -general rule, the shoal-water ducks go with the shoal-water ducks, and -the diving ducks go with the diving ducks, so they will pretty well -stool in the same way. Each prefers his own kind a little the best, I -think, but not enough to make a decided difference, provided the stools -are of the same class. Widgeon like widgeon, and canvas-backs will only -stool to canvas-backs or red-heads, but broad-bills will come to -canvas-back stools almost as well as they will come to broad-bill -stools. Black-ducks prefer black-duck stools, but sprigtails and -mallards will come to black-duck stools nearly as readily as they will -to their own. Don’t, however, use canvas-back stools for black-ducks, -nor, above all, black-duck stools for canvas-backs.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_137" id="page_137"></a>{137}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="PART_II" id="PART_II"></a>PART II.<br /><br /> -GAME WATER BIRDS.</h2> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_138" id="page_138"></a>{138}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_139" id="page_139"></a>{139}</span> </p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.<br /><br /> -GAME AND ITS PROTECTION.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">By</span> the ancient law of 1 and 2 William IV., chap. 32, under the -designation of game, were included “hares, pheasants, partridges, -grouse, heath or moor game, black game, and bustards.”</p> - -<p>Hunting and hawking date back to the earliest days of knight-errantry, -when parties of cavaliers and ladies fair, mounted on their mettlesome -steeds caparisoned with all the skill of the cunning artificers of those -days, pursued certain birds of the air with the falcon, and followed the -royal stag through the well preserved and extensive forests with packs -of hounds. The term game, therefore, had an early significance and -positive application, but was confined to the creatures pursued in one -or the other of these two modes.</p> - -<p>The gun was first used for the shooting of feathered game in the early -part of the eighteenth century; it soon became the favorite implement of -the sportsman, and was brought into use, not only against the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_140" id="page_140"></a>{140}</span> birds, -but the beasts, of game. The huntsman no longer depends upon his brave -dog and cloth-yard shaft, but upon his own powers of endurance and of -marksmanship. Instead of watching the savage falcon strike his prey far -up in the heavens, he follows his high-bred setters, till their -wonderful natural instinct betrays to him the presence of the game.</p> - -<p>Where he once rode after the yelping pack, sounding the merry notes of -his bugle horn, he now climbs and crawls laboriously, until he brings -the wary stag within range of the deadly rifle. No more brilliant -parties of lovely dames and gallant men, chatting merrily on the -incidents of the day, ride gaily decked steeds; no more the luxury of -the beautiful faces and pleasant companionship of the gentler sex is to -be enjoyed; the ladies of modern times—except in England, where they -occasionally follow foxes, which are rather vermin than game—preferring -the excitement of ball-room flirtations to outdoor sports and pleasures, -take no part in the pursuits of the chase.</p> - -<p>Together with the change in the mode of capturing game, comes a -necessity for a change in its former restricted meaning. Who would think -of not including among game birds, the gamest of them all—the -magnificent woodcock; nor the stylish English snipe, nor even possibly -the brave little quail—unless he can be scientifically proved to be a -partridge—which is at least doubtful! Migratory birds were not included -in the sacred list, and the quail in England, as the woodcock and snipe -of both<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_141" id="page_141"></a>{141}</span> England and America, are migratory, although the mere temporary -character of their residence does not, in our view, at all alter the -nature of their claims. The larger European woodcock is by no means so -delicious or highly flavored a bird as our yellow-breasted, round-eyed -beauty, and is much scarcer; while the foreign quail, on the other hand, -is smaller than ours, and in southern Europe is found in vast flocks; -but both are entitled to high rank among modern sportsmen.</p> - -<p>The term Game Birds, therefore, should be, and has been by general -consent, greatly extended in its application, and applied to all the -numerous species which, whether migratory or not, are killed not alone -for the market, but for sport; and which are followed on the stubble -fields, in brown November, with the strong-limbed and keen-nosed setter, -or shot from blind in scorching August; slain from battery in freezing -December, or chased in a boat, or misled by decoys. All wild birds that -furnish sport as well as profit are therefore game; and the gentle -dowitchers along our sea-coast, lured to the deceitful stools, are as -much entitled to the name as the stately ruffed grouse of our wild -woods, or the royal turkey of the far west.</p> - -<p>To constitute a legitimate object of true sport, the bird must be -habitually shot on the wing, and the greater the skill required in its -capture, the higher its rank. The turkey, therefore, although frequently -killed on the wing, is more a game bird by sufferance than by right, and -partly from his gastronomic<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_142" id="page_142"></a>{142}</span> as well as from his other qualities. Under -this classification, then, we must include, not merely the ruffed and -pinnated grouse, which, although the only species in our country coming -within the ancient definition, furnish far less sport than many other -varieties, but woodcock, snipe, quail, geese, ducks, bay birds, plover, -and rail; without regard to the fact that all, except the quail, are -migratory, and most were unknown to our British ancestry. It has been -even supposed that the quail, in parts of our country free from deep -rivers and impassable barriers, are also in a measure migratory; but -this has no other foundation than their habit of wandering from place to -place in search of food, and collecting late in the season, as they will -do where they are numerous and undisturbed in large packs.</p> - -<p>To the protection of this vast variety of game it is the sportsman’s -duty to address himself, in spite of the opposition of the market-man -and restaurateur, the mean-spirited poaching of the pot-hunter, and the -lukewarmness of the farmer. The latter can be enlisted in the cause; he -has indirectly the objects of the sportsman at heart; and with proper -enlightenment will assist, not merely to preserve his fields from -ruthless injury, but to save from destruction his friends the -song-birds.</p> - -<p>As the true sportsman turns his attention only to legitimate sport, -destroying those birds that are but little if at all useful to the -farmer; and as at the same time, out of gratitude for the kindness with -which the latter generally receives him, he is careful<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_143" id="page_143"></a>{143}</span> never to invade -the high grass or the ripening grain—so also, from his innate love of -nature, and of everything that makes nature more beautiful, he spares -and defends the warblers of the woods and the innocent worm-devourers -that stand guardian over the trees and crops. The smaller birds destroy -immense numbers of worms; cedar-birds have been known to eat hundreds of -caterpillars, and in this city have cleared the public squares in a -morning’s visit of the disgusting measuring-worms, that were hanging by -thousands pendent from the branches. And who has not heard the -“woodpecker tapping” all day long in pursuit of his prey?</p> - -<p>With the barbarous and senseless destruction of our small birds, the -ravages of the worms have augmented, until we hear from all the -densely-settled portions of the country loud complaints of their -attacks. Peach-trees perish; cherries are no longer the beautiful fruit -they once were; apples are disfigured, and plums have almost ceased to -exist. Worms appear upon every vegetable thing; the borers dig their way -beneath the bark of the trunk and cut long alleys through the wood; -weevils pierce the grain and eat out its pith; the leaf-eaters of -various sorts punch out the delicate membrane by individual effort; or -collecting in bodies, throw their nets, like a spider-web, over the -branches, and by combined attacks deliberately devour every leaf. While -these species are at work openly and in full sight, others are at the -roots digging and destroying and multiplying; until the tree that at -first<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_144" id="page_144"></a>{144}</span> gave evidence of hardiness and promise of long utility to man, -pauses in its growth, becomes delicate, fades, and finally dies.</p> - -<p>The destruction of these vermicular pests is a question of life or death -to the farmer. He may attempt it either with his own labor, by tarring -his trees, fastening obstructions on the trunks, or by killing -individuals; or he may have it done for him, free of expense, by -innumerable flocks of the denizens of the air. The increase of worms -must be stopped; the means of doing so is a question of serious public -concern, and none have yet been invented so effectual as the natural -course—the restoration of the equipoise of nature. It is true that the -robin, as we call him, now and then steals a cherry, and has been blamed -as though he were nothing more than a cherry-thief; but surely we can -spare him a little fruit for his dessert, when we remember that his meal -has been composed mainly of the deadly enemies of that very fruit! -Swallows are accused of breeding lice, which, if true, would not be a -serious charge, considering that their nests are generally in the -loftiest and least accessible corner they can find; but when we consider -how many millions of noxious flies and poisonous mosquitoes they -destroy, how they hover over the swamps and meadows for this especial -purpose, and how much annoyance their labors save to human kind, we owe -them gratitude instead of abuse.</p> - -<p>Every tribe of birds has its allotted part to play; and if destroyed, -not only will its pleasant songs and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_145" id="page_145"></a>{145}</span> bright feathers, gleaming amid the -green leaves, be missed, but some species of bug or insect, some -disgusting caterpillar or injurious fly, will escape well merited -destruction, and increasingly visit upon man the punishment of his -cruelty and folly.</p> - -<p>The beautiful blue-birds, the numerous woodpeckers, the tiny wrens, the -graceful swallows and noisy martins, are sacred to the sportsman, and -constitute one great division of the creatures that he desires to -protect. It is true that enthusiastic foreigners, with cast-iron guns, -are seen peering into trees and lurking through the woods, proud of a -dirty bag half filled with robins, thrushes, and woodpeckers; but let no -ignorant reader confound such persons with sportsmen. Their satisfaction -in slaying one beautiful little warbler, as full of melody as it is bare -of meat, with a deadly charge of No. 4 shot; or in chasing from tree to -tree the agile red squirrel, who, with bushy tail erect, leaps from one -limb to another, emulating the very birds themselves with his agility, -is as unsportsmanlike as to kill a cheeping quail, that, struggling from -the thick weeds in September before the pointer’s nose, with feeble -wings, skirts the low brush; or to murder the brooding woodcock, that -flutters up before the dog in June, and, with holy maternal instinct, -endeavours to lead the pursuer from her infant brood.</p> - -<p>From such acts the veritable sportsman turns with horror; they are -cruelty—the slaughter of what is useless for food, or what, by its -death, will produce misery to others; and no persons in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_146" id="page_146"></a>{146}</span> community -have done more to repress this wantonness of destruction than the -Sportsmen’s Clubs. It was at their request that the killing of -song-birds was prohibited altogether; and they are the most earnest to -restrict the times of lawful sport to such periods as will not, by any -possibility, permit its being followed during the season of incubation.</p> - -<p>Not alone by obtaining the passage of appropriate laws and their -vigorous enforcement, have these clubs effected a great reform; but by -their personal example and social influence, often, too, at considerable -loss to themselves. For while the poacher, taking the chance of a legal -conviction as an accident of business, and but a slight reduction of his -unlawful profits, anticipates the appointed time, true sportsmen, -restrained by a feeling of honor and self-respect, although they know -that the birds are being killed daily in defiance of the statute, wait -till the lawful day arrives, and thus often, especially in woodcock -shooting, sacrifice their entire season’s sport for a principle.</p> - -<p>This honorable spirit, if encouraged and extended, is the best -protection for song-birds and game that can be had. The laws are only -necessary to deter those who are dead to honor and decency, and to fix -the proper times—which ought to be uniform throughout our entire -country. But to enforce them requires the assistance of public opinion. -Every encouragement should be given to sportsmen’s associations. The -absurd prejudice that has originated from confounding them with a very -different class<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_147" id="page_147"></a>{147}</span> of the community should be overcome, and their efforts -to have good laws passed, and to make them effectual, should be -sustained. The vulgar idea, that confounds laws for the protection of -the wild creatures of wood, meadow, lake, and stream, with the monstrous -game-laws of olden time—that made killing a hare more criminal than -killing a man—should be corrected.</p> - -<p>In this country, where every man is expected to be a sort of -volunteer-policeman, all should unite in enforcing the laws; and then, -in spite of the irrepressible obstinacy of the German enthusiast, and -the mean cunning of the sneaking poacher, our cities would soon be rid -of the disgusting worms that make their trees hideous, our farms -protected from the devastations of the curculio, the weevil, the borer, -and the army-worm; the country would once more be populated with its -native feathered game, and our fields would resound with the glad songs -of the little birds that there build their homes.</p> - -<p>So long as the ignorant of our <i>nouveaux riches</i>, imagining themselves -to be epicures, will pay for unseasonable game an extravagant price, so -long will unscrupulous market-men purchase, and loafing, disreputable, -tavern-haunting poachers shoot or otherwise kill their prey. It must be -made a disgrace, and if necessary punished as a crime, for any modern -Lucullus to insult his guests by presenting to them game out of season; -and eating-house keepers should not only be taught—by persistent -espionage, if necessary<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_148" id="page_148"></a>{148}</span>—that illegal profits will not equal legal -punishments; but their customers should also discourage, by withdrawing -their patronage, conduct that is so injurious to the public interests. -Woodcock would not be shot in spring, nor quail in summer, unless the -demand for them were sufficiently great to pay both the expense of -capture and the danger of exposure; and, with a diminution of -purchasers, will be an increased diminution of the number of birds -improperly killed.</p> - -<p>Birds and fish, except in their proper seasons, are always tasteless, -and often unhealthy food. A setting quail or a spawning trout is -absolutely unfit to eat, and to do without them is no sacrifice; but for -the sportsman to restrain his ardor as the close-time draws towards an -end, and when others less scrupulous are filling their bags daily, or -when in the wilder sections of country there is no one to complain or -object, requires the heroism of self-denial. Nevertheless, the effect of -example should not be forgotten, and the duty of the true sportsman is -clear and unmistakable: he must abide by the law; or, where there is no -law, must govern himself by analogous rules.</p> - -<p>In the wilderness, it is true, where birds are abundant to excess, he -may without blame supply his pot with cheeping grouse or wood-duck -flappers, if he can offer hunger as an excuse; but not even there, -unless driven by extremity, can he slay the parent of a brood that will -starve without parental care. In the settled regions, no matter how -great<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_149" id="page_149"></a>{149}</span> the provocation, the true sportsman will never forget the -chivalric motto, <i>noblesse oblige</i>.</p> - -<p>The close-times of the present statutes are not altogether correct; and -in so extensive a locality as the United States, where diverse interests -are to be considered, it is nearly impracticable to make the laws -perfect. For instance, where quail are abundant, as in the South, there -is no objection to killing them during the entire month of January; but, -as at that period they are often lean and tough, and have to contend, in -the Northern States, against dangers of the elements and rapacious -vermin, with not too favorable a chance for life—it is undesirable, -where they are in the least scarce, to continue the pursuit after -December.</p> - -<p>If it were possible to make a uniform law for the entire Union, and to -enforce it everywhere, English snipe and ducks should not be killed at -all during the spring. The latter at the time of their flight northward -are poor and fishy; but if they can be slain in New Jersey, it is hardly -worth while to protect them in New York. For every duck or snipe that -passes towards the hatching-grounds of British America in the early part -of the year, four or five return in the fall and winter. Could proper -protection, therefore, be enforced, the sport in the latter season would -be four times as great as in the former.</p> - -<p>As matters stand, however, the seasons for killing game birds should be: -For woodcock, from July fourth to December thirty-first; for ruffed and -pinnated<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_150" id="page_150"></a>{150}</span> grouse, from September first—and quail from November -first—to the same period, both days inclusive; for wood-duck from -August first till they migrate southward. It is desirable to fix upon -anniversaries or days that are easily remembered. Woodcock are often -young and weak in early summer, and the three days gained between the -first and the fourth of July are quite an advantage. Although the first -brood of quail may be fully grown in October, a vast number of the birds -are too small, and the brush is too dense and thick before the first of -the ensuing month; whereas it is simply monstrous to slay pinnated -grouse, put up by the panting, overheated pointer from the high grass of -the western prairie, in the month of August, ere they can half fly. But -the migratory birds of the coast—the waterfowl and snipe, the waders -and plovers—may continue to be shot when they can be found, till their -rapidly diminishing numbers shall compel a more sensible and considerate -treatment.</p> - -<p>The bay-snipe lead the advancing army of the game birds that have sought -the cool and secluded marshes of Hudson’s Bay and the Northern Ocean to -raise their young, and are hastening south from approaching cold and -darkness to more congenial climes. Next come the beautiful wood-duck, -and, almost simultaneously, the English snipe; then the swift but -diminutive teal; after him the broad-bill or the blue-bill of the west; -and then a host of other ducks, till the hardy canvas-backs and geese<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_151" id="page_151"></a>{151}</span> -bring up the rear. From July, when the yellow-legs and dowitchers -abound; throughout August, in which month the larger bay-birds are -continuously streaming by; during September, when the English snipe are -on the meadows and the wood-ducks in the lily-pad marshes of the -fresh-water lakes; in October, when the teal and blue-bills are abundant -in the great west; all through the fall and into winter, when the geese -and canvas-backs arrive, the bayman finds his sport in perfection.</p> - -<p>Many of the upland birds are disappearing; the quail is being killed -with merciless energy, and his loved haunts of dense brush are cleared -away from year to year; the woodcock can hardly rest in peace long -enough to rear her young, and finds many of her favorite secluded spots -drained by the enterprising farmer; the ruffed grouse disappears with -the receding forest, and the prairie chicken with the cultivation of the -open land. But although innumerable ducks, snipe, and plovers are killed -every season, and by unjustifiable measures are driven from certain -localities, their vast flights throughout the whole country—amounting -to myriads in the west—are apparently as innumerable as ever.</p> - -<p>From the first of August to the last of December they stretch athwart -the sky from the Atlantic to the Pacific; and although in localities -they may appear scarce, still constitute countless hosts. Were it -possible to stand on some peak of the Rocky Mountains, and take in at a -glance the vast stretch of heavens from ocean to ocean, with the moving<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_152" id="page_152"></a>{152}</span> -myriads of migratory flocks, the mind would be astonished; and it would -seem impossible ever to reduce their numbers. This is to a certain -degree true; for so long as the lagoons of the South shall remain -undisturbed, and the shores of the bays and rivers unoccupied to any -great extent, this abundance of the migratory birds will continue.</p> - -<p>But who can tell how long this will last? The methods of destruction are -being perfected, the number of destroyers is increasing, until now the -reverberation of the fowling piece accompanies the water-fowl from the -rocky shores of Maine to the sandy coasts of North Carolina with the -unceasing roar of threatened death. Twenty years ago, and “batteries,” -as they are called, the sunken floats which are the most fatal ambushes -of the gunner, were almost unknown south of Havre de Grace; now they are -so abundant throughout the waters of North Carolina that the migratory -bird is never out of ear-shot of them during his entire journey.</p> - -<p>It would be better for the permanence of wild-fowl shooting never to use -batteries where fair sport can be obtained from points or blinds. Ducks, -geese, and, above all, swans have great faith in the sharpness of their -eyes and the acuteness of their noses. Dangers that they can see they -are rather tempted to scorn. They learn to shun points where man may -conceal his murderous propensities, and are not to be inveigled by the -apparent security of the deceitful likenesses of themselves which are -innocently nestling near by. They seek the safety<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_153" id="page_153"></a>{153}</span> of the open water, -and feed in the narrow bays and marsh-encompassed ponds during moonlight -nights, if they belong to the tribes that are compelled to gain their -living by grubbing at the bottom, with heads down and tails up. And no -matter how they are harried in certain places, they feel safe in others -close at hand. But the battery, sunken to a level with the water and -hidden by the stand of decoys around it, placed on their favorite -feeding grounds and in the broad bosom of the open bays, is too much for -their courage or sagacity. To see a man, a merciless and murderous -mortal, arise in all his horrid aspect from the depths of the sea, from -the middle of a body of their fellows, is a terror that custom never -stales. After a few such experiences, they lose faith in themselves, -and, if possible, take flight to safer and more propitious realms.</p> - -<p>To those who are accustomed to it, there is no more delightful method of -shooting than from a battery, but a novice will find much trouble in -becoming accustomed to the confined position and the awkwardness of -motion. I remember, years ago, hearing Mr. Dominy, who then kept the -famous sporting hostelry at Fire Island, say that if he was to shoot on -a wager for his life, he would prefer to shoot from a battery rather -than in any other way. To one not used to the narrow box and constrained -position, lying on one’s back does not seem to be the most cheerful -manner of killing any species of game. There is everything in habit, and -certainly the exhilaration of watching the approach<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_154" id="page_154"></a>{154}</span> of the birds as -they come nearer and nearer, and grow larger and larger, from mere -specks on the horizon to the size of broad-bills, canvas-backs, or -perhaps brant or geese, is hardly to be surpassed by any kind of sport. -In most of the Southern waters the destructive nature of these machines -is so well recognized, that non-residents are not permitted to use them, -and the natives keep this method of wild-fowling to themselves.</p> - -<p>The shooter lies on his back in this modified coffin, and whenever a -flock approaches he rises to a sitting posture and fires. He cannot -leave his floating home, and is unable to retrieve his ducks without the -aid of an assistant. There have been many accidents arising from -carelessness or inexperience, not merely in the use of the machine -itself, but from the fault of the tender; and so many guns have blown -holes in the bottom of the box, that it is the habit of the gunners on -the south side of Long Island always to warn green hands, and instruct -them how to rest and hold their guns. In two instances within my own -knowledge, the sailing boat that accompanies the shooter, and serves as -his tender and protector, was unable to return to him. In one case it -was driven to leeward, and could not work back to windward, and in the -other it went aground on a falling tide just before dark, when the -thermometer ranged but little above zero. In both cases the sportsmen -were saved, but in both the hand of death grazed them closely.</p> - -<p>Night shooting is a still more deleterious practice.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_155" id="page_155"></a>{155}</span> Wild fowl must be -allowed to rest at night; indeed, the same might be said of most other -animals, including the human family. If they are not, they will -inevitably wend their way elsewhere. The discharge of one shot at night, -with its accompaniment of flame, and its noise reverberating more -horribly in the still and silent hours, will do more to frighten away -the marsh ducks than any amount of daylight shooting. As the night -begins to fall, the fowl begin to seek the marshes. They rise from the -open water where they have been resting, perhaps without being able to -feed at all, and move towards the shore, coming on in a steady unbroken -flight, until they have all found nesting and feeding grounds in the -shoal water. Drive them from such places in the night, and there will be -no shooting during the day.</p> - -<p>The use of pivot-guns is another reprehensible practice that has been so -earnestly condemned, even among market-gunners, that it has been in a -great measure abandoned. Still, however, in some quiet bay of one of the -great lakes of the West, where there is no one to observe the iniquity, -or of a moonlight night on the Chesapeake, the poaching murderer, -sculling his boat down upon an unsuspicious flock crowded together and -feeding or asleep, will discharge a pound or two of coarse shot from his -diminutive cannon; and wounding hundreds, will kill scores of ducks at -the one fatal discharge. The noise, however, reverberating over land and -water, scatters the tidings of the guilty act far and wide;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_156" id="page_156"></a>{156}</span> and often -brings upon the criminal detection and punishment. To avoid this the -pivot-shooter will sometimes, as soon as he has fired, throw his gun -overboard with a buoy attached to it, and if pursued, pretend he has -used nothing but his small fowling-piece. The practice of -pivot-shooting, however, has almost ceased, never having been -extensively adopted; and has nothing whatever sportsmanlike about it, -being a mixture of cruelty and theft.</p> - -<p>Another mode of pursuing ducks, which is at the same time attractive, -exciting, and injurious, is by the use of a sail-boat. Not only is there -the excitement of the pursuit, the rushing down wind with bellying sail -and hissing water—the crested waves parting at the prow and lengthening -out behind in two long lines of foam—but there is the free motion and -the pleasant breeze to stimulate the sportsman. This is really a -delightful sport, combining the excitement of shooting with the -exhilaration of sailing; but as it disturbs the flocks upon their -feeding-grounds, as it gives them no rest during the noontide hours, -when it appears that ducks—like all other sensible people—love to -indulge in a quiet nap, it eventually drives them away; and not only -makes them shy of the locality, but injures the sport of the -point-shooter, who depends upon their regular flights for his success. -It is not often very remunerative, but is uncommonly attractive, and is -only condemned with great reluctance on proof of its injurious results.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_157" id="page_157"></a>{157}</span></p> - -<p>But while sailing for ducks is wisely forbidden by the laws of New York -and of most of the older States, that prohibition should not be -stretched beyond the true meaning and intent of the statute. Coots, the -big black sea coot of the coast and his congeners, not the little mud -coot or blue peter of the fresh waters, may be ducks from a scientific -point of view, but they were never intended to be included in the -prohibition. These dusky gentlemen are wonderful divers, they swim under -water almost as readily and rapidly as they fly above it, and seek their -food at the bottom. They do not so much live on fish, in fact I have -never noticed fish in their stomachs, although some authorities say that -they feed on them, but they devour incredible numbers of small clams and -oysters. They are not content to take the full grown bivalve, two or -three of which would make a solid meal even for a voracious coot, but -they invariably select the tiny fellows just starting in life, and of -whom it takes a great many to furnish forth a breakfast or dinner. There -is little sport in shooting these tough fellows, and no sport except in -killing them from a sailboat when underway.</p> - -<p>In this chapter on the obligations that man owes to his feathered -friends, his naturalized assistants must not be forgotten. The imported -sparrow, though small in himself, has done a great work for our country, -and still more for our cities. We all know that gratitude is a fleeting -sentiment, and looks rather to things hoped for than to those<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_158" id="page_158"></a>{158}</span> which -have already been conferred, and it is somewhat the fashion to decry the -bustling busy immigrant from abroad; but those who remember the -condition of our streets and parks, hung full with disgusting measuring -worms pendent from every tree and branch, till to pass through them was -an annoyance, will not wholly forget our debt to the English sparrow. He -has been, wrongfully I think, accused of driving away our native birds, -but before we condemn him it will have to be shown, not only that he has -done so, but in addition that he has driven away birds more useful than -himself.</p> - -<p>It is but a few years since he was first brought among us, and already -have the caterpillars so thoroughly disappeared, that one is rarely seen -in our streets, and the trees are allowed to bear their foliage in -peace, instead of being reduced to bare boughs, as was their invariable -fate in old times. The sparrow has been accused, and has been compelled -to plead guilty of the crime of not eating the hairy as well as the -smooth-skinned caterpillar, but it ought to be urged in mitigation, -before he is condemned to condign punishment, that his adversaries do -not do so either, while they are guilty of the further crime of not even -eating the smooth-skinned kinds.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_159" id="page_159"></a>{159}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.<br /><br /> -GUNNERY—MUZZLE-LOADERS AND BREECH-LOADERS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">To</span> the young sportsman, armed with the finest of implements, and -trusting much to them for his success, it is a matter of mortification -and surprise how well a bad gun will shoot in good hands; nevertheless, -no true sportsman ever lived but, if he were able by any self-denial to -scrape the means together, would purchase a valuable and necessarily -expensive fowling-piece. Not only is a well made and handsomely finished -gun safer and lighter than a cheap affair manufactured for the wholesale -trade; not only does it ordinarily carry closer and recoil less; but it -needs fewer repairs, lasts infinitely longer, and is always a matter of -pride and delight to its owner.</p> - -<p>Many guns of inferior workmanship throw shot as strongly as those turned -out by the best makers—although this is not the fact in general—but -greater weight has to be given to insure tolerable safety, and the -locks, if not the barrels, are sure to give out in a few years; whereas -the high-priced article will be as perfect at the end of a dozen -years—which have accustomed its owner to its easy, rapid, and effective -management—as it was in the beginning, and will endure until failing -sight, wasting<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_160" id="page_160"></a>{160}</span> disease, or accumulating years, shall compel its -transfer into younger hands.</p> - -<p>Unless a man has continual practice, or is an excellent shot, it is a -serious undertaking to change his gun and accustom himself to another, -which, although apparently identical in weight and shape, will -inevitably differ in some slight point that will be sufficient to -destroy, for a time, accuracy in aim and prompt execution in cover. Some -persons require months to acquire the effective use of a new gun under -difficult circumstances; and in those dense thickets where so much of -our shooting is done, and where it is by instinct founded upon long -habit that the sportsman is enabled at all to kill his game, and where -he cannot indulge in the deliberate care that more open shooting -allows—this deficiency will be most painfully apparent. For such -persons to purchase a new piece, is equivalent to throwing away the -sport of an entire summer or fall, and when we consider that few of us -can expect to average more than forty summers or falls, the loss of -one-fortieth part of life’s enjoyment is no trivial deprivation.</p> - -<p>A very cheap gun is dangerous; but it is not expected that any person -reading these lines will trust his life with an instrument that common -sense tells him is manufactured to kill at both ends. A gun of moderate -price, that is, from forty to fifty dollars, is as safe as the most -expensive—the iron is not so tough, but more of it is used; but in a -short time the barrels will wear away; the locks, losing their<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_161" id="page_161"></a>{161}</span> original -quick spring and sharp click, will become dull and weak, till they will -scarcely discharge the cap; and the stock, warping with the weather, -will exhibit yawning fissures between itself and the iron lock-plates or -false breech.</p> - -<p>In lightness, however, is the great superiority of the highly wrought -implement; and in hard tramping through a dense swamp of a hot July day, -or deep wading in a soft snipe-meadow, or in a wearisome trudge over -hill and dale after November quail, a pound will make itself felt in the -additional weight of the fowling-piece, and not only so, but a light gun -can be handled more readily. In open shooting, especially for the wild -fowl of our bays and coasts, mere weight is a positive advantage; but in -the tangled thickets, where birds flash out of sight like gleams of -party-colored light, and the instantaneous use of the piece can alone -secure success, a light gun is an absolute necessity.</p> - -<p>Moreover, on certain occasions, when the barrels are exposed to an -extraordinary strain, when the piece built for light charges and upland -shooting is used temporarily upon the larger game of the coasts or -woods, and the two and a half drachms of powder and ounce of fine shot -are replaced by a dozen buck-shot, or an ounce and a half of No. 3 -driven by five drachms of powder—then it is pleasant to feel that the -iron is of the utmost possible tenacity and the workmanship in every way -faultless.</p> - -<p>A learned dissertation on the science of gunnery is neither appropriate -to the occasion nor<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_162" id="page_162"></a>{162}</span> possible to the author, and would probably prove as -little entertaining as instructive to the reader. The majority of -purchasers cannot form an exact opinion relative to the merits of a gun -prepared with the utmost skill and ingenuity to deceive them, and must -rely mainly on the word of the seller or reputation of the maker. There -is something, to be sure, in the smooth working of the locks, and still -more in the perfect fitting of the stock; but after all, even to the -experienced sportsman, there is little difference in appearance between -the Shamdamn and the purest laminated steel.</p> - -<p>American importers have a peculiarly moral and respectable habit of -vending German guns stamped with the names of English makers, and pacify -their consciences with the idea that the manufactures of Germany are not -inferior to those of England; but they would give more satisfaction to -the public and more ease to their consciences by proving this in open -contest, and establishing the reputation of the German makers, than by -appropriating the names and reputations that good work has made famous. -So far is this deception carried, that some houses even order from the -Belgian manufacturers a certain number, nominally, of each of the -leading gun-makers. It may be that there is little real difference, -although on the continental guns you sometimes pay for useless ornament, -money that should have been expended where it would tell, on locks and -barrels; but the mode of proceeding is certainly not creditable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_163" id="page_163"></a>{163}</span></p> - -<p>In a highly finished article the locks usually work with a smooth -oiliness that can be distinguished with a little practice, and are -fitted with great accuracy into the stock, so that projections of wood -will be left standing not thicker than a piece of blotting-paper. The -barrels will be without flaw or indentation, and if looked through with -the breech removed, will exhibit a perfect ring of light flowing up -evenly, as they are raised or lowered. The mountings will be faultless, -and the cuts in all the screw-heads will point in the same direction; -the screws will work easily and yet perfectly, and the triggers and -trigger-plate, which are invariably neglected in a poor gun, will be -admirably finished and fitted. Examine all these particulars, but -especially the last, and you can form some judgment whether the piece -comes from a good maker or a spurious imitator.</p> - -<p>The greatest attention, however, in the selection of a gun should be -paid to the form of the stock and the pull of the triggers; if the -former is unsuited to the shape of the purchaser, or the latter are -stiff or dissimilar, the consequence will be utter failure that no -amount of practice will remedy. If the purchaser’s arms and neck are -long, the stock may be long and crooked; but if the contrary is the -case, the stock must be short and straight.</p> - -<p>If possible, the person intending to use a gun should select it for -himself; and if it does not “come up right” the first time he brings it -to his eye, he should refuse it positively. He must not allow himself -to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_164" id="page_164"></a>{164}</span> be persuaded to try it again and again; for after one or two trials -he will instinctively adapt his eye to its construction, and will -imagine the gun suits him—an impression that the rapid flight of the -first quail he endeavors to cover will dissipate. The triggers should -give back at a weight of four or five pounds; the hammers of a -muzzle-loader at ten or twelve, and of a breech-loader at twelve or -fourteen. For the former, the best cone is what is called the inverted, -where the bore is larger at the top and receives the entire flame from -the cap.</p> - -<p>The shape of the breech for the muzzle-loader formerly gave rise to much -learned disquisition and many plausible theories; but, in all -probability, had no influence on the shooting, which is due mainly to -the form and quality of the barrels. Joe Manton founded his fame on the -idea that the lines of force, if reflected from a hollow cup, like rays -of light from a reflector, would be directed parallel to one another and -lengthwise of the barrel; but later experiments have tended to destroy -this theory. The simple fact appears to be, that powder exerts just so -much force, and, as it cannot escape sideways, it must go out at the end -of the barrel; and that the shape of the breech, except so far as it may -affect the rapidity of ignition, has no influence whatever.</p> - -<p>These questions, however, are being effectually disposed of by the march -of events and the general diffusion of breech-loaders; to the latter, as -they are not universally known or appreciated in our country—to which, -by its nature and its game, they are<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_165" id="page_165"></a>{165}</span> peculiarly adapted—the writer’s -remarks will be mainly confined. Feeling entirely convinced, even from a -short experience, of their superiority in most particulars, and their -equality in all, he regards the consequence as inevitable that they will -utterly supersede the old-fashioned fowling-piece; the few defects that -were originally alleged to exist in them having been either removed or -remedied, and the supply of ammunition for them in this country having -become sufficient. They have won their way slowly into public favor -against the interested opposition of gun-makers on one hand, and the -ignorance and superstitious dread of change of gun-users on the other.</p> - -<p>They are a French invention of forty years’ standing, and proved their -superiority long ago; but prejudice was too strong for them, as it has -been for many another good thing. Their merits, nevertheless, slowly -conquered opposition, convinced the intelligent, and confounded the -obstinate; till at last in England—the very hot-bed of prejudice and -the favorite abiding-place of antiquated ideas—there are now sold fifty -breech-loaders to one muzzle-loader. As they are not universally used -with us, the description of them will have to be somewhat minute, and -would be better understood if the reader would take the trouble to -examine one for himself.</p> - -<p>The best and most generally adopted of the various kinds is the -<i>Lefaucheux</i>, or some slight modification of it; and to that the -attention will be principally directed. In this gun the breech, which -in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_166" id="page_166"></a>{166}</span> the muzzle-loader screws into the barrel, is omitted, and the -barrels are open at both ends; they are fastened to the stock by a pin -and joint a few inches beyond the guard. When free, the muzzle hangs -down, and the breech end presents itself several inches above the stock, -so that the cartridge can be readily inserted; when the barrels are -pressed back into their place for firing, they are caught by a bolt that -can be opened or closed by a lever lying along the under part of the -stock, between the guard and the joint. The false breech is flat, solid, -and heavy, and completes the barrels, taking the place and performing -the duty of the breech in the muzzle-loader. The hammers have a flat -surface on the striking end, and the locks are back-actioned, to avoid -interfering with the other mechanism.</p> - -<p>The pin cartridge is made of paper, shaped like a short section of the -barrel, with a brass capsule on one end and open at the other; it is two -or three inches long, and has a pad of thick paper beneath the capsule. -In this pad a hole is punched on the inside and the percussion-cap is -inserted, with a brass pin resting in it and projecting above the -capsule on the outside. The percussion-cap is entirely within the -cartridge-case, and the brass pin passes through a hole drilled in one -side of the capsule, just large enough to admit it and exclude moisture -entirely. A blow on the projecting end of the pin drives the other end -into the cap, and discharges the latter. The cartridge-case is prepared -already capped, and is sold in England for from thirty to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_167" id="page_167"></a>{167}</span> fifty -shillings the thousand; it may be recapped by an instrument made for the -purpose with a peculiar cap, and may be used, on an average, three -times.</p> - -<p>The cartridge must be loaded as the gun would be, only by the use of a -short ramrod or a special loading implement; the powder is poured in, a -wad placed above it, and the shot and another wad follow. The cartridge -may then be trimmed down and the end bent over, so as to retain the load -securely, if it is to be carried for a considerable distance; but where -the shooting is from a boat or stand, the case should be left untrimmed -and of full length. A chamber is cut away in the lower part of the -barrel, which corresponds exactly with the cartridge-case, so that the -latter fits perfectly in it; but, if there is an interval between the -end of the cartridge and the shoulder in the barrel, no injury to the -charge or the shooting appears to result. A small notch is cut in the -upper edge of the barrel to contain the brass pin, and allow it to -project so as to receive the blow from the hammer.</p> - -<p>When the bolt is withdrawn and the barrels are allowed to fall so as to -bring the open breech fairly into view, the loaded cartridge is -inserted, the barrels are sprung back to their place with a sharp snap -that sends them home at once, and are ready to be discharged. To allow -the cartridge to be inserted, the hammers must be drawn to half or full -cock; and when the trigger is pulled, they fall upon the pin, which -penetrates the cap and fires the load. The entire mechanism is so simple -that it can hardly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_168" id="page_168"></a>{168}</span> become deranged, and will last as long as the -barrels. The greatest care is necessary in making the chamber that -receives the cartridge of a proper shape, for if this is faulty the -cartridges are apt to stick after explosion.</p> - -<p>There is no decided improvement on the original Lefaucheux model, except -in the modification of the machinery, and a convenient method of -separating the barrels from the stock; and no other innovation of a like -character need be particularly described. The needle-gun, which is made -on a somewhat similar principle, is more curious than valuable, being -both dangerous and complicated, and possesses no advantages over the -other pattern. In it the cartridge has a percussion-cap so disposed at -its base that it is penetrated by a needle, which is projected by a -spring through a hole in the lower end of the cartridge; but the -composition of the cartridge, and the manner of its insertion, are -altogether different from the same in the Lefaucheux gun.</p> - -<p>According to the arrangement of some English guns, on a plan invented by -Jeffries, the lever, instead of closing forward, lies under the -trigger-guard, when the barrels are closed; and provision is made for -tightening the bolt, in case it wears loose by long usage. This -invention permits of the use of forward-action locks, and the easy -separation of the barrels from the stock, and has come into vogue in -England; it is undoubtedly convenient in both these particulars, and has -as yet developed no corresponding drawbacks.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_169" id="page_169"></a>{169}</span></p> - -<p>Personally, the writer has always preferred British to French or Belgian -guns, although chance has compelled him to own as many of the latter as -the former. The English gun is made for work; even when cheaply -manufactured, it will be found effective where efficiency is necessary; -and it is far more beautiful to the eye of a true sportsman, with its -plain blued lock-plates, and total deficiency of ornament, than the -Continental weapon, covered with engraving and ornamentation, but -defective in some of those minutiæ that lend nothing to its beauty, but -add much to its usefulness. This is particularly the case with -breech-loaders, which, if not manufactured carefully, are almost -useless, and which, although originally invented in France, are at this -day produced in more serviceable style—unless where the highest-priced -article is obtained—in England than in the country of their origin. -Great discredit was brought upon breech-loaders among us at their first -introduction, in consequence of the importation of inferior articles, -and they still labor under the disadvantages of that failure, although -rapidly overcoming all objections.</p> - -<p>There are a few implements that are necessary to the use of a -breech-loader, which are much simpler than they at first appear. To load -the cartridge is required either a short ramrod and a machine for -turning over the edges of the case upon the wad, to retain it in its -place, or an apparatus, also invented by Jeffries, that combines all the -requisites for loading, and by the aid of which a hundred cartridges<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_170" id="page_170"></a>{170}</span> -can be loaded in an hour. As the case can be used several times, and the -cap, which is of a peculiar size, has to be placed in its exact position -to receive the pin, a capper invented for the purpose is employed, by -which the cap is inserted, and the pin pressed into it without the least -difficulty; a pair of tweezers are used to withdraw the pin after a -discharge, in order to free the old cap and make room for the new, and a -large gimlet will be found useful for extracting any discharged caps -that may happen to stick.</p> - -<p>A cleaning-apparatus is also occasionally used, consisting of a brush at -one end of a string and a small weight at the other; the weight is -dropped through the open barrel and the brush drawn after it; but, as -the gun may be fired ten times as often as a muzzle-loader without -fouling, a plain rag and cleaning-rod will answer. Cartridge-cases, of -course, cannot be obtained like powder and shot at every country store, -and to obviate the danger of finding oneself, after extraordinary -good-luck with a gun, without the means of firing it, it is well to -carry a couple of brass cases, which can be used with a common French -cap, and reloaded indefinitely almost as quickly as a muzzle-loader.</p> - -<p>The sportsman, by the aid of these implements and a couple of scoops -with handles for powder and shot, recaps the cartridges which have been -discharged, loads them as he would a gun, only much more rapidly, and -lays them aside for future use. In the field, he carries them in a -leather case,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_171" id="page_171"></a>{171}</span> or, which is the preferable plan, in a belt round the -waist, or in his pockets, being able to store in the pockets of his vest -alone at least twenty. The English sportsmen carry them loose in the -pockets of their shooting-coats; but a belt is convenient and -commodious, holding from thirty to fifty, and distributes the weight -pleasantly. Where the shooting is to be done from a boat or stand, of -course they will be kept in an ammunition-box, without having their -edges turned over, as there will be nothing to loosen the wads.</p> - -<p>The reader may naturally suppose that there is risk in carrying a number -of loaded cartridges about the person; but in this he is entirely -mistaken. In the first place, the difficulty of discharging a cartridge, -except in the gun, is surprising; no pressure will explode the cap, and -no ordinary blow, unless the cartridge is retained in a fixed position; -and if one falls, the weight of the shot compels it inevitably to fall -on the end: but in case these difficulties are overcome, the result is -merely the discharge of a large fire-cracker.</p> - -<p>The writer instituted a number of experiments, and having succeeded, -after many trials, in setting off the cartridge, found that the powder -burst the paper, but failed to drive the wad out of the case. This was -tried with cartridges in all positions, horizontal and perpendicular, -but produced invariably the same result, with unimportant modifications; -and it was further ascertained that the fire from one would not -communicate to another. So that, if a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_172" id="page_172"></a>{172}</span> cartridge does explode -accidentally, it may scorch the clothes or even burn the person -slightly, but can inflict no serious injury. These remarks, however, do -not apply to the brass cartridge-cases, which must be handled more -carefully. The common paper-cases may therefore be carried with perfect -impunity, and transported, if carefully packed, without risk.</p> - -<p>A more curious idea—for the dread of danger from the loaded cartridge -is natural—prevailed at one time, that the barrels were weakened -because they were open behind, instead of being closed by the -breech-screw; as if a cylinder would be rendered more cohesive by -screwing another piece of metal into one end. In fact, if the -breech-screw has any effect whatever upon the strength of the gun, its -presence is probably an injury. The charge, it will be observed, presses -against the shot on one side and the false breech on the other, and -would not be retained any more securely by the addition of a -breech-screw, which tends to separate instead of closing the barrel. So, -also, it must be borne in mind there is no strain worth mentioning on -the hinge-bolt, and no danger of the barrels blowing away with the -charge; while the disposal of the metal at the false breech, and the -omission of the ramrod, tends to make the gun light at the muzzle—a -great advantage in snap-shooting.</p> - -<p>There is absolutely no escape of gas at the break-off; none can escape -unless the brass capsule, which closes the joint hermetically, can be -driven out, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_173" id="page_173"></a>{173}</span> this is a sheer impossibility. The gas cannot penetrate -the paper of the cartridge, and if it bursts the latter, still cannot -escape except through the brass; and although the least perceptible -amount may come out alongside of the pin, it is scarcely traceable, and -nothing like what is lost at the percussion-cap in the common gun. These -cartridges are wonderfully close, as the reader may conclude when he is -informed that a loaded breech-loader, left entirely under water for -fifteen minutes, was discharged as promptly as though it had never been -wet; while a muzzle-loader, that had not been half so long exposed, -would not go at all, and required an hour’s cleaning. In fact, the -breech-loader is entirely impervious to any ordinary wetting, will not -fail in the worst rain, and the average number of miss-fires, in well -made cartridges, is one in a thousand.</p> - -<p>In the handling of this gun there is one peculiarity: the pins rise from -the middle of the cartridge, and not at one side, like the ordinary -cones, thus bringing the hammers closer together. To the beginner this -may appear awkward, but is no real disadvantage. It would seem also -desirable to use more powder with a breech-loader, although this is not -necessary to so great an extent as it was formerly; but, on the other -hand, the weight at the breech appears either to diminish the recoil or -reduce its effects on the shooter; as the testimony of persons using -breech-loaders is unanimous that the recoil is less perceptible than -with muzzle-loaders, although the scales have refused to verify their -impression.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_174" id="page_174"></a>{174}</span></p> - -<p>One immense advantage of the breech-loader is its safety in loading, -especially in a confined position, as on a boat or in a battery. -Whereas, in the muzzle-loader, immediately after the discharge, while -the smoke is still pouring from the barrel, and while the fire may be -smouldering invisible below, the sportsman deliberately pours in a fresh -charge of powder, holding his hand and the entire flask over the muzzle, -endangering his life, and incurring injury far more frequently than most -persons suppose; with the breech-loader, the barrels are opened and fall -into such a position that no discharge can take place, and never point -towards the person of their owner.</p> - -<p>Several of the writer’s friends have been maimed for life by the -premature discharge of a load in the muzzle-loader from a spark -remaining in the barrel; the risk connected with it has always seemed -very great; and even with the patent flasks, which are hardly practical -inventions, more or less unavoidable. This danger is entirely obviated -by the breech-loader, which cannot go off until the barrels are restored -to position after the charges are inserted; cannot leave hidden sparks -to imperil the owner’s life or limb; never expose the hand over the -loaded barrel, that may have been left at half-cock, if the sportsman is -liable to thoughtlessness or over-excitement; and which can be loaded -without difficulty in the most confined position. So, not only do we -have rapidity, but entire safety in loading.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_175" id="page_175"></a>{175}</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_007.jpg" alt="GATES OF ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA." title="" /> -<br /> -<span class="caption">GATES OF ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA.</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_176" id="page_176"></a>{176}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_177" id="page_177"></a>{177}</span> </p> - -<p>The objections, however, urged against breech-loaders have not been few, -and, if well founded, forbid the use of the gun; if, as has been said, -the target is not so good, nor the shot sent with as much force, the -requisites of a first-class sporting implement are wanting. These -charges, freely advanced, have been sustained in a measure by the -wretched performance of poor guns, but were early been brought to the -only true test—actual experience, under equal conditions; and by this -test have been so utterly annihilated that their discussion is only -necessary on account of popular ignorance of the experiments. When -breech-loaders first came prominently before the English public, their -supposed merits and demerits were discussed in the sporting papers in an -animated and violent manner; and in order to settle the questions at -issue, the editor of the London <i>Field</i> determined to have an open -trial, where the breech-loaders and muzzle-loaders could be fairly -matched against one another. The contests took place in 1858 and 1859, -and being carefully conducted, settled the dispute for the time being, -and, even before the latest improvements, established more fully the -superiority of the breech-loader. The best guns and gun-makers of -England were represented; and in spite of occasional variation and -accidental luck—as in the pattern of the first muzzle-loader—the -prejudices against the modern arm were so entirely dissipated that the -old-fashioned guns are at present rarely sold.</p> - -<p>Since that trial considerable advance has been<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_178" id="page_178"></a>{178}</span> made in the minutiæ of -the manufacture; and now it is the general impression of those -acquainted with the arm, that the breech-loader, with a slight -additional increase of powder, shoots both stronger and closer than its -rival. In the pigeon-matches, with scarcely an exception, held both in -this country, of late years, as well as in Great Britain, where it is to -be supposed that the best implements the country could furnish would be -used, and where some of the shooting was done at thirty yards, the -favorite and most successful weapons have been breech-loaders. With all -allowance for the quality of the marksman, the quality of the gun that -wins a match at English “blue-rocks” must unquestionably be good; and -this, the universal experience of those matter-of-fact John Bulls, who -test everything by success, has entirely confirmed.</p> - -<p>A trial of guns was made in 1859, and the results were published in -tabular form in <i>The Shot-Gun and Sporting Rifle</i>, by Stonehenge, p. -304. The targets were made of double bag-cap paper, 90 lbs. to the ream, -circular, thirty inches in diameter, with a centre of twelve inches -square, and were nailed against a smooth surface of deal boards. The -centres were composed of forty thicknesses for forty yards, and twenty -for sixty yards, and weighed eighteen and nine ounces respectively, with -such slight variation as will always occur in brown paper. The powder -was Laurence’s No. 2, the shot No. 6, containing 290 pellets to the -ounce, and the charges were weighed in every instance.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_179" id="page_179"></a>{179}</span></p> - -<p class="cb"><big>TABLES OF THE FIELD TRIAL.</big> -</p> - -<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;"> - -<tr valign="middle" class="c"><td>Kind of Gun.</td> - -<td> -Bore.</td> -<td> -Length<br /> -of<br /> -Barrel.</td> - -<td>Weight<br /> -of<br /> -Gun. -</td> - -<td>Charge<br /> - of<br /> -Powder. -</td> - -<td> - -Charge<br /> - of<br /> -Shot. -</td> - -<td colspan="4"> - -No. of Marks on<br /> -Face of Targets. -</td> - -<td colspan="2"> - -No. of<br /> -Sheets<br /> -pierced.</td> - -<td colspan="2"> -No. of<br /> -Shots<br /> -through<br /> -20 sheets. -</td> - -<td> -Total on<br /> -face<br /> -of 4<br /> -targets. - -</td> - -<td> - -Tot’l<br /> -thro’gh<br /> -4<br /> -targets. -</td> - -<td colspan="2"> - -Recoil in<br />pounds.</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c"> </td> -<td class="c"> </td> -<td class="c"> in. </td> -<td class="c"> lb. oz. </td> -<td class="c"> drs.</td> -<td class="c"> oz. </td> -<td class="c" colspan="2">at 40 yds.</td> -<td class="c" colspan="2">at 60 yds.</td> -<td class="c" colspan="2"> at 40 yds.</td> -<td class="c" colspan="2"> at 60 yds.</td> -<td class="c"> </td> -<td class="c"> </td> -<td class="c" colspan="2"> </td></tr> - -<tr><td>Muzzle-loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 12 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 6.11 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¾ </td> -<td class="rt">1¼ </td> -<td class="rt"> 158 </td> -<td class="rt"> 118</td> -<td class="rt"> 68 </td> -<td class="rt"> 60 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 33 </td> -<td class="rt"> 5 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2 </td> -<td class="rt"> 399 </td> -<td class="rt"> 68 </td> -<td class="rt"> 68 </td> -<td class="rt"> 62</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 12 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7.6 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¾ </td> -<td class="rt">1¼ </td> -<td class="rt"> 148 </td> -<td class="rt"> 98</td> -<td class="rt"> 52 </td> -<td class="rt"> 65 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 22 </td> -<td class="rt"> 1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2 </td> -<td class="rt"> 363 </td> -<td class="rt"> 58 </td> -<td class="rt"> 66 </td> -<td class="rt"> 65</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 12 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29½</td> -<td class="rt"> 6.8 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¾ </td> -<td class="rt">1¼ </td> -<td class="rt"> 116 </td> -<td class="rt"> 129</td> -<td class="rt"> 46 </td> -<td class="rt"> 40 </td> -<td class="rt"> 25 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 331 </td> -<td class="rt"> 55 </td> -<td class="rt"> 68 </td> -<td class="rt"> 64</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Breech-loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 12 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7.8 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt">1¼ </td> -<td class="rt"> 144 </td> -<td class="rt"> 90</td> -<td class="rt"> 32 </td> -<td class="rt"> 58 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2 </td> -<td class="rt"> 324 </td> -<td class="rt"> 60 </td> -<td class="rt" colspan="2">untested.</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 12 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7.2 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt">1¼ </td> -<td class="rt"> 103 </td> -<td class="rt"> 93</td> -<td class="rt"> 60 </td> -<td class="rt"> 62 </td> -<td class="rt"> 24 </td> -<td class="rt"> 31 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2 </td> -<td class="rt"> 4 </td> -<td class="rt"> 318 </td> -<td class="rt"> 61 </td> -<td class="c" colspan="2"> "</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 12 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7.0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt">1¼ </td> -<td class="rt"> 132 </td> -<td class="rt"> 93</td> -<td class="rt"> 55 </td> -<td class="rt"> 38 </td> -<td class="rt"> 26 </td> -<td class="rt"> 33 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt"> 318 </td> -<td class="rt"> 64 </td> -<td class="rt"> 70</td> -<td class="rt"> 68</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Muzzle-loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 13 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7.0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¾ </td> -<td class="rt">1¼ </td> -<td class="rt"> 117 </td> -<td class="rt"> 71</td> -<td class="rt"> 47 </td> -<td class="rt"> 61 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29 </td> -<td class="rt"> 37 </td> -<td class="rt"> 4 </td> -<td class="rt"> 8 </td> -<td class="rt"> 296 </td> -<td class="rt"> 78 </td> -<td class="rt" colspan="2">untested.</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Breech-loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 13 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29 </td> -<td class="rt"> 6.10 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt">1⅛ </td> -<td class="rt"> 65 </td> -<td class="rt"> 135</td> -<td class="rt"> 24 </td> -<td class="rt"> 54 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29 </td> -<td class="rt"> 39 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 278 </td> -<td class="rt"> 69 </td> -<td class="rt"> 64</td> -<td class="rt"> 62</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Muzzle-loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 13 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 6.14 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¾ </td> -<td class="rt">1⅛ </td> -<td class="rt"> 113 </td> -<td class="rt"> 113</td> -<td class="rt"> 24 </td> -<td class="rt"> 46 </td> -<td class="rt"> 23 </td> -<td class="rt"> 34 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 296 </td> -<td class="rt"> 58 </td> -<td class="rt"> 68</td> -<td class="rt"> 68</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 12 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29½</td> -<td class="rt"> 6.10 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2½ </td> -<td class="rt">1<small>3/16</small></td> -<td class="rt"> 106 </td> -<td class="rt"> 103</td> -<td class="rt"> 35 </td> -<td class="rt"> 31 </td> -<td class="rt"> 22 </td> -<td class="rt"> 32 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 275 </td> -<td class="rt"> 54 </td> -<td class="rt"> 59</td> -<td class="rt"> 61</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Breech-loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 16 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7.4 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt">1¼ </td> -<td class="rt"> 95 </td> -<td class="rt"> 105</td> -<td class="rt"> 50 </td> -<td class="rt"> 31 </td> -<td class="rt"> 20 </td> -<td class="rt"> 27 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 281 </td> -<td class="rt"> 49 </td> -<td class="rt" colspan="2">untested.</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 16 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7.4 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¾ </td> -<td class="rt">1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 73 </td> -<td class="rt"> 99</td> -<td class="rt"> 22 </td> -<td class="rt"> 42 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 40 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 236 </td> -<td class="rt"> 71 </td> -<td class="rt"> 64</td> -<td class="rt"> 66</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 13 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28½</td> -<td class="rt"> 7.4 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt">1⅓ </td> -<td class="rt"> 97 </td> -<td class="rt"> 95</td> -<td class="rt"> 31 </td> -<td class="rt"> 20 </td> -<td class="rt"> 22 </td> -<td class="rt"> 26 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 243 </td> -<td class="rt"> 48 </td> -<td class="rt"> 65</td> -<td class="rt"> 61</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 12 </td> -<td class="rt"> 31 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7.8 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt">1⅓ </td> -<td class="rt"> 100 </td> -<td class="rt"> 77</td> -<td class="rt"> 32 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 33 </td> -<td class="rt"> 25 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 237 </td> -<td class="rt"> 58 </td> -<td class="rt"> 72</td> -<td class="rt"> 69</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 12 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7.4 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt">1¼ </td> -<td class="rt"> 88 </td> -<td class="rt"> 91</td> -<td class="rt"> 37 </td> -<td class="rt"> 31 </td> -<td class="rt"> 22 </td> -<td class="rt"> 27 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2 </td> -<td class="rt"> 1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 247 </td> -<td class="rt"> 52 </td> -<td class="rt"> 76</td> -<td class="rt"> 73</td></tr> - -<tr> -<td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 13 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 5.4 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt">1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 90 </td> -<td class="rt"> 87</td> -<td class="rt"> 20 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 20 </td> -<td class="rt"> 31 </td> -<td class="rt"> 1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 225 </td> -<td class="rt"> 52 </td> -<td class="rt"> 64</td> -<td class="rt"> 68</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 14 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29½</td> -<td class="rt"> 7.8 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt">1⅓ </td> -<td class="rt"> 60 </td> -<td class="rt"> 48</td> -<td class="rt"> 31 </td> -<td class="rt"> 40 </td> -<td class="rt"> 25 </td> -<td class="rt"> 23 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 179 </td> -<td class="rt"> 48 </td> -<td class="rt"> 74</td> -<td class="rt"> 68</td></tr> - -<tr><td> Averages </td> -<td class="rt"> </td> -<td class="rt"> </td> -<td class="rt"> </td> -<td class="rt"> </td> -<td class="rt"> </td> -<td class="rtb"> 106 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 97</td> -<td class="rtb"> 33 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 43 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 26 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 30 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 1 </td> -<td class="rtb">1½</td> -<td class="rtb"> 285 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 59 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 67</td> -<td class="rtb"> 66</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_180" id="page_180"></a>{180}</span></p> - -<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;"> - -<tr valign="middle" class="c"><td>Kind of Gun.</td> - -<td> -Bore.</td> -<td> -Length<br /> -of<br /> -Barrel.</td> - -<td>Weight<br /> -of<br /> -Gun. -</td> - -<td>Charge<br /> - of<br /> -Powder. -</td> - -<td> - -Charge<br /> - of<br /> -Shot. -</td> - -<td colspan="4"> - -No. of Marks on<br /> -Face of Targets. -</td> - -<td colspan="2"> - -No. of<br /> -Sheets<br /> -pierced.</td> - -<td colspan="2"> -No. of<br /> -Shots<br /> -through<br /> -20 sheets. -</td> - -<td> -Total on<br /> -face<br /> -of 4<br /> -targets. - -</td> - -<td> - -Tot’l<br /> -thro’gh<br /> -4<br /> -targets. -</td> - -<td colspan="2"> - -Recoil in<br />pounds.</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="rt"> </td> -<td class="c"> </td> -<td class="c"> in. </td> -<td class="c">lb. oz. </td> -<td class="c"> drs. </td> -<td class="c"> oz. </td> -<td class="c" colspan="2">at 40 yds.</td> -<td class="c" colspan="2">at 60 yds.</td> -<td class="c" colspan="2"> at 40 yds.</td> -<td class="c" colspan="2"> at 60 yds.</td> -<td class="c"> </td> -<td class="c"> </td> -<td class="c" colspan="2"> </td></tr> - -<tr><td>Muzzle loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 15 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 6.14 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¾ </td> -<td class="rt">1⅓ </td> -<td class="rt"> 101 </td> -<td class="rt"> 121</td> -<td class="rt"> 48 </td> -<td class="rt"> 55 </td> -<td class="rt"> 38 </td> -<td class="rt"> 22 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt"> 5 </td> -<td class="rt"> 325 </td> -<td class="rt"> 68 </td> -<td class="rt"> 63 </td> -<td class="rt"> 58</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 14 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28½</td> -<td class="rt"> 6.11 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¼ </td> -<td class="rt">1⅓ </td> -<td class="rt"> 147 </td> -<td class="rt"> 85</td> -<td class="rt"> 42 </td> -<td class="rt"> 48 </td> -<td class="rt"> 24 </td> -<td class="rt"> 19 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 322 </td> -<td class="rt"> 48 </td> -<td class="rt"> 53 </td> -<td class="rt"> 54</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 14 </td> -<td class="rt"> 27 </td> -<td class="rt"> 5.14 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2½ </td> -<td class="rt">1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 180 </td> -<td class="rt"> 92</td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 60 </td> -<td class="rt"> 25 </td> -<td class="rt"> 27 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 312 </td> -<td class="rt"> 54 </td> -<td class="rt"> 65 </td> -<td class="rt"> 63</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 16 </td> -<td class="rt"> 31 </td> -<td class="rt"> 6.12 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2½ </td> -<td class="rt">1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 122 </td> -<td class="rt"> 86</td> -<td class="rt"> 36 </td> -<td class="rt"> 57 </td> -<td class="rt"> 27 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 301 </td> -<td class="rt"> 57 </td> -<td class="rt"> 64 </td> -<td class="rt"> 62</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 14 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29 </td> -<td class="rt"> 6.0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¼ </td> -<td class="rt">1⅓ </td> -<td class="rt"> 101 </td> -<td class="rt"> 103</td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 55 </td> -<td class="rt"> 21 </td> -<td class="rt"> 25 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 289 </td> -<td class="rt"> 47 </td> -<td class="rt"> 60 </td> -<td class="rt"> 44</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Breech-loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 15 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 6.14 </td> -<td class="rt"> 8 </td> -<td class="rt">1¼ </td> -<td class="rt"> 105 </td> -<td class="rt"> 106</td> -<td class="rt"> 63 </td> -<td class="rt"> 26 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29 </td> -<td class="rt"> 33 </td> -<td class="rt"> 6 </td> -<td class="rt"> 1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 300 </td> -<td class="rt"> 69 </td> -<td class="rt"> 69 </td> -<td class="rt"> 76</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 15 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29 </td> -<td class="rt"> 6.8 </td> -<td class="rt"> 8 </td> -<td class="rt">1¼ </td> -<td class="rt"> 129 </td> -<td class="rt"> 57</td> -<td class="rt"> 45 </td> -<td class="rt"> 52 </td> -<td class="rt"> 20 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 3 </td> -<td class="rt"> 283 </td> -<td class="rt"> 51 </td> -<td class="rt"> 64 </td> -<td class="rt"> 60</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Muzzle-loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 14 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29 </td> -<td class="rt"> 6.4 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¾ </td> -<td class="rt">1⅓ </td> -<td class="rt"> 99 </td> -<td class="rt"> 99</td> -<td class="rt"> 34 </td> -<td class="rt"> 42 </td> -<td class="rt"> 32 </td> -<td class="rt"> 27 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 8 </td> -<td class="rt"> 274 </td> -<td class="rt"> 67 </td> -<td class="rt"> 68 </td> -<td class="rt"> 74</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Breech-loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 15 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7.0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 8 </td> -<td class="rt">1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 77 </td> -<td class="rt"> 100</td> -<td class="rt"> 41 </td> -<td class="rt"> 31 </td> -<td class="rt"> 33 </td> -<td class="rt"> 26 </td> -<td class="rt"> 5 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 249 </td> -<td class="rt"> 64 </td> -<td class="rt"> 71 </td> -<td class="rt"> 78</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Muzzle-loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 14 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7.0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¾ </td> -<td class="rt">1 </td> -<td class="rt"> 71 </td> -<td class="rt"> 92</td> -<td class="rt"> 52 </td> -<td class="rt"> 27 </td> -<td class="rt"> 20 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 242 </td> -<td class="rt"> 49 </td> -<td class="rt"> 69 </td> -<td class="rt"> 64</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c">" </td> -<td class="rt"> 15 </td> -<td class="rt"> 30½</td> -<td class="rt"> 6.8 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¾ </td> -<td class="rt">1⅓ </td> -<td class="rt"> 83 </td> -<td class="rt"> 55</td> -<td class="rt"> 44 </td> -<td class="rt"> 24 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 29 </td> -<td class="rt"> 5 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 206 </td> -<td class="rt"> 62 </td> -<td class="rt"> 68 </td> -<td class="rt"> 67</td></tr> - -<tr><td>Breech-loader </td> -<td class="rt"> 15 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 6.4 </td> -<td class="rt"> 2¾ </td> -<td class="rt">1⅓ </td> -<td class="rt"> 83 </td> -<td class="rt"> 101</td> -<td class="rt"> 34 </td> -<td class="rt"> 7 </td> -<td class="rt"> 18 </td> -<td class="rt"> 28 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 0 </td> -<td class="rt"> 225 </td> -<td class="rt"> 46 </td> -<td class="rt"> 68 </td> -<td class="rt"> 72</td></tr> - -<tr><td> Averages </td> -<td class="rt"> </td> -<td class="rt"> </td> -<td class="rt"> </td> -<td class="rt"> </td> -<td class="rt"> </td> -<td class="rtb"> 104 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 92</td> -<td class="rtb"> 42 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 40 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 26 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 27 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 2 </td> -<td class="rtb">1½</td> -<td class="rtb"> 277 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 56 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 65 </td> -<td class="rtb"> 64</td></tr> - -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_181" id="page_181"></a>{181}</span></p> - -<p>The guns were classified according to their weight. The breech-loaders, -which used one quarter of a drachm more powder, showed about an equal -recoil; the recoil differed surprisingly, ranging from 44 to 76 lbs., -and was no indication of the power with which the shot was driven—a -greater number of sheets being pierced where the recoil was under the -average. The patterns produced by the muzzle-loaders varied from those -of the breech-loaders less than they did from one another, and far less -than that of one barrel differed from that of the other; in fact, the -right-hand barrel seems to have shot much the best, and some of the guns -that excelled at 40 yards fell far behindhand at 60 yards.</p> - -<p>In penetration, which is a more valuable quality in a gun than even -pattern, the breech-loaders took the lead; one pierced through 40 sheets -and another through 39 sheets, so that the vaunted superiority of the -old gun in this particular was found not to exist. It was further noted -that a great improvement in this particular had taken place in the -breech-loaders since the trial of the year previous, which improvement -has been going on steadily since. The trial also proved that, although -the breech-loaders required an extra amount of powder to give them -force, it caused in them no additional recoil, and was objectionable in -so far only as it entailed extra expense and weight of ammunition. The -muzzle-loader was left, to offset its numerous inferiorities, nothing -more than a claim to diminished weight of gun and ammunition, and a -trifling saving in expense;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_182" id="page_182"></a>{182}</span> in force and pattern it was equalled; in -safety and handiness it was far surpassed by its competitor.</p> - -<p>These trials were continued afterwards, but none were or could be more -conclusive than the first which I have given, and there is no need of -troubling the reader with them. Indeed, it would almost seem unnecessary -to give time and space to the consideration of the superiorities of -breech-loaders over muzzle-loaders at this day, so universally are the -former accepted in the better informed localities, but in so extensive a -country as ours, there are parts which are late to learn and hard to be -convinced. To-day, while the muzzle-loader has nearly disappeared from -the Northern and Eastern States, it still holds its own in the South and -far West, and there are at present as many of them in service throughout -the length and breadth of our land, as there are of breech-loaders.</p> - -<p>One change that was early made in the cartridges was to do away with the -pin and substitute a central fire, and so much was this change admired, -that pin-fire guns have almost gone out of use. Nevertheless, I have -never been convinced that this was any improvement, and believe, that if -the pin-fire gun had come into general use before it was introduced, it -would not have been accepted. However, admitted facts cannot be ignored, -and to-day the pin-fire system has been almost as fully and far less -intelligently relegated to the past, as the muzzle-loader itself. I am -also no admirer of the snapaction,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_183" id="page_183"></a>{183}</span> which has to a certain extent been -substituted for the lever, on the ground that, while the lever never -gets out of order, the spring of the snap often breaks. I may say, that -no guns could have been more severely tried than mine that were -manufactured by <i>Lefaucheux</i>, one of which was the second that was ever -permanently used in this country, and that they have never given out in -their working parts, while the oldest and most hardly used has never -given out at all, although shot in all weathers and under very trying -circumstances.</p> - -<p>Indeed I go farther and insist that there have been no important -improvements made in breech-loaders since the original <i>Lefaucheux</i> -pattern until the introduction of the hammerless guns. These are still -imperfect, but they will probably be soon perfected, so that the last -serious danger from a breech-loader will be removed, that of premature -discharge in the field. Were it not for this discovery, it is my belief -that sportsmen would yet give up the central-fire, and return to the -pin-fire, there being no advantages in a central fire, while there are -several disadvantages. The principal of these consists in the fact that -no one can tell whether it is loaded or not, and a secondary danger lies -in the loading of the cartridges, which has already cost several lives. -As yet, however, the hammerless gun is not entirely safe. It is thrown -back to full cock in opening, and when closed with a hard snap it will -sometimes jar off. This happens very rarely, but often enough to make -the gun dangerous.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_184" id="page_184"></a>{184}</span></p> - -<p>It will foul about the working parts of the breech when it is used hard -without cleaning, so that the springs will not act, and a premature -discharge may follow, and it sometimes catches on the edge of the bent -in the tumbler without slipping into it. As soon as these defects are -absolutely remedied, the graceful and convenient hammerless gun will -take the place of all others. I know very well it is claimed that these, -and all other defects have been removed by the introduction of the -safety block, which interposes before the tumbler, and thus between the -strikers and the cap, and I do not intend to enter into an argument -which would lead to no practical result. There are men ever ready to -take certain risks in order to be ahead of their fellows. Let such -disregard the advice, which common sense suggests, and make experiments, -from which they cannot be dissuaded, and by which others may profit. I -would, however, say that I am sustained in my objections by so high an -authority, as “Stonehenge,” but am willing to admit that even as they -are, I think a hammerless gun is safer than a central fire, for they -avoid one of the greatest risks which the sportsman runs, that of the -trigger catching on a twig as he is going through the bushes. Those who -have used them sufficiently to get accustomed to them, say that they can -shoot better with them than with the old gun, a fact which they -attribute to the absence of the hammers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_185" id="page_185"></a>{185}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.<br /><br /> -BAY-SNIPE SHOOTING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> various writers on the different kinds of sport in our country have -generally devoted their attention to upland shooting; to the quail, -woodcock, English snipe, ruffed grouse of the hills, dales, and meadows, -to the prairie-chicken of the far west, or to the larger game—the -ducks, geese, and swans of our coast; and the few suggestions to be -found in <i>Frank Forester’s Field Sports</i>, or <i>Lewis’s American -Sportsman</i>, are of little assistance in discussing the mode of capture -of their less fashionable and less marketable brethren called bay-snipe. -I shall inevitably make mistakes and omissions. The later works on -water-fowl shooting are limited to the consideration of ducks, geese, -and brant, as though bay snipe belonged to the upland. But I consider -them nearly as much of a water-bird as the black duck, for, like the -latter, they are shot mostly at pond holes in the marshes or from sedgy -points.</p> - -<p>The birds that are shot along our shores upon the sand-bars or broad -salt meadows, or even upon the adjoining fields of upland, are among -sportsmen termed bay-birds or bay-snipe; and although including several -distinct varieties, present a general similarity in manners and habits. -They are ordinarily<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_186" id="page_186"></a>{186}</span> killed by stratagem over decoys, and not by open -pursuit; different varieties frequent the same locality, so that many -species will be collected in the same bag; they are for the most part, -except the upland birds, tough and sedgy, and at times hardly fit for -the table; and they arrive and may be killed at certain periods in vast -numbers.</p> - -<p>Although despised by the upland sportsman, who regards the use of the -dog as essential to the pure exercise of his art; and by the pot-hunter, -because they do not generally bring high prices in market;—to the -genuine lover of nature and the gun they furnish splendid sport, -requiring, if not as high a degree of skill as may be needed to cut down -a quail in the dense coverts, at least as many fine qualities in the -sportsman, and as thorough a knowledge of their habits as any other -bird. In upland shooting the dog does the largest part of the work, and -invariably deserves the credit for a super-excellent bag; and truly -glorious is it to follow the dog that can make that bag, and wonderful -to watch his powers;—but in bay-snipe shooting there is no trusty dog -to look to, who can retrieve by his superiority his master’s -blunderings. The man relies upon himself, and himself alone; he it is -that must, with quick observant eye, catch the faint outline of the -distant flock, and with sharp ear distinguish the first audible call; -his experience must determine the nature of the birds, his powers of -imitation bring them within gun-shot, and his skill drop them -advantageously from the crowded flock. To excel in all this requires -long<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_187" id="page_187"></a>{187}</span> patience, much experience, and great qualities of mind and body; -and few are the sportsmen who ever deserve the compliment paid by old -Paulus Enos of Quogue, when he remarked, “Colonel P. is a werry -destructive man—a werry destructive man in a flock of birds.”</p> - -<p>It is true that quail-shooting is almost a certainty; and day after day -of fair weather, with well-trained animals and good marksmen, will -produce nearly the same average, so that an entire failure will be -almost impossible; whereas, with bay-snipe everything, in the first -instance, depends upon the flight; and if there are no birds, the result -must be a total blank; but when the season is propitious—and this can -be determined by the experienced sportsman with tolerable accuracy—the -sport is prodigious, and the number of shots enormous.</p> - -<p>Nor is it so easy to kill the gentle game that approaches the decoys -with such entire confidence, and often at so moderate a pace. The upland -sportsman, who can cover the quail through the thick scrub-oaks, or the -woodcock in the dense foliage of the shady swamp, and send his charge -after them with astonishing precision, and who will expect easy work -with the bay-snipe, will find himself wonderfully bothered by their -curious motions and irregular flight, till he has acquired the knack of -anticipating their intentions. He will learn that their speed is -irregular; that while at times they will hang almost motionless in the -air, at others they will dart past at the rate of a hundred miles an -hour;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_188" id="page_188"></a>{188}</span> that although usually flying steadily, they will frequently flirt -and twist as unexpectedly as an English snipe; and that often they will -either suddenly drop from before his gun and alight, or, taking the -alarm, will whirl fifty feet into the air; and when one barrel has been -discharged into a flock, the rest will “skiver” so as to puzzle even the -best marksman. It is not enough to kill one bird with each barrel from a -flock, as in quail-shooting, but a number must be selected at the moment -they cross one another, so that several may be secured with each barrel; -to do this will require much practice and entail many total misses, and -is rarely thoroughly learned by the upland sportsman. It will not answer -to follow the example of an enthusiastic French gentleman, whom I once -left in the stand while I went to the house for dinner; and who, on my -return, in an excited way remarked:</p> - -<p>“Ah! I have vun beautifool shot, I make ze lovely shot; tree big birds -come along—vat you call him?”</p> - -<p>“Willet?” I suggested.</p> - -<p>“No, no; ze big brown birds.”</p> - -<p>“Sickle-bills!”</p> - -<p>“No, not ze seeckle-bills.”</p> - -<p>“Jacks?”</p> - -<p>“No, no; not ze jacks.”</p> - -<p>“Marlin!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes; tree big marlin come close by, right ovair ze stool; zay all -fly near ze other; I am sure to kill zem, it was such beautifool shot. I -take ze gun and miss zem all!”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_189" id="page_189"></a>{189}</span></p> - -<p>Moreover, the excitement of a rapid flight is intense; the birds arrive -much faster than the muzzle-loader can be charged, and a flock will -hover round the stand, returning again and again in the most bewildering -manner; as there are usually two sportsmen in each stand, and the stands -are often in sight of one another, a sense of rivalry is added to the -other difficulties of the position.</p> - -<p>As the birds approach, great judgment is required in selecting the -proper time to fire, both as regards the condition of the flock and -their position relative to the associate sportsman; they must be allowed -to come well within the reach of both, and yet be taken when they are -most together, and not allowed to pass so far as to endanger the success -of the second barrel. Each sportsman must invariably fire at his side of -the flock, and wait till it is well abreast of him, and never either -shoot over his neighbor’s corner of the stand or at his portion of the -birds. Nothing is so disagreeable as to have a gun discharged close to -one’s head, except perhaps to have it discharged at one’s head; the -noise and jar produce painful and dangerous effects, and unsettle a -person’s nerves for hours. No man who will fire by his associate without -presenting his gun well before him, can know the first principles of -gunnery—or who, if knowing them, wilfully disregards their effects, is -a fit companion. The concussion from the explosion is exceedingly -unpleasant, even if the gun is several feet off, and will produce a -slight deafness.</p> - -<p>Of the number of birds which can be bagged, it<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_190" id="page_190"></a>{190}</span> is hardly possible to -speak within bounds—more than a hundred having been killed at one -shot—but probably a hundred separate shots are occasionally fired by -each sportsman in the course of a day, and with the breech-loader even -more. There have been times when twenty-five pounds of shot have been -expended by one gun, but those days exist no longer, and it is rare to -use more than five pounds where the load does not exceed an ounce and a -quarter.</p> - -<p>The uncertainty of the flight is the principal drawback to bay-snipe -shooting, although experience can in a measure overcome the difficulty; -but to the citizen confined to certain days, a selection of time is an -impossibility. The height of the season extends from August 15th to the -25th for the bay-birds proper; and from August 28th to September 8th, -for golden plover; and if a north-easterly storm should occur at this -period, it will be followed by an immense flight.</p> - -<p>Dry seasons are never good, and so long as the weather remains warm the -birds will tarry in their northern latitudes; when the meadows are -parched for want of rain, they become too hard for the birds to -perforate, and the latter, being unable to feed, must migrate elsewhere; -but when they are soft with moisture, the older snipe that have left -their progeny at the far north, linger on the feeding-grounds and wait -for the latter to arrive. They seem to make it a point to send back -portions of their number from time to time to look after the young; and -on such occasions, both the messengers and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_191" id="page_191"></a>{191}</span> young stool admirably. -Thus flocks of old birds will frequently be seen wending their way -towards the north, while the main flight is directed southward; and -these flocks will invariably come to the decoys, although the main body -will take no notice of them.</p> - -<p>Of course when the meadows are too parched to furnish food, the birds -cannot return on their tracks, but must continue their flight to more -hospitable shores, and in this way one of the best chances for good -shooting is lost. There are probably, in addition, many ease-loving -gluttons among the troupe, who if they find the feeding-grounds well -supplied, stop for a time to enjoy the luxury after their long -abstinence in the inclement north; and in passing to and from their -favorite spots, are said by the native human species to have established -“a trade” to those places. These birds, of course, wherever they see a -flock apparently partaking of a plentiful repast, naturally pause to -obtain their share, and thus fall a prey to their appetites.</p> - -<p>Bay-snipe fly during the day and night high up in the heavens, or close -to the earth, in rain or shine, but especially during a cold -north-easterly storm, which, from its direction, is favorable to their -southerly migrations; and they have a vigor of wing that enables them to -traverse immense distances in a short time. In proceeding with the wind, -it is usually at a considerable distance from the earth; but when facing -an adverse current, they keep close to the surface, and consequently are -apt to be attracted<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_192" id="page_192"></a>{192}</span> by the stools. They do not move much during foggy -weather, for the simple reason that they cannot see their course, but do -not seem to be troubled by a rain. Although clear—that is to say, not -rainy—weather is preferable on many accounts, for their pursuit, good -sport is frequently had, especially on Long Island, during a rain.</p> - -<p>Their line of flight is peculiar. Except the plover, they do not follow -the entire coast, and are not found to the eastward of Massachusetts, -but appear to strike directly from their northern haunts to Cape Cod, -where, in the neighborhood of Barnstable, there was in former times -excellent shooting; thence they proceed to Point Judith, or even -somewhat to the westward of it, and then they cross Long Island Sound, -rarely much to the eastward of Quogue; from Long Island they make one -flight to Squan Beach, and so on along the bays and lagoons of the -southern coast to the Equator, or perhaps beyond it to the Antarctic -region. The plovers follow the coast more closely, and strike the -easternmost end of Long Island in their career.</p> - -<p>It is very remarkable, that these birds which generally pass northward -in May, and require only three months for incubation and growth of -young, live the other nine months apparently in comparative idleness at -the south. This peculiarity has led to the suggestion that they may -travel to the Antarctic ocean during their absence from the -north—which, although probable, is as yet, from our entire ignorance of -their habits, a mere suggestion.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_193" id="page_193"></a>{193}</span></p> - -<p>During the northward flight in May, there is often good sport, but the -time is more uncertain than in August; nor do the birds, which are old -and wary, stool quite so well as on their return. In the spring they -pursue the same course as in the autumnal flight; which, although it is -the most direct line, and follows the principal expanse of salt meadow, -necessitates considerable journeys far out at sea. But it is doubtless -the fact that these birds, in consequence of their stretch and power of -wing, could sustain an unbroken flight from north to south, and -accomplish the distance in a wonderfully short space of time. Unabated -speed of one hundred miles an hour is equivalent to twenty-four hundred -miles in a day, and portions of the flock may not pause between Labrador -and the swamps of Florida.</p> - -<p>When the wind is strong and continuous from the westward, it is supposed -that they pass far out to sea; and during these seasons there will be no -flight of birds either at Long Island or on the Jersey coast. At such -periods sportsmen often conclude that the entire race has been -destroyed, till the easterly winds and soaking rains of the following -year, bring them back more numerous than ever. As they must migrate, and -are not to be found anywhere on the land, it is clear that they must -have the power of completing their journey in one unbroken flight.</p> - -<p>The principal varieties are the sickle-bill, jack-curlew, the marlin and -ring-tailed marlin, the willet, the black-breast or bull-head, and -golden plovers, the yelper, yellow-legs, robin-snipe, dowitchers, -brant-bird,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_194" id="page_194"></a>{194}</span> and krieker. The upland or grass-plover is pursued in a -different manner, and the smaller birds are not pursued for sport at -all.</p> - -<p>The sickle-bills, so named after the beautiful sweeping curve of the -bill, which has been known to measure eleven inches in length, are the -largest of them all. They are colored much like a marlin, have a -beautiful bright eye, a short reed-like call, and a steady, dignified -flight. In stretch of wings they exceed three feet, and nothing can be -more impressive than the approach of a large flock of these birds with -wings and bills extended and legs dropped in preparation for alighting -amid the stools.</p> - -<p>They are often shy in the first instance, but as soon as one of their -number is killed, they return again and again to the fatal -spot—apparently in blind confidence that he must have alighted instead -of fallen, or out of brotherly anxiety for his fate. I have on several -occasions attracted a large flock that was hesitating whether to -approach or not, and almost resolving to depart, by killing one of their -number that incautiously ventured within long range—for immediately on -seeing him fall, they approached, in spite of the report, with full -confidence.</p> - -<p>They are easily killed, by reason of their moderate speed and customary -steadiness, although they can dart rapidly when alarmed, and will often, -like all the bay-birds, carry off much shot. Their flesh is tough, very -dark, and scarcely fit for the table, except perhaps when they first -come on from feeding<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_195" id="page_195"></a>{195}</span> on the more dainty repasts famished by the uplands -of Labrador.</p> - -<p>The jack-curlew is a still more wary bird, and although he comes to the -stools, rarely pauses over them, and never returns after being once -fired at. He is seldom seen in large flocks, and flies rapidly and -steadily. His cry is longer than that of the sickle-bill, and, like it, -easy to imitate. From his wariness and rarity he is regarded as the -greatest prize of the sportsman, although his flesh is little better -than that of the sickle-bill.</p> - -<p>The marlin is quite common, very gentle, stools admirably, and goes in -large flocks. In color it is similar to the sickle-bill, but it is much -smaller and has a straight, if not slightly recurved, bill. It is -attracted by the same call, and is equally tough and sedgy as food. The -ring-tailed marlin differs from it entirely in color, resembling a -willet—except that its wings are darker, and its tail black with a -white ring—but it has the long, straight, marlin bill. It is a rare -bird, seldom collects in large flocks, and is often fat and tolerable -eating. It does not stool as well as its plainer brother, but from its -scarcity and higher gastronomic claims, it is more highly prized.</p> - -<p>The willet is greyish in general color, with a white belly and broad -bands of black and white across its wings. It has a loud, shrill shriek, -stools well, flies steadily, congregates in large flocks, and when fat -is quite eatable. It often associates with marlins and sickle-bills, -where its light colors make a beautiful contrast.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_196" id="page_196"></a>{196}</span></p> - -<p>The last four varieties are nearly similar in size and greatly exceed -the following, but are far less desirable in an epicurean point of view.</p> - -<p>The golden plover is one of the finest birds that flies; it associates -in flocks of a thousand, stools well, is extremely fat, is delicious on -the table, and has a peculiarly musical whistle. It frequents the -uplands, and feeds on grasshoppers. Its back is marked with a greenish -red that faintly resembles gold, and gives rise to its name. The young -are quite different in plumage.</p> - -<p>The black-breast or bull-head is a shy and rather solitary -bird—although it occasionally collects in large flocks—but it is quite -fat, and frequently killed in the salt marshes over the stools used for -the ordinary bay-birds.</p> - -<p>The yelper has a strong, rapid, and often irregular flight, and a loud -cry. It stools well, but escapes rapidly as soon as shot at, darting -from side to side in a confusing way, and returns less confidently than -the willet or marlin. It pursues its course generally high in the -clouds, whence it will drop like a stone when coming to the stools. On -Long Island it goes by the name of big yellow-legs; its call can be -heard at an immense distance, and is repeated continually as it flies. -Gastronomically considered, it is passable, and, when fat, really -excellent.</p> - -<p>The yellow-legs, or little yellow-legs, as it is termed on Long Island, -is similar in appearance to the yelper, but has a softer and more -flute-like note, and congregates in larger flocks. It stools admirably,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_197" id="page_197"></a>{197}</span> -and is killed in immense numbers. Its flight is rapid and irregular, -especially when it is frightened; and, as food, it ranks with the -yelper.</p> - -<p>The brant-bird is a beautiful bird, and stools well; it rarely consorts -in large flocks, and is quite acceptable on the table.</p> - -<p>The robin-snipe is a graceful, beautiful, and delicious bird; its -favorite localities are the meadow-islands of the salt bays and lagoons; -its flight is steady, and it does not collect in such immense flocks as -the last named variety. Its whistle consists of two clear shrill notes, -by which it is readily attracted; and its predominant colors are grey on -the back and red on the breast.</p> - -<p>The dowitcher, which is considered ornithologically as the only true -snipe of them all, has the habits of the sandpiper and the distinctive -attributes of the <i>scolopax</i>; it is abundant, extremely gentle, and -excellent eating. It stools admirably, coming to any whistle whatever; -and although it can skiver when alarmed, it usually flies steadily. It -associates with the smaller birds.</p> - -<p>The krieker feeds on the meadows, remains till late in October, becomes -extremely fat, and is an epicurean delicacy; it utters a creaking cry, -but will not stool at all. It also flies with the smaller snipe.</p> - -<p>Having thus mentioned the peculiar distinctive qualities and -characteristics of each bird, of which a fuller description will be -given in another place, we will now pass to a consideration of the best -mode of their pursuit. This being by stratagem, the more<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_198" id="page_198"></a>{198}</span> thorough the -deception, the more favorable will be the result; and although they can -frequently be attracted by an accurate imitation of their call within -reach of their destroyer, crouched in the open field and unaided by -decoys, they will approach much better to the concealed sportsman and -well made stools. A stand is usually erected near some pond or bar where -the birds are in the habit of alighting—and this can be built in half -an hour of bushes or reeds—high enough to conceal the sportsman -comfortably seated in his arm-chair; and as the grass has become by the -latter part of August a dull yellowish green, he may even shelter -himself from the sun’s rays by a brown cotton umbrella, if he be -delicate or ease-loving. His clothes should assimilate to the color of -the landscape, and be as cool as possible—for the temperature is often -oppressively hot; and a waterproof should always be at hand in case of -rain, to cover, not so much the sportsman as his gun and ammunition, -which may be seriously injured by dampness and salt air combined.</p> - -<p>If it is impracticable to build a stand, and the locality is sandy, a -hole may be dug, with the excavated sand banked around it, and the -sportsman may deposit himself upon his Mackintosh at the bottom. -However, to one unaccustomed to the posture, it is difficult to rise and -shoot from such a position, and a comfortable seat is far preferable; -and besides, the mosquitoes are thicker near the earth; the breeze has -less effect and the sun more.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_199" id="page_199"></a>{199}</span></p> - -<p>The stools should be so placed that they can be readily seen from the -line of flight, not too high above the water, and the farthest not more -than thirty-five yards from the shooter. If too near a bank, they will -be confounded with the grass, and be invisible even to the keen eye of -the snipe. They should be scattered sufficiently to allow each one to be -distinct, and must be headed in different directions, so that some may -present their broadsides to every quarter of the heavens. They should -tail down wind, in a measure, from the stand, as the birds, no matter -what direction they come from, head up wind in order to alight, and will -make a circle to do so. In this way they reach the lower end of the -imitation flock first, and are led safely close to the sportsman, giving -him an admirable opportunity to make his selection from their ranks.</p> - -<p>As the tide varies according to the wind and moon, and will often cover -with several feet of water places usually dry, it is well to have two -sets of sticks—one set for deep water much longer than those for -ordinary use; otherwise, it will occasionally be found impossible to set -out the stools at all, or they will stand so high above the ground as to -resemble bean-poles more than birds.</p> - -<p>It is customary to have in the flock, which should not be less than -forty, imitations of the different species—some being brown to -represent marlin, others grey, with white breasts and a white and black -streak over the tail to stand for willet, and so on; but a more -important point is to have them large.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_200" id="page_200"></a>{200}</span> Small stools cannot be seen far -enough to attract a yelper sailing amid the clouds, or a marlin sweeping -along the distant horizon; and although it is pretty and appropriate to -have them of suitable colors, size is more necessary. A sickle-bill is a -large bird, and I have seen one tethered among the stools towering above -them, so that the imitations looked puny by comparison, although larger -than they were usually made. The word stool is derived from the Danish -<i>stoel</i>, and signifies something set up on less than four legs, but of -the mode or reason of its adoption we have no record; it is in universal -use, to the exclusion of the more elegant and appropriate term, decoy, -which is confined to imitation of wild fowl. Stools are ordinarily made -of wood, and occasionally painted with great artistic care and skill; -and although a rough affair, coarsely daubed, seems often to answer -nearly as well, there are times when the birds, rendered wild by many -hair-breadth escapes, look sharply ere they draw near, and will not -approach unsightly blocks of wood, no matter how sweetly they seem to -whistle.</p> - -<p>As wooden stools take up much room and are troublesome to carry for any -distance, tin ones have been made that will pack together in a small -space. By heading these, different ways, they present a good view to the -snipe, except when the latter are high in air, from which position they -are invisible. To remedy this defect, it has been suggested that a strip -of tin of the width of the body may be soldered along the upper edge; -and thus, while they pack<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_201" id="page_201"></a>{201}</span> snugly, a section of the object is presented -in every direction.</p> - -<p>Wooden stools are decidedly the best, especially where it is desirable -that the birds should alight, and are in general use. They are made of -pine, and painted the distinctive colors of their prototypes; thus -sickle-bills, marlin, and jacks, are all brown with dark spots on the -back and wings; willet, as heretofore described; yellow-legs, dark -mottled grey on the back and wings, and white beneath; dowitchers brown -on the back and wings, and yellowish-white below; bull-head plover light -on the back, with dark breasts; robin-snipe light grey on the back and -side, and reddish beneath. But the snipe are not always discriminating, -and a few varieties will answer every purpose.</p> - -<p>Stools are easily made and moderate in cost, and every sportsman should -have not less than twenty-five of his own, so that in case those that he -finds at the country taverns for the public use are engaged, he may have -some to fall back upon—although twenty-five are not a full supply. They -may be carried in a bag or basket, with their feet and bills removed; -and the basket will be useful to hold lunch, ammunition, or game.</p> - -<p>Extempore representations can be made from the dead birds, although they -are not quite so good as the wooden ones, by cutting a forked stick with -one end much longer than the other, and thrusting the longer point into -the bird’s neck and the shorter one into its body. It may then be stood -up in the sand,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_202" id="page_202"></a>{202}</span> and will make a decoy scarcely distinguishable by man -from the living prototype, but apparently more unnatural to the -birds—which are sometimes alarmed at its ghastly appearance—than the -ordinary stools.</p> - -<p>Very perfect stools are made of India-rubber, which, being compressible -and light, can be readily transported, and are a deceptive imitation; -their principal defects are their liability to injury from shot—which -is also the case with wooden ones—and the facility with which the hole -where their long leg is inserted becomes torn—an accident that entirely -destroys their usefulness. They can be packed in a small compass, and -are infinitely the best article where they are to be carried long -distances. Although of necessity undersized, their full plump shape -makes them visible at a considerable distance.</p> - -<p>To prevent the bills, which are the most delicate part, from being -injured, it is necessary to make them rather thicker than those of the -living bird; they are to be painted dark-brown, blue, or grey, according -to circumstances; and their loss, although it may not diminish the -attractiveness, destroys the beauty of the fictitious flock. More -important than perfection of decoys, is accuracy in whistling; this -should be a perfect imitation and answer to the call of the bird, and -will often allure him to the fowler without any decoys whatever. It is -impossible to describe the calls on paper, and long practice will alone -give a thorough knowledge of them; they are generally shrill and loud; -the shriller and louder the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_203" id="page_203"></a>{203}</span> better—for man’s best efforts will rarely -equal the bird’s natural powers. The yelper has a clear, bold cry, and -the willet a fierce shriek that can be heard for miles; and if listened -to from a distance, it will be found that the bird’s call can be heard -twice the distance of the man’s answer. It is true that when the snipe -are near at hand and about alighting, a lower whistle is better, for the -reason that it is more perfect, and because the cry changes to a note of -welcome when the flock receives its fellows. And often, when the birds -once head for the stools, if not distracted by neighboring stands, or -alarmed, they will come straight on without any whistling, although this -is by no means invariably the case.</p> - -<p>Many persons find insuperable difficulty in whistling the clear, shrill, -sharp calls; and for them artificial whistles have been manufactured -with a hole at the lower end, which, being opened or closed by the -finger, like the holes in a flute, regulates the sound. These artificial -whistles are not so good as a perfectly trained natural one; the sound -is not sufficiently reed-like, and they occupy and confine one hand when -it should be free to seek the gun. They are suspended from the -button-hole by a string, so that they can be dropped in an instant; but -are only used out of necessity.</p> - -<p>A curious one, to be held in the mouth, has been invented of a -wedge-shaped piece of tin in the form of an axe-head, with two holes -through the sides. The sound is regulated by the tongue, and is -altogether more correct than that of any other whistle;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_204" id="page_204"></a>{204}</span> but more time -and patience are required to learn the use of this invention than of the -lips. It will be far better for the sportsman who intends to pursue this -sport, to practise with the organs that nature has given him, however -much time or perseverance may be necessary, and then there will be no -danger of leaving his whistle at home.</p> - -<p>As before remarked, the great drawback to the sport of shooting -bay-snipe is its uncertainty; if the flight has not come on, or a -westerly wind has driven the birds to sea, or a heavy north-easter -carries them with it high in air and prevents their stopping—there will -be no shooting; and the most experienced hand will often receive the -comforting assurance which is always bestowed upon the inexperienced, -that if he had only come two weeks sooner, or deferred his visit two -weeks longer, he would have been sure of fine sport. There are -nevertheless certain general rules that furnish a tolerable criterion; -and laying aside the spring shooting, which occurs in May, and is -extremely uncertain, the main flight of small birds—such as dowitchers -and yellow-legs—commences about the tenth of July, and of large birds -about the fifteenth of August. Each lasts about two weeks.</p> - -<p>The flight of large birds usually terminates with a short flight of -yellow-legs, and is followed by the plover, which are succeeded by the -kriekers. An easterly storm generally brings the birds, either by -bearing them from their northern homes, or by forcing them in from the -sea, where the main body is<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_205" id="page_205"></a>{205}</span> supposed to fly; and if such a storm occur -at either of these periods, and be succeeded by a south-westerly wind, -it will surely be followed by an abundance of the appropriate birds.</p> - -<p>During an easterly blow they will be seen passing by Point Judith in an -almost unbroken line; and after it, they abound throughout the whole -length of the coast, as though they had been carried to all parts of it -at once. But if no such storm occur, the catching the flight is a mere -chance; and where the summer has been dry, the snipe will be scarce. If -the meadows have been kept moist by continual showers, there will be a -moderate supply of game the summer through; but if there has been a -drought, the surface becomes too hard for the snails and insects to -inhabit, or for the birds to penetrate; a scarcity of food results, and -there will be no flight whatever.</p> - -<p>Scattering birds, wandering away from their fellows and exhausted with -hunger, delighted at beholding their friends apparently feeding, will be -killed perhaps in numbers sufficient to make now and then a decent bag; -but what is known as the “flight”—when the great army moves its vast -cohorts, division after division, regiment after regiment, company after -company—will not take place. How they reach the south no one can -accurately tell; they either fly inland or out at sea high in the air, -or late at night; but their returning myriads in the spring following, -prove that in some way they did reach their southern winter homes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_206" id="page_206"></a>{206}</span></p> - -<p>Notwithstanding the greatest experience, and despite the most favorable -signs, the oldest gunner will find that more or less uncertainty exists -in obtaining sport, and that his unlucky expeditions generally outnumber -his lucky ones. Often a flight will commence unexpectedly and without -any apparent reason; and a change of weather, after a long continuance -of wind from one quarter, will be followed by good shooting for some -days, although such weather is not intrinsically favorable. The follower -of bay-birds must therefore make up his mind to disappointment, and on -such occasions live on his hopes for the future, or his recollections of -the past.</p> - -<p>For this sport a heavy gun, such as is commonly employed for ducks, is -not at all necessary; inasmuch as many of the birds are small and the -flocks frequently scattered, it is rarely desirable to use two ounces of -shot and five drachms of powder; and to fire such a charge at a solitary -dowitcher, as is often done, is simply ridiculous. A light field-gun, -with an ounce and a quarter of shot and three drachms and a half of -powder, (or, as I prefer, an ounce of shot and three drachms of powder,) -is amply sufficient—will confer more pleasure and require more skill in -the use, will cut down a reasonable number from a flock, and will kill a -single bird handsomely.</p> - -<p>The gun should be kept at half-cock, and may be laid upon a bench beside -the sportsman; there is always time to cock it, even if a flock is not -seen till it is over the stools; and a gun at full cock in a stand, is a -danger that no reasonable man will encounter.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_207" id="page_207"></a>{207}</span> In field-shooting, I do -not approve of carrying the gun at half-cock, believing, for certain -reasons unnecessary here to repeat, that it is less dangerous at -full-cock; but in a stand or in a house, or in fact anywhere but in the -field where it is always in the sportsman’s hand, it should be never -otherwise than at half-cock. It is common to pass in front of guns lying -on the bench in the stand, and they often fall off, and are usually -reached for by the sportsman while his eye is on the advancing flock, -and does not note whether his hand grasps the barrel or the triggers; -and there is an excitement, when the flight is rapid, sufficiently -perilous of itself in connexion with fire-arms, without uselessly -increasing it. Every precaution should therefore be taken; and if by -accident the gun which cannot go off at half-cock shall be discharged in -cocking or uncocking it, it will point forward, away from the stand, and -in such a direction that injury to human life cannot follow.</p> - -<p>Next in importance to care in preventing the gun’s injuring a -fellow-creature, is care in preventing its being injured. The least -dampness, whether from fog or rain, and even the salt air alone, will -rust the delicate steel and iron, and, penetrating farther and farther, -make indentations that will spoil its beauty and injure its -effectiveness permanently. To prevent this, oil frequently applied is -the only remedy; a rag well oiled, and a bottle to replenish from, -should be among the ordinary equipments, and invariably taken to the -shooting-ground; the first symptom of rust or even discoloration should -be removed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_208" id="page_208"></a>{208}</span> and every portion of the iron-work kept well lubricated. At -night a waterproof covering should be used, and the charge invariably -left undrawn, as the dirt prevents oxydization for a time; and during a -rain the utmost care should be taken to protect, if not the entire gun, -at least the locks and trigger-plate. Kerosene oil is excellent to -remove rust, but is too thin to form a coating, and not so good a -protection as sweet or whale oil. Varnish is highly recommended, but I -have never known any one to try it; and in case no oil can be obtained, -the gunners on Long Island are in the habit of shooting a small snipe, -which is often extremely fat, and using its skin as an oiled rag.</p> - -<p>Of course with a breech-loader the charge is withdrawn, and the cleaning -apparatus may be forced through every evening, although this is -unnecessary, as the dirt is rather a protection; and after the cleaning, -whether of the muzzle-loader or breech-loader, the barrels should be -well oiled both inside and out. If, however, the gun is to be left for a -long time unused and exposed to salt air, a piece of greasy rag wound -upon a stick may be thrust into the barrels to the bottom, and oil -should be liberally applied to the exposed parts. Moreover, the locks, -however well they may fit, will be injured after a while, and should be -removed and examined occasionally. The size of shot used should be -changed according to the season and character of the flight; in July, -when the yellow-legs and dowitchers are the principal victims, No. 8 is -abundantly large; but in August, when curlews,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_209" id="page_209"></a>{209}</span> marlin, and willets are -flying, all of which are able to endure severe punishment, No. 6 is -preferable. Eley’s cartridges are often useful with grass-plover, -although they ball so frequently that the majority of sportsmen have -lost faith in them.</p> - -<p>Favorable seasons for snipe, when heavy or repeated rains have saturated -the meadows, and filled every hollow with stagnant pools of dirty water, -are also favorable for mosquitoes. Persons who suffer from the bites of -this pestiferous insect—and the difference between individuals upon -this subject is remarkable—should prepare themselves with mosquito-nets -and ill-scented oils, as they would for a visit to the wild woods; while -those who are much affected by the sun should bring unguents with which -to temper its intensity and assuage the pain that its burning rays -inflict.</p> - -<p>Shoes are the proper things for the feet, as boots become heated and -uncomfortable; and a brown linen jacket with white flannel pantaloons, -thick enough to resist the attacks of a mosquito, and with the necessary -underclothes for an exceptionally cold day, constitute the most -practical rig.</p> - -<p>If the sportsman use a muzzle-loader—which he should not do if he can -afford to buy a breech-loader—he must have a loading-stick which he can -extemporize from his cleaning-rod by substituting a ramrod head for the -jag. This he does by simply having a piece of brass of the proper size -and shape to screw into the place of the latter. He should also have two -guns, or he loses the chance at the returning<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_210" id="page_210"></a>{210}</span> flock, which is the most -exciting, as it is often the most successful shot.</p> - -<p>The powder should be coarse; the large grain of the ducking-powder being -alone fitted to withstand the deleterious effects of the moisture that -is an invariable concomitant of the salt atmosphere of the ocean.</p> - -<p>One great difficulty that the writer has encountered in preparing this -work, is a proper selection of names—the natural history of our country -is popularly so little understood; to copy English names and apply them -to creatures bearing a faint resemblance in general coloring, though -neither in habits nor scientific distinctions, was so natural to the -first immigrants, and the introduction of a proper appellation is so -nearly impossible, that the confusion in nomenclature of our birds, -beasts, and fishes is hardly surprising. This confusion existing in -every department of natural history—confounding fish of all varieties, -leaving birds nameless, or giving them too many names—culminates among -the bay-snipe.</p> - -<p>Although the bony-fish or mossbunkers of New York become the menhaden of -the Eastern States, and king-fish are transformed into barb in New -Jersey, and perch become pickerel in the west—there are rarely more -than two names, and every fish has some designation; but with bay-snipe, -after an infinite multiplication of names for certain species, others -are left entirely unnamed. Many that are frequently killed are without a -popular designation, and more still are called frost-birds, and -meadow-snipe,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_211" id="page_211"></a>{211}</span> and beach-birds—names that might with justice be applied -to the entire class, and which are so utterly confused, that persons -from different sections of the country do not know what others are -talking about. To make matters worse, the scientific gentlemen have -stepped in, and after indulging in plenty of bad Latin, have added fresh -English appellations, more unmeaning and less appropriate if possible -than the common ones.</p> - -<p>From this mass of incongruities the writer has endeavored, while -preserving the best name, to select the one in general use, bearing in -mind that names are mere substitutes, and not descriptive adjectives. -The name frost-bird or frost-snipe—which belongs to entirely different -creatures—is applicable to every bird that appears after a frost, and -as nearly a hundred varieties are in this category, it is not -distinctive; the names meadow-snipe and beach-bird are ridiculous, but -the latter, being applied to an unimportant class, is allowed to stand. -The snipe that is herein called a krieker, or, as it may be spelled, -creaker, which utters a hoarse, creaking note, is called in various -places meadow-snipe—although most of the bay-birds haunt the meadows; -fat-bird, whereas others are equally fat; and short neck, in spite of -the fact that its neck is longer than some species; while ornithologists -call it pectoral sandpiper, probably because it has a breast. So also -with the brant-bird, which is called on the coast of New Jersey -horsefoot-snipe, because it feeds on the spawn of the horsefoot; -notwithstanding that the yellow-legs and <span class="pagenum"><a name="page_212" id="page_212"></a>{212}</span>several others do the same. -The name, however, is not satisfactory on account of its similarity to -the brant or brent-goose; and probably the scientific designation, -turnstone, if it were at all in common acceptation, would be better. It -is to be hoped these names will at some day be harmonized by universal, -consent, and these pages will at least make mutual comprehension open -the way for that desirable result. The sickle-bill, jack-curlew, marlin, -willet, golden-plover, yelper, dowitcher, and krieker, are excellent; -and the ring-tailed marlin, black-breast plover, yellow-legs, and -robin-snipe, are at least descriptive. Were these generally accepted, a -simple and tolerably accurate system of nomenclature would be obtained; -and it has been my effort, while placing the preferable name at the head -of the description of each variety, to collate all the other names that -in any section of our vast territory are applied to the same bird. In -this attempt I can only be partially successful; for the ingenuity of -the American people in coining new names, added to a profound ignorance -of ornithology, has produced a confusion that no one man can reduce to -order.</p> - -<p>Bay-snipe, except the plovers, kriekers, and a few others, are not -considered delicate eating, contracting along the salt marshes a sedgy -flavor; but on the shores of the western lakes, where the fresh water -appears to remove this peculiarity, the yellow-legs and yelpers—which -are often found in considerable numbers, and are called by the general -appellation of plovers—are almost equal in tender,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_213" id="page_213"></a>{213}</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_008.jpg" alt="FORT MARION. ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA." title="" /> -<br /> -<span class="caption">FORT MARION. ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA.</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_214" id="page_214"></a>{214}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_215" id="page_215"></a>{215}</span> </p> - -<p class="nind">juicy delicacy to the English snipe. Whether the same change is -noticeable in the larger varieties, I cannot say of my own knowledge.</p> - -<p>The gunners have an ingenious way of stringing them in bunches of a half -dozen each, on the longest feathers taken from their wings, a pair of -these being tied together by the feather ends, and the quillpoints -thrust through the nostrils of the birds. It is desirable to put them up -in small bunches, as under the warm temperature of summer they will, -unless every precaution is exercised, soon become tainted. To prevent -this, the entrails should also be carefully removed without disturbing -the plumage; and a little salt, or, as many persons recommend, coffee, -rubbed inside, and they should be at all times carefully protected from -the sun. Their sedgy flavor grows stronger with every day they are kept; -and being extremely oily, the least taint renders them, together with -all the wild inhabitants of the coast, unfit for food.</p> - -<p>Bay-snipe are essentially migratory, rarely stopping on our shores to -build their nests and rear their young; during the spring months they -pass to or beyond the coast of Labrador, and attend to the duties of -maternity in the vast levels and swamps that surround Hudson’s Bay, and -constitute a large portion of the northern part of British North -America. In my ramblings through the Provinces, I was frequently -informed that they abounded during the latter part of summer on the -marshes near the Bay Chaleur in New Brunswick. This must evidently<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_216" id="page_216"></a>{216}</span> have -been during their return flight; but whether they were our bay-birds in -their vast variety, or whether they were merely the flocks of golden -plover that follow the winding of the coast and subsequently visit -Nantucket and Montauk Point, I had no opportunity to determine by -personal experience.</p> - -<p>With us they make their appearance in the neighborhood of Boston Bay, -and thence they are found, with various intermissions, caused by the -nature of the ground, all the way to the State of Texas. The innumerable -bays, sounds, and lagoons of our Southern States, inclosed by broad -meadows and including thousands of marshy islands, are their favorite -feeding-grounds, and are visited by them in unnumbered thousands. The -larger varieties may be seen there all through the fall quietly feeding, -and scarcely noticing the approach of man. In Texas they seem to -congregate in vast bodies, and probably move off to or beyond the -equator in the early winter months, although this has never been -positively ascertained.</p> - -<p>They are not killed as game south of Virginia, and rarely south of New -Jersey; in fact, it may be said that only on Cape Cod, Long Island, and -the shore line of New Jersey, are they scientifically pursued. At these -places the sport has greatly diminished of late years; a few years ago -Barnstable beach was a celebrated resort; and at Quogue, parties used no -stools, but stationed themselves along the narrow neck that connects the -beach with the main land, and fired till their guns were dirty or their -ammunition<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_217" id="page_217"></a>{217}</span> exhausted. Then it was no unusual thing to expend -twenty-five pounds of shot in a day, where now the sportsman that could -use up five would be fortunate.</p> - -<p>Of all the locations on this extent of meadow and beach, no place is so -famous, from its natural advantages and its ancient reputation, as -Quogue. Once on a time the best pond was permanently occupied by a -famous Governor, a still more famous General, and a notorious -Colonel—although the latter was not “in the bond;” but there are other -good stands, and for small birds—yellow-legs, dowitchers, and -robin-snipe—it has no equal. Although many flocks pass it high in air, -all those that follow the coast, low down to the earth, must cross the -meadows that are compressed to a narrow strip at this point, which is -the dividing-ground between the two great bays on the south side of Long -Island.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, a watering-place for the summer resort of the exquisites -of New York has been established in the vicinity, and the consequent -advantages of comfortable beds and a good table are more than overborne -by the annoyance of such companionship. If there be a flight of birds, -every unfledged sportsman takes out his elegant fowling-piece, and, -daintily dressed, proceeds to the meadow, where he would be -comparatively harmless, and dangerous only to himself, were there room -for him and his fellows. But as the ground is limited, and the favorable -points few, he is sure to interfere; and, while killing nothing himself, -ruins the prospects of those<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_218" id="page_218"></a>{218}</span> who could do better. At Quogue, decoys -were first used about the year 1850, and the best day’s sport of late -was one hundred and thirty-eight birds.</p> - -<p>West of Quogue there are some snipe, and occasionally a good flight at -South Oyster Bay, and more rarely still at Rockaway; but the large birds -are not numerous north of New Jersey. Squan Beach, Barnegat, Egg Harbor, -and Brigantine Beach are famous for the large birds—the sickle-bills, -curlews, willets, and marlins—that visit them; the same number of shots -cannot be obtained as at Quogue, but the bag is larger. At the former -places there is also a flight, of greater or less extent, of dowitchers -and yellow-legs, but these are not so abundant as along the margin of -the Great South Bay of Long Island. On the other hand, a bag of one -hundred of the larger varieties is not unusual; while at Egg Harbor the -robin-snipe, which affect marshy islands are exceedingly numerous.</p> - -<p>Twenty years ago there was good bay-snipe shooting at what is termed -“Fire Island,” and even in the year 1883 there was a remarkable flight -late in the fall. But the cry of old George, which the gunners of “long -ago” welcomed in their youth, is never heard now; George and his -salutation have departed, and “Wake up, all them as is goin’ sniping” is -a thing of the past.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_219" id="page_219"></a>{219}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.<br /><br /> -THE JERSEY COAST.<br /><br /> -<small>“<i>A Girl from New Jersey.</i>”</small></h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Why</span> is it that every one who visits New Jersey comes away with an -ecstatic impression of Jersey girls that he never can forget? Lovely -they are, it is true, but not more beautiful than other fair ones of -America; affable, gentle, graceful, sprightly—but these qualities are -common in our angel-favored country. Yet no one that has been blessed -with their company can forget them, but carries for ever in his heart -the image of one, if not two or three, Jersey girls.</p> - -<p>These reflections were suggested to the writer by the recollection of -his first trip, many years ago, to the Jersey coast. The summer had been -oppressively hot, and being detained in town during the fore part of -August, he was glad to avail himself of the first chance to escape from -the city and betake himself to the cool, invigorating breezes of the -seashore. Not knowing precisely what route to follow, he trusted himself -on board the train without any definite destination, and, upon inquiry, -was informed that a good place for bay-shooting was at Tommy Cook’s, -near the coast, and about four miles from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_220" id="page_220"></a>{220}</span> one of the last stations on -the road, where, under the charge of the Quaker host, considerable -comfort could be had.</p> - -<p>To Cook’s, therefore, upon reaching the station, the writer told the -driver of what seemed to be a mongrel public coach, that he wanted to -go; but in thoughtlessness, never conceiving that there could be two -Cooks, he omitted the Tommy that should have preceded the direction. His -surprise was by no means moderate to find, upon reaching his -destination, the supposed Quaker host slightly inebriated, dancing a -solitary hornpipe to an admiring circle. Thinking perhaps that that was -the custom of Jersey Quakers—for the State is exceptional in certain -things—he took a glass of bad whiskey with the jovial landlord, made -proposals, much to every one’s surprise, to go shooting the day -following, and retired early.</p> - -<p>Next morning a short walk dissipated all idea of finding game, and -having made the discovery that he was still fifteen miles from the -proper shooting-ground on the beach, he returned to the house, and in -order to enjoy a few hours ere the wagon for his further transportation -would be ready, joined a bathing party. It was quite a sociable affair; -both sexes, dressed in their bathing clothes—the girls without -shoes—crowded down in the bottom of an open wagon. But surely it is not -fair to tell how one of the flannel-encased nymphs nearly fell from the -wagon, and was caught in the arms of the writer, who had jumped out for -the purpose; nor how the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_221" id="page_221"></a>{221}</span> rest drove off to leave them; nor how he bore -his lovely burden—plastic grace and beauty personified—bravely in -pursuit; nor how his foot chanced to trip—accidentally, of course—and -they fell and rolled in the sand together. If he would tell, he could -not; words do not exist for the purpose.</p> - -<p>He had, however, all he could do to explain the accident and pacify the -nymph. If she had known how much of solidity there was in her -loveliness, and how little of romance in the deep yielding sand, she -might have more readily accepted the excuse of weariness. If the -grasshopper becomes a burden under certain circumstances, why may not a -naiad?</p> - -<p>The road to the beach lay through a village formerly known by the -euphonious and distinctive title of Crab Town—a village of a thousand -inhabitants. It was evening ere Crab Town was reached, and just beyond, -the driver came upon a bevy of female acquaintances. In a moment the -suggestion was made that they should ride; after a little demur they -accepted, and were crowded in. The stage was not large, but there would -have been room if they had been twice as numerous; they filled every -seat, and every lap besides.</p> - -<p>There are days in one’s lifetime that should be celebrated as -anniversaries; and if any gentleman has carried in his arms, albeit with -true tenderness, one charming Jersey girl in the morning, and has had -another equally charming sit on his lap in the evening, he may look upon -that day as never likely to repeat itself.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_222" id="page_222"></a>{222}</span></p> - -<p>There was a hum of pleasant voices—words like, “Oh! Deb, we should not -have got in;” “Why, Mary, we may as well ride—it’s all in our way.” -“But these gentlemen are strangers, and may think it wrong of us.” “Oh, -Lib, don’t talk that way; they know better.” We assured them that -nothing could be more perfectly proper. So situated, the ride appeared -very short, and the next mile, which was as far as our delightful -freight would go, was passed seemingly in about a minute and a half, -decidedly the fastest time on record. At the end of it, on a suggestion -from the driver, who lived in that section and knew the country, toll -was taken of their rosy lips as passage-money. Jersey is a glorious -place.</p> - -<p>Passing Charley’s, as he is generally called, the son of the old man, -who for years was famous as the first hunter in that land, we turned off -beyond, down the beach. The bay between the mainland and the sand-bar, -known everywhere as “The Beach,” was narrow, widening slowly as we -advanced, until, at the end of our seven miles’ journey, it was nearly -three miles across. There was little vegetation beside salt grass and -bay-berry bushes; but of the animal kingdom the only -representatives—the mosquitoes—were thicker than the mind of man can -conceive; they rose in crowds, pursuing us fiercely, covering the horses -in an unbroken mass, settling upon ourselves, flying into our eyes, -crawling upon our necks, stinging through our clothes, and filling the -air. Although small, the were hungry beyond<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_223" id="page_223"></a>{223}</span> belief, and, following -their prey relentlessly, compelled us to fight them off with bushes of -bay-berry for our lives.</p> - -<p>Mosquitoes are found plentifully at our summer watering-places, and -still more numerously in the wild woods, grow abundantly in Canada, and -are over-plentiful at Lake Superior; but nowhere are they so merciless, -fierce, and numerous, as, on occasions, at the New Jersey beach. They -are a beautiful little creature, delicate, graceful, and elegant, but -obtrusive in their attentions; although the ardent lover was anxious to -be bitten by the same mosquito that had bitten his lady-love, that their -blood might mingle in the same body.</p> - -<p>One good effect they had, however, was to compel the driver to urge on -his weary team, and leave him no time to gossip at Jakey’s Tavern, over -the beach party that was to be held there next day. A beach party is -another delightful institution of the Jerseyites, and consists of a -congregation of the youths of both sexes, especially the female, -collected from the main shore, and meeting on the beach for a frolic, a -dance, and a bath. As it rarely breaks up till daylight, the pleasantest -intimacies are sometimes formed, and soft words uttered that could not -be wrung from blushing beauty in broad day.</p> - -<p>The establishment of the “old man”—the sporting “old man,” not the -political one—since he has been gathered to his forefathers, is kept up -by his son-in-law, usually known by the abbreviation—Bill. It is not an -elegant place; sportsmen do not demand<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_224" id="page_224"></a>{224}</span> elegance, and willingly sleep, -if not in the same room, in chambers that lead into one another; but it -is situated within a hundred yards of the best shooting ground, and is -as well kept as any other tavern on the beach. Sportsmen do not mind -waiting their turn to use the solitary wash basin, drawing water from -the hogshead, or wiping on the same towel, but are thankful for good -food, and the luxury of a well filled ice-house.</p> - -<p>In addition to the general directions heretofore given, it may be well -in this connexion to describe more particularly the mode of killing -bay-snipe. A number of imitation birds, usually called stools, are cut -from wood, and painted to resemble the various species; they have a long -stick, or leg, inserted into the lower part of the body, and a -sufficient number to constitute a large flock are set up in shallow -water, or upon some bar where the birds are accustomed to feed. They are -made from thin wood, or even from tin, and are headed various ways so as -to show in all directions; the coarsest and least perfect imitations -will answer.</p> - -<p>The most remarkable trait of the shore birds, or bay-snipe, is their -gregarious nature and sociability. A flock flying high in air, -apparently intent upon some settled course, will, the moment they see -another flock feeding, turn and join it. Their natural history, or the -object which they evidently have in thus joining forces, does not seem -to be understood; but the baymen, by imitation-birds and calls, take -advantage of this instinct. Farther south, along the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_225" id="page_225"></a>{225}</span> shores of Florida -and Texas, these snipe collect in crowds; and either this is the first -step towards that purpose, or they are merely attracted by the feeding -birds to a promising place for a plentiful repast.</p> - -<p>Although ordinarily they will come to the stools of themselves, if they -happen to be at a distance flying fast and high, the gunner must trust -to the shrillness of his whistle and the perfection of his call, to -attract their attention. If they turn towards the decoys and answer the -whistle—which they will do at an immense distance—they are almost sure -to come straight on, and their confidence once gained, rarely wavers.</p> - -<p>There is a common expression among the baymen, that birds have a trade, -or are trading up and down over a certain course, by which they mean -that they fly backward and forward at regular hours, and to and from -regular places. Snipe that are thus engaged trading are not only in the -finest condition, but come to the decoys, or stool, as it is termed, the -most readily. They are probably stopping on the meadows, and fly to -their feeding-grounds in the morning and back at night. The great -migratory bodies, which frequently stretch in broken lines almost across -the horizon, and which are pursuing their steady course to their -southern homes, rarely heed the whistle, or turn to the silly flock that -is eating while it should be travelling.</p> - -<p>The best days are those with a cloudy sky, and a south-westerly wind. On -such occasions the birds often come in myriads, delighting the -sportsman’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_226" id="page_226"></a>{226}</span> heart, testing his nerves, and filling his bag to -repletion. When the object is to kill the greatest number possible, they -are permitted to alight among the stools and collect together before the -gun is fired; then the first discharge is followed rapidly by the -second, which tears among their thinned ranks as they rise; and, if -there be a second gun, by the third and fourth barrel, till frequently -all are killed. The scientific and sportsmanlike mode is to fire before -they alight, selecting two or three together and firing at the foremost.</p> - -<p>It is a glorious thing to see a flock of marlin or willet, or perhaps -the chief of all, the sickle-bills, swerve from their course away up in -the heavens, and after a moment’s uncertainty reply to the sportsman’s -deceitful call and turn towards his false copies of themselves. As they -approach, the rich sienna brown of the marlin and curlew seems to color -the sky and reflect a ruddy hue upon surrounding objects; or the black -and white of the barred wings of the willet makes them resemble birds -hewn from veined marble. The sportsman’s heart leaps to his throat, as -crouching down with straining eye and nerve, grasping his faithful gun, -he awaits with eager anxiety the proper moment; then, rising ere they -are aware of the danger, he selects the spot where their crowding bodies -and jostling wings shut out the clouds beyond, and pours in his first -most deadly barrel; and quickly bringing to bear the other as best he -may among the now frightened creatures as they dart about, he delivers -it before he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_227" id="page_227"></a>{227}</span> has noticed how many fell to the first. Dropping back to -his position of concealment, he recommences whistling, and the poor -things, forgetting their fright and anxious to know why their friends -alighted amid a roar like thunder, return to the fatal spot, and again -give the fortunate sportsman a chance for his reloaded gun.</p> - -<p>It was for such glorious sport as this, with fair promise of -success—for the flight was on, as the saying is, when the snipe are -moving—that I prepared myself the next morning. Rising at earliest -daybreak, a friend, the gunner, and myself sallied out to the blind, and -having set out our stools, possessed our souls in patience for what -might follow. A blind is another ingenious invention of the devil—as -personified by a bayman, in pursuit of wild fowl—and is constructed by -planting bushes thickly in a circle round a bench. Seated upon this -bench and concealed from the suspicious eyes of the snipe by the dense -foliage of the bayberry bushes, the sportsman, in comparative comfort, -awaits his prey. In less civilized localities he hides himself among the -long sedge grass or scoops out a hole in the sand and lies at length -upon a waterproof blanket.</p> - -<p>The wind had hauled, in nautical language, to the south’ard and -west’ard, and the sun’s rays driving aside the hazy clouds, illuminated -the eastern sky with fiery glory. The land and water, dim with the heavy -night fog, stretched out in broad, undefined outline, and the heavens -seemed close down upon the earth. Through the hazy atmosphere and -sluggish<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_228" id="page_228"></a>{228}</span> darkness the rays of light penetrated slowly, bringing out -feature after feature of the landscape, lighting the tops of distant -hills, and revealing the fleecy coursers of the sky.</p> - -<p>Amid the fading darkness we soon heard the welcome cry of the bay-snipe -pursuing his course, guided by light that had not yet reached our -portion of the earth’s surface. Instantly we responded with a vigor and -rapidity on behalf of each, that must have impressed the travelling -birds with the belief that we constituted an immense flock. Again and -again, long before our straining eyes could catch the outline of their -forms, came the answering cry. Our eagerness increased with the -approaching sound, until from out the dim air rushed a glorious flock of -marbled willet, and swooping down to our stools dropped their long legs -to alight—we feeling as though little shining goddesses were descending -upon us.</p> - -<p>Without pausing to discuss their angelic character, but mercilessly -bringing our double-barrels to bear upon the crowded ranks, we poured in -a destructive broadside that hurled a dozen upon the bloodied sand. -Startled at the fearful report and its terrible consequences, they rose, -darting and crossing in their alarm, and fled at full speed; but hearing -again the familiar call, after flying a few hundred yards, they turned -and came once more straight for the decoys. Then my friend thought -highly of me and my breech-loading gun, for ere he had reloaded I had -discharged my two barrels three times, adding<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_229" id="page_229"></a>{229}</span> six birds to those -already upon the sand. Eighteen willet from the first flock, and ere the -sun was fairly up, gave us a good start; and after the birds were -gathered, the favorable send-off was duly celebrated in a few drops of -water with enough spirit to take the danger out.</p> - -<p>And now myriads of swallows made their appearance, skimming close along -the water, but in one steady course, as though they were going out for -the day, and would not be back till night-fall. They were followed by -scattering snipe that furnished neat but easy shooting till six o’clock, -when the regular flight began with a splendid flock of marlin that came -rapidly from the south’ard, and after hovering over the stools and -giving us one chance, returned for two more favors from the -breech-loader, and left sixteen of their number.</p> - -<p>Sportsmen of any experience know that nothing is easier than to select -from a flock a single bird with each barrel; but in bay-shooting, a man -who claims to excel, must kill several with the first barrel, and one, -at least, with the second. If, however, to the ordinary excitement be -added the natural emulation arising from the presence of several -sportsmen in the same stand, the foregoing desirable result is not -always attained. If, therefore, the reader shrewdly suspects we should -have killed more birds than we did, let him place himself in a similar -position, and record his success.</p> - -<p>Shore birds of the various species, beginning with the magnificent -sickle-bill, and including the wary<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_230" id="page_230"></a>{230}</span> jack-curlew, the noisy, larger -yellow-legs or yelper, and the smaller one, down to the pretty -simple-hearted dowitcher, went to make up our morning’s bag. The -scorching sun when it hung high over our heads stopped the flight, and, -aided by venomous mosquitoes, drove us to the shelter of the house, and -turned our thoughts towards dinner.</p> - -<p>The stands being convenient to the tavern, we had run in and snatched a -hasty breakfast, but now collected to clean guns, load cartridges, and -talk over results. The breech-loader being at that time something of a -novelty, attracted considerable attention, and was accused of that -defect popularly attributed to it, of not shooting strongly. As there -were several expensive guns present—among them one of William Moore—in -all of which the owners had great faith, the question was soon tested -and settled to the satisfaction of the most sceptical.</p> - -<p>That being concluded, black-breast, or bull-head plover, was the -occasion of a terrible contest over the entire plover family—some of -the sportsmen insisting there were three, others four or five well-known -kinds. They all agreed as to there being the grass-plover, the -bull-head, and the golden-plover; but some claimed in addition, the -frost bird and the red-backed plover. At last one burst forth:</p> - -<p>“There is Barnwell; he ought to know: what does he say?”</p> - -<p>As they turned inquiringly, feeling the momentous nature of the -occasion, and that now was the chance<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_231" id="page_231"></a>{231}</span> to establish my reputation for -ever, with an air of deep learning, I commenced:</p> - -<p>“In the first place, you are mistaken in including among plovers the -grass or grey-plover, as it is commonly called; it is not a plover at -all——”</p> - -<p>“Oh! that is nonsense,” they burst forth unanimously; “you don’t know -what you’re talking about.”</p> - -<p>Never was a growing reputation more suddenly nipped. Instantly reduced -to a state of meekness, and only too glad to save a shred of character, -I mildly suggested that Giraud’s work on the birds of Long Island was in -my valise, and probably contained the desired information.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said one, “let’s hear what he says.”</p> - -<p>So I procured the book and read as follows:</p> - -<p class="cspc"> -“<span class="lftspc">‘</span><span class="smcap">Tringa Bartramia—Wilson.</span><br /> - -<small>BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER.</small><br /> - -Bartram’s Sandpiper, Tringa Bartramia, Wil. Amer. Orn.<br /> -<i>Totanus Bartramius</i> Bonap. Syn.<br /> - -<i>Totanus Bartramius</i> Bartram Tatler, Su. & Rich. Bartramian<br /> -Tatler, Nutt. Man.<br /> - -Bartramian Sandpiper. <i>Totanus Bartramius</i> Aud. Orn.<br /> -Biog.’<br /> -</p> - -<p>“After giving the specific character, and a spirited account of the -well-known manner of shooting them from a wagon, which is not followed -with any other bird, as you well know, he proceeds as follows:</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>In Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and on the Shinnecock and -Hempstead Plains, Long<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_232" id="page_232"></a>{232}</span> Island, it is common, where it is known by the -name of “gray,” “grass,” “field,” or “upland” plover. It is very wary, -and difficult to be approached. On the ground it has an erect and -graceful gait. When alarmed it runs rapidly for a short distance before -taking wing, uttering a whistling note as it rises; its flight is rapid, -frequently going out of sight before alighting. It usually keeps on the -open, dry grounds—feeding on grasshoppers, insects, and seeds. In the -month of August it is generally in fine condition, and highly prized as -game. When feeding, for greater security, this species scatter about; -the instant the alarm is given, all move off. In the latter part of -August it migrates southward, and, it is said, performs the journey at -night. Stragglers frequently remain behind until late in September.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>“It is evident he knew the bird,” replied one of the objectors; “but as -he calls it by six or seven names—the English ones being both -sand-piper and tatler—he evidently did not know what it should be -called.”</p> - -<p>“That is the way with naturalists,” replied another; “they each give a -name to a species, but in this case all agree that it is not a plover. -What is the name plover derived from?”</p> - -<p>“It comes from the French word <i>Pluvier</i>, rain-bird, because it -generally flies during a rain. But naturalists found distinctions more -upon the shape of bill and claws than on the habits of any species. -According to them, plovers proper have no hind toe, or, at most, only a -knob in its place.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_233" id="page_233"></a>{233}</span></p> - -<p>“Do you know what Frank Forester says on the subject?”</p> - -<p>Feeling my reputation rising a little, I resumed: “He confuses -frost-bird and grass-plover, quoting Audubon as his authority; but he -points out the distinctive peculiarity of the plover.”</p> - -<p>“If he thinks a grass-plover and a frost-bird are alike, he knows very -little of his subject. Why, the frost-bird stools admirably, while the -plover never stools at all.”</p> - -<p>“Not so fast! Frank Forester was a splendid writer, and upon matters -with which he was familiar he was thorough. He has conferred an immense -favor upon the American sporting world; but where he had not personal -experience—and no one can know everything—he had to rely upon others. -He has done as much to correct and elevate sportsmanship in this -country, to introduce a proper vocabulary, and to enforce obedience to -gentlemanly rules, as any man possibly could. As a body, we owe it to -him that we are sportsmen, and not pot-hunters. Probably in some places -the grass-plover is called a frost-bird.”</p> - -<p>“I have more faith in Giraud, and would like to hear what he can tell us -about the golden-plover, unless he says that is a sandpiper also.”</p> - -<p>“He begins with a description of the black-bellied plover, which is -known to us as bull-head, the <i>charadrius helveticus</i>, and then -describes the American golden-plover, or <i>charadrius pluvialis</i>, and -uses these words: ‘It is better known to our gunners by<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_234" id="page_234"></a>{234}</span> the name of -frost-bird, so called from being more plentiful during the early frosts -of autumn, at which season it is generally in fine condition, and -exceedingly well flavored.’ Then follow the ring-plover, or -ring-neck—<i>charadrius semipalmatus</i>, Wilson’s plover; the -piping-plover, or beach-bird—<i>charadrius melodius</i>; and the kildeer -plover—<i>charadrius vociferus</i>, these being all the varieties of -American plover.”</p> - -<p>Bill could stand it no longer; but rising as the book was closed, burst -forth at once:</p> - -<p>“Those writers are queer fellows; they put the oddest, hardest, longest -names to birds that ever I heard. Who would have thought of their -calling a two-penny beach-bird, a radish mellow-deuce! What I have to -say is—we baymen will never learn these new-fangled names.”</p> - -<p>“That is exactly the trouble,” I replied. “You baymen will, in different -sections of the country, call the same bird by various names, till no -one can tell what you are talking about; and the man of science has to -step in and dig up a third name, usually some Latin affair, which nobody -will accept. Thus it is that the older frost-birds, which, strange to -say, invariably arrive before the young, are known as golden-plover, and -their progeny as frost-birds.”</p> - -<p>“Speaking of the seasons,” replied Bill, evasively, “have you noticed -that they are changing every year? The springs are later than they used -to be. In old times the English snipe arrived from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_235" id="page_235"></a>{235}</span> south early in -March; now they hardly come till June; so, the ducks come later and stay -later. The springs are colder, and the autumns warmer, than when I was -young, and the bay-snipe appear in September instead of August, as it -once was.”</p> - -<p>“As to the English snipe you are undoubtedly correct, but this is due -probably to their increasing scarcity; and although we have no spring, -and the summer extends frequently into September, this appears to result -from the changes in climate effected by clearing the woods. As the -forests are cut down, the cold winds of spring, and the burning suns of -summer, produce a greater effect, and each in its turn lasts longer. -Altogether, however, our seasons seem to be moderating.”</p> - -<p>At this interesting point in our discussion, some one discovered by the -aid of a telescope that a flock of willet had settled on the sand-bank -among the stools. The announcement was followed by a general seizure of -weapons and rush for the blinds. My friend and myself hastened to the -little boat, used in floating quietly down upon ducks, and called a -“sneak box,” and embarking, glided silently towards our stand. The tide -had left bare a long bank of sand, upon which was collected a glorious -flock, or, more properly speaking, two flocks united, one of marlin and -the other of willet.</p> - -<p>All unconscious of approaching danger, the pretty creatures were busily -engaged, some in feeding, others in washing—dipping under and throwing -the water over their graceful bodies—others in running<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_236" id="page_236"></a>{236}</span> actively about, -or jumping up and taking short flights to dry their wings. A happy -murmur ran through the flock, and so innocent and beautiful were they -that we remained watching them in silent admiration, unwilling to -disturb the romance of the charming scene. The rich brown feathers of -the imposing marlin formed an exquisite contrast to the white and black -of the elegant willet, as the different species mixed unreservedly -together.</p> - -<p>They did not exhibit the slightest alarm when our boat, after we had -ceased rowing, was borne towards them by the wind, and allowed us to -approach till it grounded on the flat. Having feasted our eyes on the -magnificent spectacle, we at last gave the word to fire. At the report -they rose wildly, and receiving the second discharge, made the best of -their way to safer quarters. Both barrels of my friend’s gun missed -fire, and we gathered only seven birds, as the flock, although numbering -at least seventy birds, was widely scattered and offered a poor mark.</p> - -<p>No sooner were we again ensconced in our blind, than the exhilarating -sport of the morning was renewed—sport such as only those who have -tried it can appreciate—sport that makes the heart beat and the nerves -tingle—sport that overweighs humanity and compels the remorseless -slaughter of these beautiful birds. Flock after flock, seen at great -distance, and watched in their approach through changing hopes and -fears, or darting unexpectedly from over our heads and first noticed -when rushing with extended wings down to our stools, presented their<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_237" id="page_237"></a>{237}</span> -crowded ranks to our delighted gaze. From the very clouds, would come -the shrill whistle of the yelper, or from the horizon, the long shriek -of the willet, or nearer at hand would be heard the plaintive note of -the gentle dowitcher; they appeared from all quarters, sailing low along -the water or pitching directly down from out the sky.</p> - -<p>Towards evening the flight diminished, and when the horn announced that -supper was ready, the different parties met once more at the house to -compare notes and relate adventures. All had met with excellent success, -but our stand carried off the palm.</p> - -<p>“Bill,” commenced some unhappy person, after we had left the close, hot -dining-room, “why do you not enlarge your house?”</p> - -<p>“Bill is waiting for another wreck,” was the volunteer response; “the -whole coast is fed, clothed, and sheltered by the wrecks. The house is -built from the remnants of unfortunate ships, as you perceive by the -name-boards of the Arion, Pilgrim, Samuel Willets, J. Harthorn, and -Johanna, that form so conspicuous a part of the front under the porch. -When a vessel is driven ashore, and the crew and passengers who are not -quite dead are disposed of by the aid of a stone in the corner of a -handkerchief, which makes an unsuspicious bruise, the prize is fought -for by the natives, and not only the cargo, but the very ribs and planks -of the vessel appropriated.”</p> - -<p>“Now that’s not fair,” replied Bill, aroused; “no man, except my -father-in-law, has done more to save<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_238" id="page_238"></a>{238}</span> drowning men than I have. I tell -you it’s an awful sight to see the poor creatures clinging to the -rigging and bowsprit, to see them washed off before your eyes, sometimes -close to you, without your being able to help them, and their dead -bodies thrown up by the waves on the sand. You don’t feel like stealing -or murder at such times; and besides, I never knew a dead man come -ashore that had anything in his pockets.”</p> - -<p>A peal of laughter greeted this naïve remark, together with the ready -response: “Bill, you were too late; some Barnegat pirate had been before -you.”</p> - -<p>“No, the Barnegat pirates are kinder than the Government. We do our best -to save the poor fellows, but the Government puts men in charge of their -station-houses that know nothing about their business. My father-in-law -was the first man that threw a line with the cannon over a ship, and he -was presented with a medal by the Humane Society. He never was paid a -dollar for taking charge of the station, the life-boat, and the cannon. -Since he died I kept it for five years, and was paid two years; now men -are selected for their politics. One lives back on the main land two -miles from his station-house, another never fired a gun, and a third -never rowed a boat. The last got a crew of us together once to go out to -a ship in the life-boat and undertook to steer, but we told him not one -of us would go unless he stayed on shore. It is a dangerous thing to -have a green hand at the helm, or even at an oar, in times like that.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_239" id="page_239"></a>{239}</span></p> - -<p>“How far can you reach a ship with the cannon?” we inquired.</p> - -<p>“The line, you know, is fastened to the ball with a short wire, so that -it won’t burn off, and is coiled up beside the gun, and of course it -keeps the ball back, and then people forget we always have to fire -against the wind, as vessels are never wrecked with the wind off shore; -so although the guns are expected to carry five hundred yards, they will -not carry more than one hundred and eighty. That is enough, though, if -they only have the right sort of men to manage them; but how is a -landsman to tell whether he must use the cannon or is safe in going off -in the boat? In one case, while the station-master was trying to drag -his cannon down to a ship, a party of us took a common boat and landed -her crew and passengers before he arrived. I don’t care about the pay, -for I kept it three years without; but I hate to see lives sacrificed -for politics. Would you like to see the medal they gave to the old man?”</p> - -<p>We responded in the affirmative; and he soon produced a silver medal, -with an inscription on one side recording the circumstances, and on the -other an embossed picture of a ship in distress, a cannon from which the -ball and rope attached had been discharged and were visible in mid air, -several men standing around the gun, and a life-boat climbing the seas.</p> - -<p>“But, Bill, tell us about the Barnegat pirates leading a lame horse with -a lantern tied to his neck<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_240" id="page_240"></a>{240}</span> over the sand hills in imitation of a ship’s -light, and thus inveigling vessels ashore.”</p> - -<p>“I can only say I have never heard of it. As quick as a vessel comes -ashore, the insurance agent is telegraphed for, and he takes charge of -everything. Why, we even buy the wrecks and pay well for them, too. Now -and then something is washed up like that coal in front of the house, -but it is not often.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean by the stations?”</p> - -<p>“They are houses built by the Government and placed at regular distances -along the beach. The gun, and rope, and life-boat, and life-car, and all -other things that are needed in case of shipwreck, are kept in them. -Then there is a stove and coal ready to make a fire, for if a poor -wretch got ashore in mid-winter he would soon freeze if he couldn’t get -to a fire. And if the man who has charge of the station lives two miles -off across a bay that he can’t cross in a bad storm, what can the poor -half-drowned fellows do, if they are too much benumbed to break open the -door? I’d stave it in for them pretty quick if I was there, law or no -law.”</p> - -<p>“It is a shame that a matter like that should not be free from -politics.”</p> - -<p>“So it was once,” Bill went on fluently; for on this subject he felt -that his family had a right to be eloquent; “at one time some department -had it in charge that never would either appoint or remove a man on -political account; but that is all changed now, and the men are expected -to go out with every<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_241" id="page_241"></a>{241}</span> administration, and shipwrecked passengers die -while political favorites draw the two hundred dollars a year pay for -the station-master.”</p> - -<p>“Now, Bill, stop your talk about the public wrongs, and tell us -something more interesting. Have you ever heard one of Bill’s ghost -stories?” This inquiry was addressed to the public.</p> - -<p>Bill’s face lengthened; he sat silently nursing his leg and smoking his -brierwood pipe, while a shadow seemed to settle on his countenance. -“Come, Bill,” we responded, “let’s have the story.”</p> - -<p>Bill answered not, and the shadow deepened, and the smoke was puffed in -heavier masses from his lips.</p> - -<p>“Bill is afraid; he don’t like ghosts, and don’t dare to talk of them.”</p> - -<p>“I am not easily skeered,” he answered at last; “but if you had seen -what I have on this shore, you would not talk so easy about it ’Lige, do -you remember the time we saw that ship? There had been a heavy storm, -and when we got up next day early, there lay a vessel on the beach; she -must have been most everlastingly a harpin’ it.”</p> - -<p>“What is that?” was asked wonderingly, on the utterance of this peculiar -expression.</p> - -<p>“Why, she had come clear in over the bar, and must have been going some -to do that; for there she lay, bow on, with her bowsprit sticking way up -ashore, just below the station yonder. Her masts were standing, and we -clapped on our clothes and started for the beach. The wind was blowin’ -hard,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_242" id="page_242"></a>{242}</span> and the sand and drizzle driving in our faces as we walked over, -and we kept our heads down most of the time. When we got to the -sand-hills we looked up, and the ship was gone. I thought that likely -enough, for she must have broken up and gone to pieces soon in that -surf, so we hurried along as fast as we could; and sure enough, when we -rounded the point, the little cove in which she lay was full of truck. -’Lige was there, and he saw it as plain as I did. The water was full of -drift-boxes, barrels, planks, and all sorts of things, pitching and -rolling about; and some of them had been carried up onto the sand and -were strewed about in all directions.</p> - -<p>“It was early, and the day was misty, but we could see plain enough, and -we saw all that stuff knocking about as plain as I see you now. There -was a big timber in my way—a stick—well, thirty feet long and two feet -or two and a half square, so that I had to raise my foot high to clear -it; I stepped one leg over, and drew the other along to feel it, but it -didn’t touch anything; then I stopped and looked down—there was no -timber there; I looked back towards the sea—the drift had disappeared, -the barrels and boxes and truck of one sort or another was gone. There -was nothing on shore nor in the water. Now you may laugh, but ’Lige -knows whether what I’ve told you is true.”</p> - -<p>“Bill, that is a pretty good story, but it is not the one I meant,” -persisted the individual who had commenced the attack.</p> - -<p>“Well, another time, Zeph and I were at work<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_243" id="page_243"></a>{243}</span> getting the copper bolts -out of an old wreck, when we happened to look up and saw two carriages -coming along, up the beach. I spoke to Zeph about it, but as they came -along slowly, we went on with our work, and when we looked up again -there was only one. That came on closer and closer till I could tell the -horses; they were two bays of squire Jones’ down at the inlet; they -drove right on towards us till they were so near that I did not like to -stare the people in the face, and looked down again to my work. There -were two men, and I saw them so plain that I should know ’em anywhere. -Well, I raised my head a second after, and they were gone; and there -never had been any wagon, for Zeph and I hunted all over the beach to -find the tracks in the sand.”</p> - -<p>“I guess that was another misty day, and you hadn’t had your -eye-opener,” was the appreciative response.</p> - -<p>“No, it was three o’clock in the day, and bright sunshine; but at that -time, as near as can be, Tommy Smith was drowned down at the inlet, and -the very next day at the very same hour, the ’Squire’s wagon did come up -the beach, with the same two men driving, and the body in a box in the -back part.”</p> - -<p>“Now, Bill,” continued the persistent individual, “this is all very -well, but it is not the story. Come, out with it; you know what I mean.”</p> - -<p>Bill fell silent, again looking off into the distance as though he saw -something that others could not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_244" id="page_244"></a>{244}</span> see; he pulled away nervously on his -pipe, which had gone out, but answered not.</p> - -<p>“Bill’s afraid;” was the tantalizing suggestion.</p> - -<p>“There’s Sam,” said Bill suddenly; “he’s not afeard of man or devil; ask -him what he saw.”</p> - -<p>The person referred to was a large, broad-shouldered, pleasant-faced -man, with a clear blue eye that looked as though it would not quail -easily, and he responded at once:</p> - -<p>“I never saw anything; but one night when I was coming by the cove where -the Johanna was cast away, and where three hundred bodies were picked up -and buried, I heard a loud scream. It sounded like a woman’s voice, and -was repeated three or four times; but I couldn’t find anything, although -I spent an hour hunting among the sand-hills, and it was bright -moonlight. It may have been some sort of animal, but I don’t know -exactly what.”</p> - -<p>“Bill’s adventure happened in the same neighborhood, so let’s have it,” -continued the persistent man.</p> - -<p>“As Sam says,” commenced Bill, at last, “the Johanna went ashore one -awful north-easter in winter about six miles above here, near Old -Jackey’s tavern; she broke up before we could do anything for her, and -three hundred men, women, and children—for she was an emigrant -ship—were washed ashore during the following week; most of them had -been drifted by the set of the tide into the cove, and they were buried -there; so you see it ain’t a nice place of a dark night.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_245" id="page_245"></a>{245}</span></p> - -<p>“I was driving down the beach about a year after she was lost, with my -old jagger wagon, and a heavy load on of groceries and stores of one -kind or other. It was about one o’clock at night, mighty cold, but -bright moonlight; and I was coming along by the corner of the fence, you -know, just above Jackey’s, when the mare stopped short. Now, she was -just the best beast to drive you ever saw. I could drive her into the -bay or right over into the ocean, and she was never skeered at anything. -But this time, she come right back in the shafts and began to tremble -all over; I gave her a touch of the whip, and she was just as full of -spirit as a horse need be, but she only reared up and snorted and -trembled worse than ever. So I knew something must be wrong, and looked -ahead pretty sharp; and there, sure enough, right across the road, lay a -man. Jackey was a little too fond of rum at that time, and I made up my -mind he had got drunk and tumbled down on his way home; it was cold, and -I didn’t want to get out of the wagon where I was nicely tucked in, and -thought I would drive round out of the road and wake him up with my whip -as I passed. I tried to pull the mare off to one side to go by, but she -only reared and snorted and trembled, so that I was afraid she would -fall. She had a tender mouth, but although I pulled my best I could not -budge her; at last, getting mad, I laid the gad over her just as hard as -I could draw it. Instead of obeying the rein, however, she plunged -straight on, made a tremendous leap over the body, and dragged the -wagon<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_246" id="page_246"></a>{246}</span> after her. I pulled her in all I knew how, and no mistake; but it -was no use, and I felt the front wheels strike, lift, and go over him, -and then the hind wheels, but I couldn’t stop her. That was a heavy -load, and enough to crush any one, and as soon as I could fetch the mare -down—for she had started to run—I jumped out quick enough then, you -may bet your life. I tied her up to the fence, although she was still so -uneasy I daresen’t hardly leave her, and hurried back to see if I could -do anything for Jackey. Would you believe it, there was nothing there! I -tell you I felt the wagon go over him, and what’s more, I looked down as -I passed and saw his clothes and his hair straggling out over the snow, -for he had no hat on; though I noticed at the time that I didn’t see any -flesh, but supposed his face was turned from me. There was no rise in -the ground and not a cloud in the sky; the moon was nearly full, and -there wasn’t any man, and never had been any man there; but whatever -there was, the mare saw it as plain as I did.”</p> - -<p>“Now let’s turn in,” said a sleepy individual, who had first been -nodding over Bill’s statement of public wrongs, and had taken several -short naps in the course of his ghost story; “and as there was something -said yesterday about a smoke driving away mosquitoes, for heaven’s sake -let’s make a big one; the infernal pests kept me awake all last night.”</p> - -<p>This was excellent advice, and not only was an entire newspaper consumed -in our common sleeping apartment, but a quantity of powder was squibbed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_247" id="page_247"></a>{247}</span> -off, till the place smelt like the antechamber of Tartarus. The -mosquitoes were expelled or silenced at the cost of a slight suffocation -to ourselves, but we gained several hours sleep till the smoke escaped -and allowed the villains to return to their prey.</p> - -<p>One sporting day resembles another in its essential features, although -not often so entirely as with the Englishman, who, having devoted his -life to woodcock shooting, and being called upon to relate his -experiences, replied that he had shot woodcock for forty years, but -never noticed anything worth recording. Our next day, however, was -enlivened by sport of an unexpected kind. We had heard there was some -dispute about the ownership of the stands; in fact, that the one -occupied by my friend and myself belonged to the Ortleys, a family -represented as decidedly uninviting; while both Bill and the Ortleys -claimed that, where another party was located.</p> - -<p>In the disputed stand were Bill, a New York gentleman, who, as events -proved, seemed to be something of an athlete, and a sedate, -unimpassionable Jersey lawyer of considerable eminence. Elijah was with -us, when two villanous, red-haired, freckle-skinned objects presented -themselves, and, after some preliminary remarks and a refusal on their -part of a friendly glass, which is a desperate sign in a Jerseyman, -mildly suggested that they would like a little remuneration for the use -of the stand. As their suggestion was moderate, reasonable, and just, -and they undoubtedly owned the land, we complied,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_248" id="page_248"></a>{248}</span> and beheld them -proceed, to Elijah’s great delight, for the same purpose towards the -other stand. Elijah prophetically announced they would probably get more -than they demanded.</p> - -<p>The other stand was distant about a hundred yards, in full view, and we -perceived at once that a commotion was caused by the unexpected arrival. -The athletic man was shortly seen outside the blind, flinging his arms -wildly about in front of the two Ortley brothers, and, as we were -afterwards informed, offering to fight either or both of them. Matters -then seemed to progress more favorably, till suddenly Bill and the -younger Ortley emerged, locked in an unfriendly embrace, and commenced -dragging each other round the sand-bank, while the demonstrative -sportsman was seen dancing actively in front of the other Ortley, and -preventing his interference.</p> - -<p>Of course we dropped our guns and hastened across the shallow, -intervening water, having just time to perceive that Bill had thrown his -adversary and remained on top. The first words we heard were: “Take him -off! Oh, my God! take him off. Enough, enough, take him off,” from the -one on the ground, whose eye—the only vulnerable part to uninstructed -anger—Bill was busily endeavoring to gouge out, while the other shouted -frantically: “He is killing my brother; let me get to him; he is gouging -his eye out. He will kill him, he will kill him.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” answered the athletic man, swinging his arms ominously, -and dexterously interposing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_249" id="page_249"></a>{249}</span> between the victim and his brother, -whenever the latter attempted to dodge past him. “Let him be killed, it -would serve him right; he came over here for a fight, and he shall have -enough of it if both of his eyes are gouged out.”</p> - -<p>Elijah arrived in time to prevent the latter catastrophe, and being of a -peaceable and humane disposition, pulled off his brother before anything -more serious than a little scratching had occurred. In fact, there is no -position in which ignorance renders a person more pitiably inefficient, -than in fighting; and, while a skilful man could have killed his -opponent during the time Bill had enjoyed, the latter had really -effected nothing worth mentioning. The ugly wretch was awfully -frightened, however; his face being ghostly pale, streaked with bloody -red, and he commenced whining at once:</p> - -<p>“I am nothing but a boy, only twenty-two last spring, and he’s a man -grown.”</p> - -<p>“You know boys have to be whipped to keep them in order,” was the -consolatory response; for we naturally took part with our landlord.</p> - -<p>“Gentlemen, just look at me.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t come so close, you’re covered with blood; keep back, keep back.”</p> - -<p>“But look at me; he’s bigger than I am, and I am only a boy.”</p> - -<p>“Then you shouldn’t strike a man.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! gentlemen, I didn’t strike him first, indeed I didn’t; he struck me -when I wasn’t thinking; indeed he did.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_250" id="page_250"></a>{250}</span></p> - -<p>“Yes,” broke in his brother, who was just recovering from the spell -first put upon him by our athlete’s continual offers to accommodate him -in any way he wished. “Yes, it will be a dear blow for you; I saw you -strike him.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said the lawyer, advancing for the first time from behind the -blind where he had been an unmoved and impartial umpire of the fray, -“you should not say that; your brother certainly struck first; I saw him -distinctly.” His manner was solemn, and convincing, and conclusive, -taken in connexion with his perfect equanimity during the affair; but, -of course, he was met by contradiction and protestation from the two -brothers. This dispute would have been endless, but at that moment a -fine flock of willets was descried advancing towards the stools.</p> - -<p>“Down, down,” every one shouted, and, true to the bayman’s instinct, -friend and foe crowded down on the sand together, waiting breathlessly -the arrival of the birds. The latter came up handsomely, were received -with four barrels, and left several of their number as keepsakes or -peace-offerings; for, of course, anger was dissipated, and the defeated -enemy retired amid a few merry suggestions, and the excellent advice -that they had better not repeat their joke.</p> - -<p>Such squabbles—for it can be called nothing graver—lower one’s opinion -of human kind, and it makes one ashamed to think that two men may hug -and pull one another about, and roll on the sand for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_251" id="page_251"></a>{251}</span> fifteen minutes, -with the best will in the world to do each other all the damage -possible, and only inflict, in the feebleness of uneducated humanity, a -few miserable scratches. Any of the lower animals would, in that time, -have left serious marks of its anger; but the pitiful results of these -human efforts were, that Bill’s beard was pulled and Ortley’s face -scratched. It makes one blush to think he is a man.</p> - -<p>As our party returned to the blind we had left, Elijah spoke, softly -ruminating aloud:</p> - -<p>“Well, it only costs thirty-five dollars anyhow, and it was worth that.”</p> - -<p>Our humane, peaceable friend, it seems, had been cast in a similar case, -and had to pay six cents damages and thirty-five dollars costs of court. -There is probably nothing that has so soothing and pacifying an -influence on the New Jersey mind as costs of court. The words alone act -like a charm upon a Jerseyman in the acme of frenzy, and are as -effective as a policeman in uniform. If a man commits assault and -battery, he is fined six cents damages and costs of court; if he is -guilty of trespass it is the same; if he kisses his neighbor’s wife -against her will, if he slanders a friend’s character, it is always six -cents damages and costs of court; and Jerseymen will probably expect in -the next world to get off with six cents damages and costs of court.</p> - -<p>The shooting was excellent during the whole day, and evening found us -collected in the bar-room, well satisfied and particularly jocose over -the amusing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_252" id="page_252"></a>{252}</span> pugilistic encounter we had witnessed. It lent point to -many a good hit at Bill’s expense; even his wife, who is a fine, -resolute-looking woman, saying that if she had seen it sooner, she would -have taken a broomstick and flogged them both. The general impression -was, she could have made her words good.</p> - -<p>The pleasure of indulging in fun at the expense of a fellow-creature is -very great, and Bill’s adventure was certainly fair game. When our wit -was exhausted, and the craving for tobacco mollified by the steady use -of our pipes, our thoughts and voices turned to our never-wearying -passion, and one of the party commenced:</p> - -<p>“I have shot a number of the birds you call kriekers; they are a fat -bird, but do not seem to stool. I have never before shot them, except -occasionally on the meadows.”</p> - -<p>“They don’t stool,” said Bill, “and only utter a krieking kind of cry; -but in October they come here very thick, and we walk them up over the -meadows. Why, you can shoot a hundred a day.”</p> - -<p>“A most excellent bird they are, too—fat and delicate. They are the -latest of the bay-snipe in returning from the summer breeding-places; -and as they rise and fly from you, they afford extremely pretty -shooting. They are sometimes called short-neck, and are, in a -gastronomic point of view, the best bay-snipe that is put upon the -table.”</p> - -<p>“We call the bay-birds usually snipe,” said the first speaker; “but I -have been told they are not<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_253" id="page_253"></a>{253}</span> snipe at all. Refer to Giraud again and -give us the truth.”</p> - -<p>This fell, of course, to my share, and I commenced as follows:</p> - -<p>“I read you yesterday about the plovers, and immediately after them we -find an account of the turnstone, <i>strepsilas interpres</i>, which is -nothing else than our beautiful brant-bird or horse-foot snipe, as it is -called farther south, because it feeds on the spawn of the horse-foot. -This pretty but unfortunate bird belongs to no genus whatever, and has -been to the ornithologists a source of great tribulation. They have -sometimes considered it a sandpiper and sometimes not, so you may -probably call it what you please; and as brant-bird is a rhythmical -name, it will answer as well as <i>strepsilas interpres</i>; if you have not -a fluent tongue, perhaps somewhat better. Of the snipes, or -<i>scolopacidæ</i>, the only true representative is the dowitcher, <i>scolopax -noveboracensis</i>.</p> - -<p>“Hold on,” shouted Bill; “say that last word over again.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Noveboracensis.</i>”</p> - -<p>“That is only the half of it; let’s have the whole.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Scolopax noveboracensis.</i>”</p> - -<p>“Scoly packs never borrow a census; that is a good sized name for a -little dowitch, and beats the radish altogether. Go ahead, we’ll learn -something before we get through.”</p> - -<p>“Why, that is only Latin for New York snipe.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_254" id="page_254"></a>{254}</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, pshaw!” responded Bill, in intense disgust, “I thought it meant a -whole bookful of things.”</p> - -<p>“The sandpipers, however, come under the family of snipes, and are -called <i>tringæ</i>. Among these are enumerated the robin-snipe and the -grass-plover, as I told you before, the black-breast, the krieker, or -short-neck, and several scarcer varieties. The yelpers and yellow-legs, -the tiny teeter, and the willet are tattlers, genus <i>totanus</i>, while the -marlin is the godwit <i>limosa</i>. The sickle-bills, jacks, and futes are -curlews, <i>genus numenius</i>.”</p> - -<p>“And now that you have got through,” grumbled Bill again, “can you -whistle a snipe any better or shoot him any easier? Do you know why he -stools well in a south-westerly wind, why one stools better than -another, or why any of them stool at all? Do you know why he flies after -a storm, or why some go in flocks and others don’t, or why there is -usually a flight on the fifteenth and twenty-fifth of August? When books -tell us these things, I shall think more of the writers.”</p> - -<p>“These matters are not easy to find out; even you gunners, who have been -on the bay all your lives, where your fathers lived before you, do not -know. But now tell us what other sport you have here.”</p> - -<p>“On the mainland there are a good many English snipe in spring, while in -the fall we catch bluefish and shoot ducks. The black ducks and teal -will soon be along; but ever since the inlet was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_255" id="page_255"></a>{255}</span> closed, the -canvas-backs and red-heads have been scarce.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean by the inlet’s closing?”</p> - -<p>“There used to be several inlets across the beach—one about ten miles -below—and then we had splendid oysters and ducks plenty. There came a -tremendous storm one winter that washed up the sand and closed the -inlet, and so it has remained ever since.”</p> - -<p>“Can’t they be dredged out?”</p> - -<p>“The people would pay a fortune to any man who did that, if he could -keep it open. In the fall, we go after ducks twenty miles when we want -any great shooting; but we kill a good many round here.”</p> - -<p>“How do you catch the blue-fish that you spoke of?”</p> - -<p>“They chase the bony-fish along the shore, and when they come close in, -you can stand on the beach, and throw the squid right among them. I took -sixteen hundred pounds in half a day.”</p> - -<p>“Phew!” was the universal chorus.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Lige was there, and he knows whether that is true. They averaged -fifteen pounds apiece. On those occasions, the only question is whether -you know how to land them, and can do it quick enough.”</p> - -<p>“Your hands must have been cut to pieces.”</p> - -<p>“Not at all; you’ll never cut your hands if you don’t let the line -slip.”</p> - -<p>“Did you run up ashore with them?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_256" id="page_256"></a>{256}</span></p> - -<p>“No, I had no time for that; I landed them, hand over hand.”</p> - -<p>“Well, after that story it’s time we went to bed; so good-night.”</p> - -<p>During that night the mosquitoes, bad as they had been, were more -terrible than at any time previous. Favored by the late frequent rains, -they had become more numerous than had ever been known on the beach; and -being consequently compelled to subdivide to an unusual degree the -ordinarily small supply of food, they were savagely hungry. Sleep was -out of the question, and after trying all sorts of devices from -gunpowder to mosquito-nets, the party wandered out of doors, and, -scattering in search of a place of retreat, afforded an excellent -representation of unhappy ghosts on the banks of the Styx. The shore, -near the surf, and the bathing-houses had heretofore been tolerably -secure resorts, but, on this unprecedented night, a special meeting of -mosquitoes seemed to have been called in that neighborhood.</p> - -<p>Those that tried the ground, and covered themselves carefully from head -to foot, found that the enterprising long-legs disregarded the customary -habits of their race, and consented to crawl down their sleeves, up -their pants, or through the folds of the blanket. The sand-fleas also -were numerous and lively, bounding about in an unpleasantly active way; -and where there were neither mosquitoes nor sand-fleas, the nervous -sufferer imagined every grain<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_257" id="page_257"></a>{257}</span> of stray sand that sifted in through his -clothes to be some malignant, blood-sucking, insect.</p> - -<p>One great advantage, however, followed from this discomfort—that we -were up betimes next morning and ready for sport that soon proved equal -to any we had experienced. In fact, so steady and well sustained a -flight of large birds was extremely rare; before our arrival the -shooting had been good, and since excellent. There was a repetition to a -great extent of the day previous, in many particulars of flight, number, -and character of birds; in infinite modification of circumstance, there -was an incessant variety of bewildering sport.</p> - -<p>No two birds ever approach the sportsman’s stand in precisely the same -way, and there is one round of deliciously torturing uncertainty; the -flock we are most certain of may turn off, the one that has passed and -been given up, may return; the bird that has been carefully covered may -escape, another that seems a hopeless chance may fall: it is these -minute differences, and this continual variety, that lend the principal -charm to the sportsman’s life.</p> - -<p>At midday came again the congregation at the house, the discussion over -sporting topics, the joke or story, and the comparison of luck. Thus -passed the days, alike, yet different, affording undiminished pleasure, -excitement, and instruction, with sport admirably adapted to the hot -weather, when the cool, shady swamps are deserted by the woodcock. The -English snipe have not yet arrived upon the meadows, and the fall -shooting is still in prospective;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_258" id="page_258"></a>{258}</span> the labor is easy, the body can be -kept cool by wading for dead birds, and to those who are, at the best, -not vigorous, bay-snipe shooting is a delightful resource.</p> - -<p>Never did mortals pass a pleasanter week than that week at the beach, -and it is impossible to chronicle all the good shots, to repeat all the -amusing stories or merry jokes, or to record all the valuable -instruction; and to obtain an inkling even, the reader had better make a -firm resolve that next August will not pass over his head without his -devoting at least one week to bay-snipe shooting. When at last the time -came to part, and the baggage was packed, and the guns reluctantly -bestowed in their cases, we bade our farewell with sincere regret, -praying that often thereafter might we have such sport, and meet such -companionship.</p> - -<p>It is a long journey to the beach, but it is a longer one back again; no -high hopes buoy up the traveller, regrets accompany him instead—no -anticipation of grand sport, but the gloomy certainty that it is over -for the year; and although the conveyance to the beach is irregular, -there is absolutely none away from it. It is true there are several -different routes to and from it, but all by private conveyance, and, -rendered by the mosquitoes nearly impracticable.</p> - -<p>Bill harnessed his ponies—for, wonderful to say, a few horses and -cattle manage to live on the beach and sustain existence in spite of the -mosquitoes—and we stowed ourselves and our luggage in his well worn -wagon. The road lay over the barren beach,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_259" id="page_259"></a>{259}</span> deep and heavy with sand, -and hardly distinguishable after a heavy rain; the one-story shanty, -that had been our resting-place, soon faded from view, and we had -nothing in prospect but the dreary journey home.</p> - -<p>At the head of the beach we encountered a bathing-party, and were sorely -tempted to join the rollicking girls in a frolic among the breakers; -but, by exerting great self-denial, and shutting our eyes to their -attractions, much to my companion’s disgust, we kept on our course. We -dined at the tavern on the road, and having bade farewell to Bill, and -engaged another team, we reached Crab Town by dusk.</p> - -<p>How changed the village seemed to us! Where was the precious and -beautiful freight that had paid us such delicious toll? Our eyes peered -up and down the road, and into the windows of the scattered houses; our -ears listened sharply for the music of merry voices and ringing -laughter; our thoughts reverted to that crowded stage, which had so -lately borne us through the village. The road was vacant and desolate; -all sound was hushed and still; graceful forms, clad in yielding -drapery, were nowhere to be seen; the dull lights in the windows -revealed nothing to our earnest gaze. Our lovely companions were -invisible, although we pursued our search persistently till late at -night, when, weary and disconsolate, we crawled up to bed in a dismal -hostelry kept by Huntsinger. Going sporting into Jersey is delightful, -but returning is sad indeed.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_260" id="page_260"></a>{260}</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/ill_009_lg.png"> -<img src="images/ill_009.png" alt="" /></a> -</div> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:95%; -margin:auto auto;max-width:50em;"> -<tr valign="top"><td class="rt">1.</td><td>Lower mandible.</td><td class="rtl">11.</td><td> Tertials, arising from the<br /> second bone of the wing at the elbow-joint.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="rt">2.</td><td> Upper mandible.</td><td class="rtl">12. </td><td>Secondaries, from the second bone of the wing.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="rt">3. </td><td>Forehead.</td><td class="rtl">13.</td><td> Primaries, from the first bone of the wing.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="rt">4.</td><td> Loral space.</td><td class="rtl">14.</td><td> Tibia, the thigh.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="rt">5.</td><td> Crown of the head.</td><td class="rtl">15.</td><td> Tarsus, the shank.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="rt">6.</td><td> Hind part of the head.</td><td class="rtl">16.</td><td> Upper tail coverts.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="rt">7.</td><td> Scapulars—long feathers<br /> from shoulders over side of back.</td><td class="rtl">17.</td><td> Lower tail coverts.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="rt">8.</td><td> Smaller wing coverts.</td><td class="rtl">18.</td><td> Tail feathers.</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="rt">9.</td><td> Bend of the wing.</td><td class="rtl"> </td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td class="rt">10.</td><td> Larger wing coverts.</td><td class="rtl"> </td></tr> - -</table> - -<p>The length of a bird is measured from the extremity of the bill to the -end of the longest tail feather; the length of the wing is measured from -the bend to the tip of the longest quill.]</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_261" id="page_261"></a>{261}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.<br /><br /> -BAY-BIRDS.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Although</span> a cursory account of the various bay-birds, their habits and -peculiarities, has been given in a previous chapter, it seems desirable -to add a more complete, exhaustive, and specific description. This is -attempted in the following pages, and although the ornithological -characteristics are taken from <i>Giraud’s Birds of Long Island</i>, which -seems to have been the resource of all our sporting writers, nothing -else is derived from him; but the facts are stated, either upon personal -knowledge, which is generally the case, or upon reliable information.</p> - -<p>As to the abundance or scarcity of any particular species, the -experience of sportsmen will differ according to the accident of flight, -or the locality of their favorite sporting-ground; and in relation to -their shyness or gentleness, much depends upon the time of year and the -condition of the weather. In consequence of the confusion of -nomenclature, it has been deemed advisable to give the scientific -description of the common species, each one being placed under its most -appropriate name, and to collect together as many designations as could -be found to have been applied to them respectively. Nevertheless, many -names will no doubt be omitted, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_262" id="page_262"></a>{262}</span> there will be other birds, and some -quite common varieties, that, among bay-men, have no names whatever.</p> - -<p>It is not intended to furnish a description of all the species of -shore-snipe that occasionally are killed, but to supply such information -as will enable the sportsman to distinguish the ordinary varieties; and -such facts as have not been fully stated, which are more especially -applicable to certain members of this great class, are grouped together -under separate heads. Nothing is expected to be added to the -ornithological learning of the world, and only such portions of that -science are given as may be considered desirable for the ready use of -the sportsman in the intelligent pursuit of his pleasures.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Plovers.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Genus Charadrius, Linn.</i></p> - -<p><i>Generic distinctions.</i>—Bill short, strong, straight, about the length -of the head, which is rather large and prominent in front; eyes large; -body full; neck short and rather thick; wings long; tail rounded and of -moderate length; toes connected at the base; hind toe wanting, or -consisting of a small knob.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Black-breast</span>.</h4> - -<p class="c"><span class="smcap">Bull-Headed Plover. Beetle-Headed Plover. Black-Bellied Plover.</span></p> - -<p class="c"><i>Charadrius Helveticus, Wils.</i></p> - -<p>This bird is killed along our bays indiscriminately with the other -snipe, although it does not stool as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_263" id="page_263"></a>{263}</span> well as the marlin or yellow-legs. -It passes north early in May, when it is often called the black-bellied -plover, and regarded from its plumage as a distinct variety from the -fall bird; it is then quite shy. In August or September it returns, -being more plentiful in the latter month, and is often found in great -numbers especially at Montauk Point; and at that period the young, being -quite fat, are regarded as delicious eating. It is then greyer in -appearance and not so strongly colored as when in full plumage. Before -the main flight arrives, scattering individuals are heard uttering their -peculiar beautiful and shrill cry, and are seen shyly approaching the -stools, or darting round not far off, and yet afraid to draw close to -them. Its head is large and round, giving rise to the name of bull-head, -which is common on the coast of New Jersey, although in New York it is -generally known as black-breast.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill stout, along the gap one inch and -five-sixteenths; length of tarsi one inch and five-eighths. Adult male -with the bill black, strong, shorter than the head; cheeks, loral space, -throat, fore-neck, breast, with a large portion of the abdomen black; -hind part of the abdomen and flanks white; forehead, with a broad band -passing down the sides of the neck and breast, white; crown, occiput, -and hind-neck greyish white, spotted with dusky; upper parts -blackish-brown, the feathers broadly tipped with white; eye encircled -with white; tail and upper tail-coverts white, barred with black, the -former tipped with white; lower tail-coverts<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_264" id="page_264"></a>{264}</span> white, the outer feather -spotted with black; primaries and their coverts blackish-brown, the -latter margined with white; primary shafts about two-thirds from the -base, white, tips blackish-brown; part of the inner webs of the outer -primaries white; both webs of the inner primaries partially white; -secondaries white at the base, margined at the same; feet black; toes -connected by a membrane. Female smaller. Young with the upper plumage -greyish-brown, the feathers spotted with white; throat, fore-neck, and -upper part of the breast greyish-white, streaked with dusky; rest of the -lower parts white. Length of adult male eleven inches and three -quarters, wing seven and a half.”—<i>Giraud’s Birds of Long Island.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">American Golden Plover.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Frost Bird</i>, Greenback.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Charadrius Pluvialis, Wils.</i></p> - -<p>This bird furnishes great sport at Montauk Point, when the fortunate -sportsman happens to arrive after a fierce north-easter early in -September and during one of those wonderful flights that occasionally -occur. They come readily to the decoys which are placed in the open -upland fields, and were once killed in great numbers on Hempstead plains -before cultivation ejected them. A large number of decoys should be -used, for they are not so easily seen as when set in the water. After -alighting, the golden plover runs with great activity in pursuit of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_265" id="page_265"></a>{265}</span> -insects, mostly grasshoppers, on which it feeds; and when killed it -constitutes a prime delicacy for the table, and brings a high price in -market. It passes to the northward in the latter part of April, and -returns in the early part of September. Its general color on the back is -greenish, and it has a distinct light stripe alongside of the eye. They -often congregate in immense numbers, and I have certainly seen a -thousand in a flock.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill rather slender; along the gap one inch and -an eighth; tarsi one and nine-sixteenths. Adult with the bill black, -much slighter than <i>C. helveticus</i>; forehead, and a band over the eye, -extending behind the eye, white; upper parts, including the crown, -brownish-black, the feathers marked with spots of golden yellow and dull -white; quills and coverts dark greyish-brown; secondaries paler—the -inner margined with yellowish-white; tail feathers greyish-brown, barred -with paler, the central with dull yellow; shafts of the wing quills -white towards the end, which, with their bases, are dark brown; lower -parts brownish-black, though in general we find them mottled with brown, -dull white, and black; lower tail-coverts white, the lateral marked with -black; feet bluish-grey. Late in autumn, the golden markings on the -upper parts are not so distinct, and the lower parts are greyish-blue. -Length, ten inches and a half, wing seven and one-eighth.”—<i>Giraud.</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_266" id="page_266"></a>{266}</span></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Beach-bird.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Piping Plover.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Charadrius Hiaticula</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p>The beach-bird, as its name implies, prefers the beaches to the meadows, -and follows each retreating wave of ocean surf in pursuit of its prey, -escaping with amazing agility from the next swell. It is a pretty little -bird, not often associating in flocks, and on hazy days coming well to -the decoys, which should be placed near to the surf, while the sportsman -conceals himself by digging a hollow in the loose sand. Although these -birds are small, they are plump and well flavored, and when flying -rapidly on a level with the flashing breakers, amid the noise and -confusion of old ocean’s roar, are by no means easy to kill. They are -present with us more or less all summer, their diminutive size tending -to protect them from destruction.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill shorter than the head; at base orange -color, towards the end black; fore-neck and cheeks pure white, bordered -above with black; rest of the head very pale brown. Adult male with the -bill short, orange at the base, anterior to the nostrils black; forehead -white, with a band of black crossing directly above; upper part of the -head, hind neck, back, scapulars, and wing coverts, pale brown; rump -white, the central feathers tinged with brown; tail brown, white at -base, tipped with the same; lateral feathers pure white—the next with a -spot of blackish-brown near the end; upper tail<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_267" id="page_267"></a>{267}</span> coverts white; -primaries brown; a large portion of the inner webs white; a spot of the -same on the outer webs of the inner quills; secondaries white, with a -large spot of brown towards the ends; lower surface of the wings white, -a black band round the lower part of the neck, broadest on the sides -where it terminates; entire lower plumage white. Female similar, with -the band on the neck brown. Length seven inches, wing four and a -half.”—<i>Giraud</i>.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Kildeer.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Charadrius Vociferus</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p class="c">A worthless bird, furnishing no sport, and poor eating.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—A band on the forehead passing back to the eye; -a line over the eye, upper part of the neck all round, and a band on the -lower part of the fore-neck, white; above and below the latter, a broad -black band; rump and upper tail-coverts orange red. Adult with the bill -black; at the base a band of blackish-brown; on the forehead a band of -white passing back to the eye; directly above a band of black; rest of -the head brown, with a band of white behind the eye; throat white; a -broad band of the same color encircling the upper part of the neck; -middle of the neck encircled with black, much broader on the fore-neck; -below which, on the fore-neck, a band of white, followed by a band of -black on the lower neck, the feathers of which are tipped with white, of -which color are the breast,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_268" id="page_268"></a>{268}</span> abdomen, under tail-coverts, and sides, the -latter faintly tinged with yellow; tail rather long, rounded; the outer -feathers white, barred with brownish-black, their tips white, with a -single spot of blackish-brown on the outer web; the rest pale -reddish-brown at the base, changing into brownish-black towards the -ends, which are white; some of the inner feathers tipped with -yellowish-brown; the middle feathers are plain brown, with a darker spot -towards the ends, which are slightly tipped with white; upper -tail-coverts and rump reddish-brown, the latter brighter; upper parts -brown, the feathers margined with reddish-brown; primaries dark brown, -with a large portion of the inner web white; a spot of the same color on -the outer webs towards the tips, excepting the first two; their coverts -blackish-brown tipped with white; secondaries white, with a large spot -of brown towards the ends; their tips, with those of the primaries, -white; secondary coverts brown, broadly tipped with white. Length ten -inches, wing seven inches.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Sanderling.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Charadrius Rubidus</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill straight, black, along the gap one inch and -one-eighth; length of tarsi one inch; hind toe wanting. Adult with the -bill straight, about as long as the head. Spring plumage, upper parts, -with the throat, fore-neck, and upper part of the breast rufous, -intermixed with dusky and greyish<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_269" id="page_269"></a>{269}</span> white; deeper red on the back; lower -part of the breast, abdomen, and sides of the body pure white; tarsi and -feet black; claws small, compressed; primaries, outer webs, black; inner -webs light brown; shafts brown at the base, tips black, rest parts -white; secondaries light brown, broadly margined with white. Winter -dress, lower parts white; upper parts greyish-white, intermixed with -black or dusky, darkest on the back. Length seven inches and -three-quarters, wing four and seven-eighths.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Turnstone.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Genus Strepsilas.</i></p> - -<p><i>Generic Distinctions.</i>—Bill shorter than the head, strong, tapering, -compressed, and blunt; neck rather short; body full; wings long, of -moderate breadth, and pointed; tail round, rather short, and composed of -twelve feathers; tarsus equal to the middle toe, and rather stout; hind -toe small, fore-toes free, with a narrow margin.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Brant-bird.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Horse-foot Snipe, Turnstone, Beach-Robins.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Strepsilas Interpres.</i></p> - -<p>This is a beautiful bird, and stools pretty well, but is rare and mostly -solitary; its young are at Egg Harbor sometimes termed beach-birds. The -brant-bird is considered good eating. It feeds on the eggs of the -king-crab or horse-foot, which it digs up by jumping in the air and -striking with both its feet at<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_270" id="page_270"></a>{270}</span> once into the sand, thus scratching a -hole about three inches deep and an inch and a half across.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill black; feet orange; the head and sides of -the neck streaked and patched with black and white; fore part of the -neck and upper portion of the sides of the breast, black; lower parts, -hind part of the back, and upper tail-coverts white; rump dusky; rest of -the upper parts reddish-brown, mottled with black; primaries dusky; a -band across the wings and the throat white. Young with the head and neck -all round, fore part of the back, and sides of the breast, dusky brown, -streaked and margined with greyish-white; wing-coverts and tertials -broadly margined with dull reddish-brown. It can at all times be -identified by its having the throat, lower parts, hind part of the back, -and the upper tail-coverts white, and the feathers on the rump dusky. -Adult with the bill black, throat white, sides of the head mottled with -black and white; crown streaked with black on white ground; on the hind -neck a patch of white; a patch of black on the sides of the neck, of -which color are the fore-neck and the sides of the breast; lower parts -white; tail blackish-brown, white at the base, of which color are the -lateral feathers, with a spot of black on the inner vanes near the -end—the rest margined with reddish-brown, and tipped with white; upper -tail-coverts white; hind part of the back white; the feathers on the -rump black; fore part of the back mottled with black and reddish-brown; -primaries dark brown, inner webs white;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_271" id="page_271"></a>{271}</span> secondaries broadly edged with -white, forming a band on the wings; outer secondary coverts -reddish-brown, inner black; outer scapulars white, with dusky spots; -inner scapulars reddish brown. In winter the colors are duller. Length -nine inches, wing five and three quarters.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Sandpiper.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Genus Tringà.</i></p> - -<p><i>Generic Distinctions.</i>—Bill straight, slender, and tapering, -compressed towards the end, and but little longer than the head; body -rather full; wings very long and pointed; tail rather short and nearly -even; tarsi moderate; hind toe very small, and sometimes wanting; fore -toes slender, of moderate length, and generally divided.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Robin-Snipe.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Red-breasted Sandpiper</i>.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Tringà Cinèrea</i>, Wils. Winter.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Tringà Rufa</i>, Wils. Spring.</p> - -<p>This delicious and beautiful bird, although far from plentiful, -furnishes excellent sport, coming readily to stool, and flying regularly -and steadily. It mostly affects the marshy islands lying between the -salt water creeks, and derives its name from a fancied resemblance to -the robin, as he is termed among us. It is always gentle, occasionally -abundant, and generally fat and tender; by reason of its<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_272" id="page_272"></a>{272}</span> steady flight -it is not difficult to kill; and its food, mostly shell-fish, does not -contribute an unpleasant flavor to its flesh. It arrives from the north -about the middle of August, and often lingers for some time on the -meadows. As the season advances its plumage becomes paler, till it -acquires the name of white robin-snipe—although I have often seen them -late in August of the most beautiful and strongly marked coloring, the -breast being a rich brownish red and the back a fine grey.</p> - -<p>The robin-snipe is of about the size of the dowitcher, with a shorter -and more pointed bill, and is killed indiscriminately on the stools with -the other bay-birds. Its call consists of two notes, and is sharp and -clear; when well imitated, it will often attract the confiding snipe to -the gunner, exposed in full view, and without decoys. This bird is very -beautiful, and a great favorite.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill straight, longer than the head; tarsi one -inch and three-sixteenths long; rump and upper tail-coverts white, -barred with dark brown; region of the vent and the lower tail-coverts -white, with dusky markings. In spring the upper parts are ash-grey, -variegated with black and pale yellowish-red; lower parts, including the -throat and fore-neck, brownish-orange. In autumn the upper parts are -ash-grey, margined with dull white; rump and upper tail-coverts barred -with black and white; lower parts white; the sides of the body marked -with dusky; a dull white line over the eye. Adult in spring—bill black; -a broad band of reddish<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_273" id="page_273"></a>{273}</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_010.jpg" alt="THE LIFE CAR." title="" /> -<br /> -<span class="caption">THE LIFE CAR.</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_274" id="page_274"></a>{274}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_275" id="page_275"></a>{275}</span> </p> - -<p class="nind">brown commences at the base of the upper mandible, extends half-way to -the eye, where it changes to reddish-brown; upper part of head and the -hind neck dusky, the feathers margined with greyish white—a few touches -of pale reddish-brown on the latter; throat, fore-neck, breast, and -abdomen reddish-brown; vent white; lower tail coverts white, spotted -with dusky; upper plumage blackish-brown, upper tail-coverts barred with -black and white; tail pale brown, margined with white; primary coverts -black, tipped with white; secondary coverts greyish-brown, margined with -white. Young with the upper parts greyish-brown; the feathers with -central dusky streaks, a narrow line of cinnamon-color towards their -margins, which are dull white; the lower parts ash-grey. Length of -adult, ten inches; wing, six and three-quarters.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Upland Plover.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Grey, Grass, or Field Plover.</p> - -<p class="c">Bartram’s Sandpiper.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Tringà Bartramia</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p>This bird, although scientifically not a plover, is, by its habits, -entitled to an appellation that common consent has bestowed upon it. It -is found upon the uplands, never frequenting the marshes except by -crossing them while migrating, and feeds, not on shell-fish or the -innumerable minute insects that live in sand and salt mud, but on the -grasshoppers and seeds of the open fields. It never takes the slightest<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_276" id="page_276"></a>{276}</span> -notice of the stools, is comparatively a solitary bird, and although -continually uttering its melodious cry, does not heed a responsive call.</p> - -<p>On the eastern extremity of Long Island, and along the coast of New -England, are vast rolling and hilly stretches of land, where there are -no trees and little vegetation, besides a short thin grass, and here the -plovers rest and feed. They migrate to the southward in August, and -appear about the same time scattered from Nantucket to New Jersey. In -spite of their shyness and the difficulty of killing them, they are -pursued relentlessly by man with every device that he finds will outwit -their cunning or deceive their vigilance.</p> - -<p>Rhode Island has long been one of their favorite resorts, but has been -overrun with gunners, who follow the vocation either for sport or -pleasure, and there, for many years, the grey plover were killed in -considerable quantities. Many are still found in the same locality, or -further east, as well as at Montauk Point; but at Hempstead Plains, -where they were once found quite numerous, they appear no longer; and -the eastern shore of New Jersey being unsuited to their habits, they -rarely sojourn or even pause upon it. They travel as well by night as by -day; and in the still summer nights their sweet trilling cry may be -heard at short intervals; while during the day they will often be seen -in small bodies, or singly, winging their way rapidly towards the south.</p> - -<p>They are wary, fly rapidly, and are difficult to shoot, and, were it not -for one peculiarity, would<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_277" id="page_277"></a>{277}</span> escape almost scatheless. Alighting only in -the open fields, where the thin grass reveals every enemy and exposes -every approaching object to their view; readily alarmed at the first -symptom of danger, and shunning the slightest familiarity with man, they -are impossible to reach except with laborious and painful creeping that -no sportsman cares to undertake. Not sufficiently gregarious or friendly -in their nature to desire the company of wooden decoys, they cannot be -lured within gunshot; and it is only through their confidence in their -fellow-beasts that their destruction can be accomplished.</p> - -<p>A horse, they know, has no evil design, does not live on plover, and may -be permitted to come and go as he pleases; a horse drawing a wagon is to -be pitied, not feared; and, most fortunately, the birds cannot conceive -that a man would be mean enough to hide in that wagon, and drive that -horse in an ingenious manner round and round them, every time narrowing -the circle till he gets within shot. Man, however, is ready for any -subterfuge to gain his plover; and, seated on the tail-board, or a place -behind prepared for the purpose, he steps to the ground the moment the -wagon stops, and as the bird immediately rises, fires—being often -compelled, in spite of his ingenuity, to take a long shot.</p> - -<p>Even in this mode no large number of birds is killed, and by creeping or -stalking few indeed are obtained. One inventive genius made an imitation -cow of slats and canvas painted to represent the living animal, and, -mounting it upon his shoulders,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_278" id="page_278"></a>{278}</span> was often able to approach without -detection; when near enough, or if the bird became alarmed, he cast off -his false skin and used his fowling-piece. This was certainly an -original and successful mode of modifying an idea derived from the times -of ancient Troy.</p> - -<p>This bird is so delicious and so highly prized by the epicure, that no -pains are spared in its capture; it is by many superior judges regarded -as the richest and most delicately flavored of the birds of America; -while its timid and wary disposition renders it the most difficult to -kill. It is, therefore, justly esteemed the richest prize of the -sportsman and the gourmand, and holds as high a rank in the field as in -the market.</p> - -<p>It is not, properly speaking, a bay-bird; but as it is frequently shot -from the stand when passing near the decoys, these few remarks -concerning it are inserted. It is essentially an upland bird, although -from the nature of its migration it passes along the coast and -occasionally far out at sea.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill slender, rather longer than the head; tarsi -one inch and seven-eighths; neck rather long, slender; axillars -distinctly barred with black and greyish-white; upper parts dark brown, -margined with yellowish-brown; fore-neck and fore part of the breast -with arrow-shaped markings; rest of the lower parts yellowish-white. -Adult with the bill slender, yellowish-green, dusky at the tip; upper -part of the head dark brown, with a central yellowish-brown line, the -feathers margined<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_279" id="page_279"></a>{279}</span> with the same color; hind part and sides of the neck -yellowish-brown, streaked with dusky; fore part of the neck and breast -paler, with pointed streaks of dusky; sides of the body barred with the -same; rest of lower parts yellowish-white; lower wing-coverts white, -barred with brownish-black; upper plumage dark-brown, margined with -yellowish-brown, darker on the hind part of the back; primaries -dark-brown; coverts the same color; inner webs of the primaries barred -with white, more particularly on the first—the shaft of which is white; -the rest brown, all tipped with white; secondaries more broadly tipped -with the same; coverts and scapulars dark-brown, margined with -yellowish-brown, and tipped with white; tail barred with black and -yellowish-brown, tipped with white; middle feathers darker, tipped with -black. Length ten inches and a half, wing six and -five-eighths.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Red-backed Sandpiper.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Winter Snipe.—Black-breast.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Tringà Alpina</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p class="c">This bird absolutely has no common name.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill about one-third longer than the head, bent -towards the end; length of tarsi, one inch. Adult with the bill -black—one-third longer than the head, slightly bent towards the end, -and rather shorter than that of T. Subarquata; upper part of the head, -back, and scapular, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page_280" id="page_280"></a>{280}</span>chestnut-red, the centre of each feather black, -which color occupies a large portion of the scapulars; wing-coverts and -quills greyish-brown; the bases and tips of the secondaries and parts of -the outer webs of the middle primaries, white; forehead, sides of the -head, and hind neck, pale reddish-grey, streaked with dusky; fore neck -and upper part of breast greyish-white, streaked with dusky; on the -lower part of the breast a large black patch; abdomen white; lower tail -coverts white, marked with dusky; tail light-brownish grey, -streaked—the central feathers darker.</p> - -<p>“Winter dress, upper parts brownish-grey; throat, greyish-white; fore -part and sides of neck, sides of the head, and sides of the body, pale -brownish-grey, faintly streaked with darker; rest of the lower parts -white. Length, seven inches and a half; wing, four and an -eighth.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Long-legged Sandpiper.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Peep, Blind Snipe, Frost Snipe, Stilt.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Tringà Himantopus.</i></p> - -<p>This bird also is nameless: it is rare, although I have killed quite a -number of them, and I believe its numbers are increasing; it rarely -consorts in flocks of more than five or six, stools readily, and is -often mistaken for the yellow-legs.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill about one-third longer than the head, -slightly arched; length of tarsi, one inch and throe-eighths. Adult, -with the upper parts<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_281" id="page_281"></a>{281}</span> brownish-black, the feathers margined with reddish -white; the edges of the scapulars with semiform markings of the same; -rump and upper tail-coverts white, transversely barred with dusky; tail, -light grey, the feathers white at the base and along the middle; primary -quills and coverts brownish-black—inner tinged with grey; the shaft of -the outer primary, white; secondaries, brownish-grey, margined with -reddish-white, the inner dusky; a broad whitish line over the eye; loral -space dusky; auriculars, pale brownish-red; fore part and sides of neck, -greyish white, tinged with red, and longitudinally streaked with dusky; -the rest of the lower parts, pale reddish, transversely barred with -dusky; the middle of the breast and the abdomen without markings; legs -long and slender, of a yellowish-green color. In autumn, the plumage -duller, of a more greyish appearance, and the reddish markings wanting, -excepting on the sides of the head, and a few touches on the scapular. -Length, nine inches; wing, five.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Ring-neck.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">American Ring Plover.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Tringà Hiaticula</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p>This is a small, but delicate, fat, and pretty bird; it does not stool -well, and accompanies the small snipe.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill shorter than the head; base, orange color, -towards the point, black; a broad band on the forehead white, margined -below with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_282" id="page_282"></a>{282}</span> a narrow black band, above with a broad band of the same -color; rest part of the head wood-brown; lateral toes connected by a -membrane as far as the first joint; inner toes, about half that -distance. Adult male with the bill flesh color at base, anterior to the -nostrils black; a line of black commences at the base of the upper -mandible, passes back to the eye, curving downward on the sides of the -neck; a band on the fore part of the head pure white; fore part of -crown, black; occiput, wood-brown; chin, throat, and fore neck, passing -round on the hind neck, pure white; directly below, on the lower portion -of the neck, a broad band of black; upper plumage, wood-brown; -primaries, blackish-brown; shafts, white—blackish-brown at their tips; -secondaries slightly edged with white on the inner webs; outer webs, -nearest to the shafts, an elongated spot of white; wing-coverts -wood-brown; secondary coverts broadly tipped with white; breast, -abdomen, sides, and lower tail-coverts, pure white; tail brown, lighter -at the base; outer feathers white—the rest broadly tipped with white, -excepting the middle pair, which are slightly tipped with the same. -Female similar, with the upper part of the head and the band on the neck -brown. Length, seven inches and a quarter; wing five.”—<i>Giraud.</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_283" id="page_283"></a>{283}</span></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Krieker.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Meadow Snipe, Fat Bird, Short Neck, Jack Snipe, Pectoral Sandpiper.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Tringà Pectoralis</i>, Aud.</p> - -<p>This is an excellent bird, remaining in the meadows till October, and -becoming fat, rich, and fine flavored, but unfortunately it will not -come to the stools. Although frequently associating in flocks, it can -hardly be said to be truly gregarious, and is as often found with the -different varieties of small snipe as with its own number. It is quite a -difficult bird to kill when on the wing, its flight being rapid and -irregular, and its size small; but when it becomes fat and lazy, after a -long residence in well supplied feeding-grounds, not only is its flight -slower and itself easier to hit, but it is often shot sitting. Its -general color is grey, with white on the abdomen; and its size varies -greatly according to its age and condition, some being of more than -double the size of others. As a natural consequence, considerable -practice is required to distinguish it readily from the ox-eyes by which -it is often surrounded, when the meadow grass hides it, in a measure, -from view. It feeds and dwells altogether in the meadows, finding its -food in the stagnant water collected upon their surface, and is only -plentiful when these are wet. When alarmed, it rises rapidly, and makes -off in a zigzag way, that reminds the sportsman of the flight of English -snipe; and early in the season it is wild and shy. It occasionally -passes over the stools, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_284" id="page_284"></a>{284}</span> never pauses or seems to notice them; and -for this reason, in spite of its epicurean recommendations, it is -generally neglected. In the cool days of September and October, when the -mosquitoes have succumbed in a measure to the frost, its pursuit over -the open meadows is pleasant and exhilarating. It is often killed to the -number of eighty in a day, and is so fat that its body is absolutely -round.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill straight, base orange-green; length of -tarsi one inch and one-sixteenth; upper parts brownish-black, edged with -reddish-brown; throat white; fore part of neck and upper part of the -breast light brownish-grey, streaked with dusky; rest of lower parts, -including the lower tail-coverts, white. Adult with the bill straight; -top of the head dark-brown, intermixed with black; sides of the head, -neck, and a large portion of the breast, greyish-brown, streaked with -dusky; chin white; a streak of dark brown before the eye, continuing to -the nostril, directly above a faint line of white; back dark-brown; -feathers margined with white; primary quills dark-brown—shaft of the -first white; outer secondaries slightly edged with white; tail-feathers -brown, margined with brownish-white—two middle feathers darker, -longest, and more pointed; lower part of the breast, abdomen, and sides -of the body and under tail-coverts white; feet dull yellow; tibia bare, -about half the length. Female, the general plumage lighter. Length nine -inches and a half, wing five and a quarter.”—<i>Giraud.</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_285" id="page_285"></a>{285}</span></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Ox-Eye.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Tringà Semipalmata</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill rather stout, broad towards the point; -along the gap about one inch; length of tarsi seven-eighths of an inch; -bill and legs black; toes half webbed. Adult with the bill slender, -about the length of the head—dark-green, nearly approaching to black; -head, sides, and hind-part; of neck ash-grey, streaked with dusky; upper -parts blackish-brown, the feathers edged with greyish-white; secondary -coverts tipped with white; primary coverts brownish-black, as are the -feathers on the rump; upper tail-coverts the same; wing-quills dusky, -their shafts white; tail-feathers ash-grey, the inner webs of the middle -pair much darker; over the eye a white line; lower parts white; legs -black. Length six inches and a half, wing four.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<p>This and the following variety are generally confounded by bay-men; and -being too small to demand much consideration, and never shot unless -huddled together, so that a large number may be bagged, they are called -promiscuously by the odd name ox-eye. They are fat, and almost as good -eating when in prime order as the reed-bird.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Ox-Eye.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Wilson’s Sandpiper.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Tringà Pusilla</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill along the gap three-quarters<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_286" id="page_286"></a>{286}</span> of an inch, -slender; tarsi three-quarters of an inch; legs yellowish-green. Adult -with the bill brownish-black; upper part of the breast grey-brown, mixed -with white; back and upper parts black; the whole plumage above broadly -edged with bright bay and yellow ochre; primaries black—greater coverts -the same, tipped with white; tail rounded, the four exterior feathers on -each side dull white—the rest dark-brown; tertials as long as the -primaries; head above dark-brown, with paler edges; over the eye a -streak of whitish; belly and vent white. Length five inches and a half, -wing three and a half. With many of our birds we observe that -individuals of the same species vary in length, extent, and sometimes -differ slightly in their bills, even with those which have arrived at -maturity.—On consulting ornithological works, we notice that there are -no two writers whose measurement is in all cases alike. With specimens -of the Wilson’s sandpiper, we find in their proportions greater -discrepancy than in many other species—and out of these differences we -are inclined to the opinion that two spurious species have been -created.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Tatler.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Genus Totanus.</p> - -<p><i>Generic Distinctions.</i>—Bill longer than the head, straight, hard and -slender; neck slender, and both it and body rather long; wings long and -pointed; tail short and rounded; legs long; hind-toe very small,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_287" id="page_287"></a>{287}</span> and -the anterior ones connected at the base by webs, the inner being -slightly webbed.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Willet.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Semipalmated Tatler.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Totanus Semipalmatus</i>, Lath.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Scolopax Semipalmata</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p>This is a fine, large, and beautiful bird; the sharply distinct white -and black of its wings contrasting admirably with the reddish-brown -tints of the marlin and sickle-bills with which it often associates; it -stools well, flying steadily, and often returning after the first, and -even second visit; but even when fat, it is tough and ill-flavored. It -congregates in large flocks, and reaches the Middle States on its -southern journey in the latter part of August. Its cry is a fierce wild -shriek, which is rarely, if ever, accurately imitated; but it responds -to the call of the sickle-bill, and when once headed for the stools, -rarely alters its course. In exposed situations it is shy and difficult -of approach, like most of the shore-birds, which, although they come up -so unsuspiciously to the decoys, are wary of the gunner, and rarely -permit him to crawl within range of them.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Secondaries and basal part of the primaries -white; toes connected at base by broad membranes. Adult with the head -and neck brown, intermixed with greyish-white; breast and sides of the -body spotted, and waved with brown<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_288" id="page_288"></a>{288}</span> on white ground; abdomen white; -tail-coverts white, barred with brown; tail greyish-brown, barred with -darker brown—the outer two feathers lighter; rump brown; fore part of -the back and wing-coverts brown, largely spotted with dull white; -primaries blackish-brown, broadly banded with white; secondaries white. -Length fifteen inches and a half, wing eight.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Yelper.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Big Yellow-Legs—Greater Yellow-Shanks—Tell-tale Tatler.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Totanus Vociferus</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p>This is one of the most numerous of the bay-birds, and among the most -highly prized for its sport-conferring properties. It stools well, -although occasionally suspicious, and will often drop like a stone from -the clouds, where it is fond of flying, upon receiving a response to its -strong, clear, and easily imitated cry. It will also frequently come -within shot in the open, when the sportsman is unaided by his decoys. -Its flight is uneven, being often slow when approaching or pausing over -the stools, and then exceedingly rapid and irregular when alarmed; and -if there are no stools to make the Yelper hesitate, it has a bobbing -motion, as if searching for the origin of the call, that makes it -exceedingly difficult to kill. Moreover, it is vigorous, and will carry -off much shot, as in fact is the habit with all the shore-birds, and is -tough and sedgy on the table.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_289" id="page_289"></a>{289}</span></p> - -<p>It does not associate in large flocks, but roams about in parties of -three or four.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill along the ridge two and a quarter inches; -tarsi two and a half; legs yellow. Adult with the bill black, at the -base bluish; upper part of the head, loral space, checks, and neck, -streaked with brownish-black and white; throat white; a white line from -the bill to the eye; a white ring round the eye; breast and abdomen -white, spotted and barred with brownish-black; sides and tail-coverts -the same; lower surface of the primaries light grey—upper -brownish-black, the inner spotted white; wing-coverts and back brown, -spotted with white, and dusky; scapulars the same; tail brown, barred -with white. Winter plumage, the upper parts lighter—larger portion of -the breast and abdomen white; sides of the body barred with dusky. -Length, fourteen inches; wing, seven and a quarter.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Yellow-Legs.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Little Yellow-Legs—Yellow-Shanks Tatler.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Totanus Flavipes</i>, Lath.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Scolopax Flavipes</i>, Wilson.</p> - -<p>This bird in appearance is almost identical with the yelper, except that -it is much smaller, not being more than half as large. It has several -calls, consisting of one or more flute-like and shrill notes, which are -rather difficult to imitate. It is probably the most plentiful of all -the bay-snipe, making its summer visit in July, and continuing to arrive -till<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_290" id="page_290"></a>{290}</span> late in September. It collects in immense flocks, and stools -excellently, but its flight is irregular and rapid; and when frightened, -it darts about in a confusing way that often baffles the sportsman. When -wounded it will swim away, and, if possible, crawl into the grass to -hide.</p> - -<p>Although a pleasant bird to shoot, it is unattractive on the table, even -when in best condition, unless killed along the fresh water, where it -attains an agreeable and delicate flavor. Both it and the yelper are -found in considerable numbers on the marshy shores of the western lakes, -where it and the other smaller bay-birds are called, indiscriminately, -plover.</p> - -<p>Wonderful stories are told of the number of yellow-legs killed at one -shot, and as it is a small bird, these are probably not exaggerated. By -Wilson the yellow-legs, the yelper, and willet are classed among the -<i>Scolopacidæ</i> or snipe, but the other ornithologists have erected a -separate genus for them.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill along the ridge one inch and three-eighths; -length of tarsi one inch and seven-eighths; legs yellow. Adult with the -bill black; throat white; upper part of the head, lores, cheeks, hind -part and side parts of the neck, deep brownish-grey, streaked with -greyish-white; eye encircled with white, a band of the same color from -the bill to the eye; fore neck, sides of the body, and upper part of the -breast, greyish-white, streaked with greyish-brown; lower part of the -breast and abdomen white; lower tail-coverts white, the outer<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_291" id="page_291"></a>{291}</span> feathers -barred with brown; scapulars and fore part of the back brown, the -feathers barred and spotted with black and white; primaries -blackish-brown, the shaft of the outer brownish-white, whiter towards -the tip, the rest dark-brown; secondaries margined with white; hind part -of the back brownish-grey; tail barred with greyish-brown, white at the -tip; legs, feet, and toes, yellow; claws black. Length, ten inches and -three-quarters; wing, six. Young with the legs greenish—and by those -who have not recognised it as the young of the year, I have heard the -propriety of its name questioned.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Godwit.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Genus Limosa.</p> - -<p><i>Generic Distinctions.</i>—Bill very long, a little recurved from the -middle, rather slender, and with the lower mandible the shorter. Wings -long and very acute; tail short and even; legs long; toes four, and -rather slender, the hind one being small and the middle toe the longest; -anterior toes connected at the base by webs, the outer web being much -the larger.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Marlin.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Great Marbled Godwit.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Limosa Fedoa</i>, Linn.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Scolopax Fedoa</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p>This is the gentlest and most abundant of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_292" id="page_292"></a>{292}</span> large birds, approaching -the decoys with great confidence and returning again and again, till -frequently the entire flock is killed. In color it is a reddish-brown, -lighter on the abdomen, and its flight is steady and rather slow. -Although better eating than the willet, and very rich and juicy, its -flesh cannot be called delicate. The ring-tailed marlin or Hudsonian -Godwit, <i>Limosa Hudsonica, Lath.</i> is a finer but much scarcer bird, and -resembles somewhat in color the willet, but has the marlin bill, which -is longer than that of the last-named species.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill at base yellow, towards the end -blackish-brown; upper parts spotted and barred with yellowish-grey and -brownish-black; lower parts pale reddish-brown; tail darker, barred with -black. Adult male with the bill at the base yellowish-brown, towards the -end black; head and neck greyish-brown, tinged with pale reddish, -streaked with dusky—darker on the upper part of the head and hind neck; -throat whitish, lower parts pale reddish-brown; under tail-coverts -barred with brown; tail reddish-brown, barred with dusky; upper -tail-coverts the same; upper parts barred with brownish-black and pale -reddish-brown, spotted with dusky; inner primaries tipped with -yellowish-white; scapulars and wing-coverts barred with pale -reddish-brown and greyish-white; shaft of the first primary white, dusky -at the tip; inner shafts at the base white, rest part light brown, -excepting the tips, which are dusky. Length, sixteen inches; wing,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_293" id="page_293"></a>{293}</span> nine -and a half. Female larger, exceeding the male from three to four -inches.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Ring-Tailed Marlin.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Hudsonian Godwit.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Limosa Hudsonica</i>, Lath.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill blackish-brown, at base of lower mandible -yellow; upper parts light brown, marked with dull brown, and a few small -white spots; neck all around brownish-grey; lower parts white, largely -marked with ferruginous; basal part of tail-feathers and a band crossing -the rump, white. Adult with the bill slender, blackish to wards the tip, -lighter at the base, particularly at the base of the lower mandible; a -line of brownish-white from the bill to the eye; lower eyelid white; -throat white, spotted with rust color; head and neck brownish-grey; -lower parts white, marked with large spots of ferruginous; under -tail-coverts barred with brownish-black, and ferruginous; tail -brownish-black, with a white band at the base; a band over the rump; -tips of primary coverts and bases of quills white; upper tail-coverts -brownish-black—their base white; upper parts greyish-brown, scapulars -marked with darker; feet bluish. Length, fifteen inches and a half; -wing, eight and a half. Young with the lower parts brownish-grey, the -ferruginous markings wanting.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Snipe.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Genus Scolopax</i>, Linn.</p> - -<p><i>Generic Distinctions.</i>—Bill long, at least twice the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_294" id="page_294"></a>{294}</span> length of the -head; straight, tapering, and flattened towards the end; eyes rather -large, placed high in the head, and far back from the bill; neck of -moderate length, and rather thick; body full; wings rather long and -pointed; tail moderate and rounded; legs moderate; toes slender and -rather long, except the hind one; middle toe longest, and connected at -the base with the inner by a slight web, the outer one being free.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Dowitcher.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Dowitch—Brown Back—Quail-Snipe—Red-Breasted Snipe.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Scolopax Noveboracensis</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p>This is a beautiful, excellent, and plentiful bird; it abounds in the -marshes during the entire summer, congregates in vast flocks, and -although uttering a faint call itself, is attracted to the decoys by the -cry of the yellow-legs, or almost any sharp whistle. It is remarkably -gentle, individuals often alighting when their associates are slain, in -spite of the unusual uproar; and it can be more readily approached than -any of the bay-birds. Its flesh, moreover, is quite delicate, and when -fat somewhat similar to that of the English snipe, which it greatly -resembles in appearance. In general color it is brownish, with a light -abdomen, but occasionally the breast is as red as that of a robin in -full plumage. Its flight is steady, although when alarmed it “skivers,” -or darts about rapidly, and as it flies in close ranks, it suffers -proportionally. Although it is rather looked down<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_295" id="page_295"></a>{295}</span> upon by persons who -wish to make a show of large birds, I am always entirely satisfied with -a good bag of well-conditioned dowitchers.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Spring plumage, upper parts brownish-black, -variegated with light brownish-red; lower parts dull orange-red, abdomen -paler, spotted and barred with black; rump white; the tail feathers and -the upper and lower tail-coverts, alternately barred with white and -black. In autumn the upper parts are brownish-grey; the lower parts -greyish-white; the tail feathers and the upper and lower tail-coverts -the same as in spring. Adult with the bill towards the end black, -lighter at the base; top of the head, back of the neck, scapulars, -tertials, and fore part of the back, blackish-brown, variegated with -ferruginous; secondaries and wing-coverts clove-brown, the latter edged -with white, the former tipped with the same; hind part of back white; -the rump marked with roundish spots of blackish-brown; upper -tail-coverts dull white, barred with black; tail feathers crossed with -numerous black bands, their tips white; loral band dusky, the space -between which and the medial band on the fore part of the head, -greyish-white, tinged with ferruginous, and slightly touched with dusky; -sides of the head spotted with dark-brown; lower parts dull orange-red, -the abdomen lighter; the neck and fore part of breast spotted with -dusky; the sides of the body with numerous bars of the same color; legs -and feet dull yellowish-green. Young with the lower parts paler. Winter -dress,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_296" id="page_296"></a>{296}</span> the upper parts brownish-grey; neck ash-grey, streaked with -dusky; lower parts greyish-white, with dusky bars on the sides of the -body. Length, ten inches and a half; wing, six.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Curlew.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Genus Numenius</i>, Briss.</p> - -<p><i>Generic Distinctions.</i>—Bill very long, slender, decurved or arched, -with the upper mandible the longer, and obtuse at the end; head rounded -and compressed above; neck long, body full, wings long, feet rather -long; toes connected at the base; <i>tibia</i> bare a short space above the -knee; legs rather long; tail short and rounded.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Jack Curlew.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Short-billed Curlew. Hudsonian Curlew.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Numenius Hudsonicus</i>, Lath.</p> - -<p>This is a graceful and elegant bird, but so shy and so well able to -carry off shot, that it is regarded as the most difficult to kill of all -the bay-birds. It has a long, rolling cry, and although it approaches -the decoys, it rarely alights, or even pauses over them; but, detecting -the deception, it turns off or passes on in its course. For this reason, -the fortunate sportsman who kills a “Jack” is eminently satisfied, -although its flesh is not remarkably fine.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Length of bill, three inches and three-quarters; -tarsi, two inches; lower parts<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_297" id="page_297"></a>{297}</span> white. Adult with the upper part of the -head deep brown, with a central and two lateral lines of whitish; a -brown line from the bill to the eye, and another behind the eye; neck -all round, pale yellowish-grey, longitudinally streaked with brown, -excepting the upper part of the throat, which is greyish-white; upper -parts in general blackish-brown, marked with numerous spots of -brownish-white, there being several along the margins of each feather; -wings and rump somewhat lighter; upper tail-coverts and tail barred with -dark-brown and olivaceous grey; primaries and their coverts -blackish-brown, all with transverse yellowish-grey markings on the inner -web; the shaft of the first quill, white—of the rest, brown; breast and -abdomen greyish-white, the sides tinged with cream color, and barred -with greyish-brown; bill rather more than twice the length of the head, -of a brownish-black color—at the base of the lower mandible, flesh -colored. Length, eighteen inches; wing, nine and a half.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Sickle-bill Curlew.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Long-billed Curlew.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Numenius Longirostris</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p>The finest, largest, most graceful, and elegant of all the bay-birds is -the magnificent sickle-bill; associating in large flocks, and with a -spread of wings of little less than three feet, when it approaches the -stand, the sportsman’s heart palpitates with excitement,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_298" id="page_298"></a>{298}</span> and the sky -seems to have lost its natural blue and become of a rich brown tint. As -these splendid birds, shrieking their hoarse call, set their wings for -the stool, and crossing one another in their flight, pause in doubt; or, -after alighting individually, rise again, and hesitate whether to remain -or continue their course—the sportsman, cowering in his lair, and -anxious to take advantage of this glorious opportunity, becomes wildly -eager with excitement; and if, after having by a judicious selection -brought several to the ground, he recalls the departing flock which -again presents itself to his aim, his rapture knows no bounds, and with -his reloaded breech-loader, he repeats, perhaps more than once, the -exhilarating performance.</p> - -<p>This lordly bird, the largest of the bay-snipe, is often extremely -gentle, and may be lured by the imitation of its cry at an immense -distance, and brought back to the decoys several times, where one or -more of its companions may have fallen; but at other times it is wild -and shy. Individuals differ considerably in size, the largest I ever saw -having a bill eleven inches long, and some weighing nearly double as -much as others; but all are of a beautiful reddish-brown or burnt sienna -tint, with a yellowish shade on the abdomen. Their flight is steady, and -their flesh tough, dark, and oily. Their eye is extremely bright, and -their shape graceful.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill towards the end decurved; upper part of the -throat, and a band from the bill to the eye, light buff; general -plumage,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_299" id="page_299"></a>{299}</span> pale reddish-brown; head and neck streaked with dusky; upper -parts marked with blackish-brown; tail barred with the same; abdomen, -plain reddish-brown; feet, bluish. Length, twenty-six inches; wing, -eleven. The bill of the specimen from which this description is taken -measures eight inches. The bills of individuals of this species vary, -but the length is at all times sufficient to determine the -species.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Fute.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Doe-bird.—Esquimaux Curlew.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Numenius Borealis</i>, Lath.</p> - -<p>This is an upland bird, quite rare, but large, and rather delicate -eating.</p> - -<p>“<i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill, along the gap, about two inches and a -quarter; tarsi, one inch and five-eighths; upper parts, dusky brown, -with pale yellowish-white, marked all over with pale reddish-brown. -Adult with a line of white from the bill to the eye; eyelids, white; -upper part of the head dusky, spotted in front with greyish-white, a -medial band of the same color; throat, white; neck and breast -yellowish-grey, with longitudinal marks of dusky on the former, pointed -spots of the same color on the latter; abdomen, dull yellowish-white; -flanks, barred with brown; lower tail coverts the same as the abdomen; -tail and upper tail coverts barred with pale reddish-brown and dusky, -tipped with yellowish-white; upper parts brownish, the feathers<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_300" id="page_300"></a>{300}</span> tipped -with pale reddish-brown, the scapulars margined and tipped with lighter; -primaries, dark-brown, margined internally with lighter—the first shaft -white, with the tip dusky—the rest brown. Length, fourteen inches and a -half; wing, eight.”—<i>Giraud.</i></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_011.jpg" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_301" id="page_301"></a>{301}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.<br /><br /> -MONTAUK POINT.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> eastern end of Long Island, that extremity which seems to stretch -out like the hand of welcome towards the nations of the old world, -beckoning their inhabitants to our hospitable shores, is divided into -two long points like the tines of a fork. The upper point shuts in Long -Island Sound, and protects our inland commerce from the violence of the -“Great Deep;” while the lower prong, which is kissed on the one side by -the blue waters of the Peconic Bay, and on the other is buffeted by the -billows of the great Atlantic, is known as Montauk Point. The heaving -ocean seems here to have solidified itself into a sandy soil, which -rises and swells and rolls, much after the manner of its mighty -prototype, except that a scanty garment of tawny grass clothes the -outlines of the billowy waste. “Cattle on a thousand hills” here roam in -a state of, at least, semi-independence, which they occasionally assert -by charging upon the intruding sportsman in a manner which may be -intended as playful, but which looks somewhat serious. For a dozen miles -or so only a few houses break the monotony of the dreary expanse, and it -is to one of these, distant<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_302" id="page_302"></a>{302}</span> some nine miles from the extreme point, -that I am about to carry the reader, for here alone can plover-shooting -be enjoyed in its fullest perfection.</p> - -<p>There are numerous kinds of plover that make their migratory passages -along our coasts; but the one to which I refer, while to the epicure it -ranks almost, if not absolutely, the first upon the list, and affords, -by the swiftness of its flight and the eccentricity of its habits, a -prize not unworthy of the highest efforts of the sportsman, has been the -victim of many a misnomer, but is correctly known by the appellation -American Golden Plover, <i>Charadrius pluvialis</i> (P.). The Plover-family -is large and of high respectability; but, when “upon his native heath,” -no one of its clans is entitled to wear a loftier crest than that which -we now have under discussion. His near relative, the Bartramian -Sandpiper or Grey Plover, is perhaps more aristocratically delicate in -his figure, and is welcomed as heartily at the table of the epicure. But -he is less social in his habits, and rarely affords any but single -shots. He does not fraternize with wooden counterfeits, and his mellow -whistle, as he rises at an impracticable distance, rarely responds to -even the most seductive efforts of his pursuer. But our Golden friend, -notwithstanding his auriferous title, his superior beauty of plumage, -his swiftness and strength, and the savory reputation which he enjoys -among the knowing-ones, is possessed of gregarious habits, of a -singularly frank and unsuspicious nature, and is generally ready to stop -and have a chat with anything<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_303" id="page_303"></a>{303}</span> which bears the faintest resemblance to a -bird and a brother. It is well for his admirers that such is his nature; -and although the wide appreciation of his merits certainly causes great -destruction among his ranks, still the vast flocks which, sometimes for -days together, fly past, within sight of the stands, unshot at, seem to -warrant the hope that the hour of the final extinction of his race is -very far distant.</p> - -<p>Taking the Long Island railroad to Greenport in the early part of -September, and having encountered and overcome the ordinary delay and -difficulty of obtaining a sailboat to further prosecute our voyage, we -find ourselves at last gliding on the waves of the beautiful bay, past -Shelter and Gardiner’s islands, and approaching the long low line of the -Nepeague beach. With a favorable breeze we may expect to be landed on -the smooth sand in a little cove, about one mile from our destination, -in two hours from our time of departure; but if the wind is adverse and -the fates unpropitious, we may have to follow the path from the shore in -the dark, which will require our best instincts, aided by the guidance -of the distant booming of the surf, and the assistance of our especial -guardian angel.</p> - -<p>Once there, however, and we will be repaid for our sufferings; we may -find a table covered with “South-side” delicacies, and bearing in the -centre a huge dish of beautiful, odorous, melting plover, cooked to a -turn, and we will undoubtedly meet kindred spirits and generous -sportsmen who are on the same errand as ourselves. As we dispose of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_304" id="page_304"></a>{304}</span> -former, the latter will pour into our sympathetic ears wonderful -accounts of their sport, and rival one another in recounting the long -shots and the good shots they have made, the numbers of birds they have -killed, and the pounds of bass they have caught.</p> - -<p>Under the influences of a delicious supper and moderate “nightcap,” we -seek our couch with fond visions of the great flocks, and hopeful dreams -that we will do as well on the morrow. At earliest dawn we spring from -our bed, and rushing to the primitive little casement have only time to -rejoice in the promise of a fine day, ere we note the welcome cry of our -noble prey hurrying westward over the beach.</p> - -<p>To don our shooting costume, to grasp our gun and ammunition, to load -ourselves with the basket containing decoys and incidentals, and to -emerge into the cool air of the September morning, require but a few -minutes; we hasten across the sandy hillocks to our appointed spot, -marked by a hollow scooped out for the concealment of former visitants, -and by the quantity of feathers and cigar-stumps lying loosely around; -and with hands trembling with impatience, we distribute the stools in -what seems to us to be the most artistic and seductive manner,—for the -birds are now beginning to fly just within a tantalizing yet -impracticable range, and we long for action.</p> - -<p>How wild, how glorious is the hour and the scene! The heavy boom of the -ocean, which rolls almost at our feet, is relieved by the soft, mellow -notes of the sea-birds which float through the air in varied yet<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_305" id="page_305"></a>{305}</span> -harmonious cadence, and by the low of distant cattle, just shaking off -their slothful dreams. Hardly have we disposed our body to the requisite -flatness, when a chattering chorus of melody makes our heart leap with -eagerness, and our eyes strain with impatience to discern its source. -Aha, we have them now! that small, erratic cloud to the eastward, -bearing directly before the wind towards our covert, sends a thrill -through our being, which the whole “spacious firmament on high,” even on -the loveliest of nights, has, we honestly confess it, never succeeded in -imparting. On they come, nearer, nearer, nearer. We pucker up our lips -to greet their approach, but the saucy gale renders our rude efforts -futile, and we commit our trust to Providence and our painted -counterfeits. Now they are within easy range, but somewhat scattered; -with a violent effort at self-command, worthy of a higher cause, we -remain motionless, for there are evident indications of a social spirit -in that joyous group. They pause, they swerve, they wheel upon their -tracks, and with motionless wings and a sweet low-murmured greeting, -they approach the fatal stools. How rash the confidence! How foul the -treachery! But, we must also confess, how intense the excitement, as we -pull the right trigger at the critical moment, and then, as the deluded -victims scatter wildly, with an outburst of appeal against man’s -cruelty, give them the left barrel, and add three more to the list of -feathered martyrs. With lightning speed, their thinned ranks vanish -beyond the neighboring sand-hills,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_306" id="page_306"></a>{306}</span> and reloading our gun, we hasten to -gather up the slain.</p> - -<p>Six with the right and three with the left barrel, are pretty well for a -beginning; but we had better have remained at our post, for while we are -chasing up one of the wounded birds, two more flocks pass within easy -range of our hiding-place. Hurriedly twisting the neck of the fugitive, -we resume our lonely watch, and before the breakfast-hour of eight, -which our umwontedly early exertions have made a somewhat serious epoch, -we have had two more double shots, and increased our score to -twenty-one. Beautiful, “beautiful exceedingly” is the burden of game -which we proudly carry back to our inn, leaving our stools as they -stand.</p> - -<p>A hearty breakfast makes us feel like a <i>new man</i>, and, after a fair -discussion of its merits, lighting our pipe, we again wend our way to -the scene of our triumph. The cry is still they come; flock after flock -presents its compliments, and leaves mementoes of its presence; but -towards noon the hot sun disposes the birds to listless inactivity, the -flight diminishes, and finally stops. Returning to the house with a bag -larger by only three birds than that of the morning, we kill the hours -before dinner by a few casts into the breakers, and land a ten-pound -bass.</p> - -<p>With sharpened appetite, we welcome the savory dinner, and are quite -contented to rest and let our prey rest till five o’clock, when fifteen -more birds reward our post-prandial exertions, and make up a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_307" id="page_307"></a>{307}</span> total for -the day of sixty plover and one bass. We sink to sleep that night with -the proud consciousness that our first day’s plover-shooting has been a -great success; our heart prays silently for a continuance of our good -fortune, and we indulge in sweet thoughts of home, and the pleasure our -return laden with spoils will cause, when our friends greet us and them -at the social board.</p> - -<p>The next day is as delightful; the sweet, thrilling music again fills -the air at short intervals; again our trusty breech-loader sends its -charge into the thickest of the “brown,” or cuts down the straggler -looking for “former companions all vanished and gone.” Again we call the -swift-travelling flock from the very zenith, or whistle our lips into a -blister, endeavoring to attract the wary knowing ones that pause to -look, only to flee the faster; and the night finds us with a still -larger bag, but without a bass. So eager have we become, so fearful that -we should lose a shot, and judging by the accumulating clouds in the -east that on the morrow it may storm, that we stay out all day, except -the necessary moments for our meals, and give no thought to the monsters -of the deep.</p> - -<p>Nor were we mistaken; the morrow comes, the gathering storm has broken, -and no creature of mortal mould can face its fury—at least no bird, -with any pretensions to common sense or respectability, would imperil -his plumes by an unnecessary exposure to such an ordeal. So with forced -patience, we get through the live-long day as best we can;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_308" id="page_308"></a>{308}</span> and on the -following day, hail a sky as cloudless as the most ardent sportsman -could desire. But alas! the flight has gone by, scared away perhaps by -the storm, or retreating before the advancing fall; and when we take our -seat at the breakfast-table, we are obliged to admit that only nine -birds have fallen to our gun.</p> - -<p>But the irrepressible and inextinguishable host rises triumphant in this -emergency. He boldly suggests that there <i>must be</i> some sluggards, who -have tamed, spell-bound by the attractions of such a terrestrial, or, -rather ornithological, paradise; and accordingly, he <i>hitches up</i> a -venerable specimen of the genus “<i>Equus</i>,” and we start for an excursion -“over the hills and far away.” Before we have advanced a couple of miles -we have bagged a half dozen solitary specimens of Bartram’s Sandpiper or -Grey Plover, so dear to the sportsman and the gourmand, but have seen no -trace of the object of our pursuit. When, suddenly, as we surmount one -of the swelling eminences which are the prevailing feature of this -district of country, we come upon a sight such as, perhaps, but few -sportsmen have ever beheld. A gentle hollow spreads before us, for -several acres, literally covered with the ranks of the much-desired, the -matchless Golden Plover.</p> - -<p>As they stand in serried legions, the white mark on their heads gives a -strange chequered weirdness to the phalanx: and we involuntarily pause, -spell-bound by the novelty of the spectacle. Our host himself, though an -old hand, owns that he has never<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_309" id="page_309"></a>{309}</span> before gazed on such a sight. There -they stand with heads erect, and bodies motionless, just out of gunshot. -Their number is computed by our companion to be not less than three -thousand, closely packed, and apparently awaiting our onset. What is to -be done? Delay may be fatal, but precipitancy would be equally so: and -our pulses stop beating under the stress of the emergency. Our horse -also stops, obedient to an involuntary pull of the reins. We accept the -omen, and cautiously descend from our vehicle; warily crawling to within -seventy yards, we halt as we see unmistakable evidences of uneasiness -and suspicion among the crowded ranks. They stoop, they run, they rise -with “a sounding roar,” to which the united report of our four barrels -savagely responds. Away, away with headlong speed, scatters and -dissolves that multitudinous host, and we hasten to secure our spoils.</p> - -<p>But, seventy yards make a long range for plover-shooting, and we are -somewhat chagrined to find that only six dead and seven wounded birds -remain as proofs of the accuracy of our aim, and the efficiency of our -weapons. Hurriedly we plant our stools, hoping for the return of at -least a considerable portion of the vanished forces; but they have -apparently had enough of our society, and, after two hours spent in -ambush, with only an occasional shot at single stragglers or small -flocks, we wend our way back to the house.</p> - -<p>On the morrow we kill a dozen birds over the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_310" id="page_310"></a>{310}</span> stools, before breakfast, -among which are two specimens of the beautiful Esquimaux Curlew or Fute, -as he is commonly called, and which seems to be on terms of the closest -intimacy with our Golden friend. We find him to be a heavier bird, -equally inclined to obesity, and, as future experiments satisfy us, -nearly as perfect in delicate richness of flavor.</p> - -<p>At nine o’clock Dobbin is again harnessed, and we start for the scene of -yesterday’s exploit. But the sighing wind now sweeps over only a -deserted moor, and we direct our course in a direction to make an -inspection of Great Pond. Here, by good luck and management, we bag five -teal and a black duck, as well as three passing plover. A few large -flocks of the latter are seen, but they are wary and unapproachable; and -after several fruitless efforts, we abandon their pursuit and start for -dinner.</p> - -<p>Having rendered full justice to the merits of a bountiful repast, which, -if it is made prominent in this account, was still more prominent in our -hungry thoughts, we stroll to the ocean-side and make a dozen casts for -bass, but our luck seems to be on the turn and we decide to leave on the -morrow for Greenport. About an hour before sunset, a few birds are on -the wing, and we again seek the field of our first success. Here we make -our final effort, and are rewarded with five noble victims, killed -singly at long shots, and we restore our breech-loader to its case. We -have no reason to be dissatisfied with our four-days’ sport, and it is -with a certain reluctance, and a sincere resolve to renew our visit at -an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_311" id="page_311"></a>{311}</span> early date, that we pack our valise in anticipation of a start on -the morrow.</p> - -<p>Our team is at the door; we bid adieu to some ladies of the household -(of whom while writing these lines we have thought much, though we have, -until now, said nothing), and, mounting by our host’s side, we trot -merrily over the hills, till we reach the deep sandy desert of the -Nepeague beach. “A long pull, and a strong pull” for an hour, brings us -to “terra firma” again, and rattling through the quaint old town of -Easthampton, after a charming drive, we reach Sag Harbor, where a most -absurdly diminutive steamer, of just <i>seven-horse</i> power, awaits to -convey us to Greenport. We part from our host with sincere gratitude for -the genial kindness which he has shown to us during our visit, and step -on the narrow deck of the tiny craft. A voyage of thirteen miles, made -under a full head of steam in just two hours and a quarter, brings us -once more to the beautiful village of Greenport, where the cars are -awaiting us.</p> - -<p>We return with a bag full of game, and the following general conclusions -and precepts impressed upon our mind: In plover shooting use No. 6 shot -in the left barrel, for the birds are of wonderful strength and require -to be hit hard, or they will fly an immense distance even if “sick unto -death,” and if crippled, will sneak, and hide, and run, and cause much -loss of time that is precious indeed. Do not fire too soon; as the flock -will generally “double” if allowed sufficient time, and then is the -chance to “rake ’em<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_312" id="page_312"></a>{312}</span> down.” Be patient, keep cool, aim ahead of the -birds, and keep wide awake.</p> - -<p>On almost any day, from the 25th of August to the 10th of September, -there are sport and pleasure to be had among the wild sand-hills of -Montauk; and if there has been a north-easterly storm, with pitchforks -full of rain and caps full of wind, there will be such an abundance of -birds as only experience can conceive of or appreciate. That is an event -that most of us have yet to wait for. Reader, I wish I were sufficiently -unselfish to say honestly—may you enjoy it first.</p> - -<p>Since I first went to Montauk, when large and jolly parties of sportsmen -congregated every fall at Lester’s and Stratton’s, some changes have -taken place. The plover have diminished until the chance of sport is -uncertain, although occasional good days are had; and there is a -probability that the railroad will intrude on its “everlasting hills,” -and that fashionable watering places will replace the old-time sporting -hotels. Then bid farewell, a long farewell, to all the shooting.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_313" id="page_313"></a>{313}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br /><br /> -RAIL SHOOTING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Success</span> in this delightful sport depends as much upon the proper -accessories, together with experience in minor matters, as in the great -art of properly handling the gun. The best shot, badly equipped, will be -surpassed by an inferior marksman accustomed to the business, and -thoroughly fitted out for it. The shooting is done among high reeds, and -from small, light, and unstable skiffs, which are poled over muddy -shallows with an unsteady motion that puts an end to skill which is not -founded on long practice. The sport lasts only during the few hours of -high water, when the entire day’s bag must be made, and requires, after -the bird has been killed, a sharp eye to retrieve him amid the weeds and -floating grass.</p> - -<p>The number bagged, however, is sometimes prodigious; and although we -rarely now hear of hundreds killed “in a tide,” as was formerly not -unusual, the shots are still frequently rapid, and the result -satisfactory. The bird rises heavily, its long legs hanging down behind; -flying slowly, it presents an easy mark to any one upon <i>terra firma</i>, -and if not shot at, will alight after proceeding thirty or forty yards.</p> - -<p>It comes on from the north during the early part<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_314" id="page_314"></a>{314}</span> of September, and -disappears so instantaneously with the first heavy frost, that our -superstitious baymen imagine it retires into the mud. It can, however, -fly strongly, as I have occasionally had unpleasant evidence under -peculiar circumstances, and in wild, windy weather. During low water, -when it can run upon the muddy bottom among the thick stalks, which it -does rapidly, it can hardly be flushed by any but the strongest and -toughest dog, and is not frequently pursued; although many persons enjoy -the hard walking and exposure of this plan, preferring to tramp over the -quaking surface of our broad salt meadows, and flushing the rail from -amid some tuft of reeds, kill him with the aid of their loved -fellow-playmate, a high-strung setter or untiring water spaniel.</p> - -<p>As the tide rises, however, and covers the bottom with a few inches of -water, the rail, caught feeding among its favorite wild oats, or on the -grains of the high reeds, and alarmed at the advancing boat, is forced -to take wing and present an easy mark to its destroyer. But if missed, -although marked down to an inch, it rarely rises a second time, having -probably escaped by swimming—a thorough knowledge of which is among its -numerous accomplishments. The rail has a long, thin, and soft body, -which it appears to have the faculty of compressing; as it can glide -amid the thick stems of reeds and grass with wonderful rapidity; and if -wounded, it will dive and swim under water, leaving its bill only -projecting, so as to bid defiance to pursuit.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_315" id="page_315"></a>{315}</span></p> - -<p>The first necessity of equipment for this sport is a breech-loading gun, -which not only enables the sportsman to kill double the number of birds, -but will occasionally give him the benefit, by a rapid change in the -charge, of a favorable presentation of a chance flock of ducks. But as -many persons, out of a want of knowledge or of funds, still cling to the -old muzzle-loader, it may be well briefly to mention the articles that -tend to modify its inferiority.</p> - -<p>Of course, as the shooting occupies but a few hours, and in good days -the birds are perpetually on the wing, it is essential to load rapidly; -and to do this the sportsman places on a thwart before him a tin box -divided into compartments for powder, shot, caps, and wads, or, as I -prefer, two boxes, one filled with powder and the other with the other -materials. For many reasons there should be a lid over the powder—to -prevent its being ignited by a chance spark or blown away by a strong -wind—and the ordinary flask is frequently used in spite of the -consequent delay. A double scoop, made of tin or brass, and regulated to -the precise load, is placed among the powder and the shot, and a solid -loading stick lies near at hand.</p> - -<p>By these means the rapidity of loading is more than doubled; the powder -is dropped into both barrels at once by means of the double scoop, wads -are driven home by a single blow of the rod, both barrels are charged -with shot at once in the same manner, the caps are within easy reach, -and the gun is loaded in less than half the time consumed in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_316" id="page_316"></a>{316}</span> -ordinary process. The shot may be made into cartridges of paper with a -wad at the upper end, and thus a few additional of the precious seconds -saved. Both barrels are discharged before either is reloaded, and the -birds are retrieved immediately.</p> - -<p>The sportsman stands erect, without any support to modify the -unsteadiness consequent upon the irregular motion of the boat, and -requires practice, not merely to enable him to take aim, but even to -retain his footing. Where the water is low and the reeds strong, this -difficulty is augmented, as the boat entirely loses its way after every -push, and advances by jerks that utterly confound a novice. Experience, -however, being acquired in loading rapidly and in retaining his balance, -the sportsman’s labors are easy; but the punter requires many different -qualities, and upon his excellence mainly depends the final result.</p> - -<p>He must possess judgment to select the best ground, strength to urge on -the boat unflaggingly, and an inordinate development of the bump of -locality to mark the dead birds. The bird once killed and the sportsman -part ended, then the punter displays his ability; and if thoroughly -versed in his craft will push the boat through tall reeds, and matted -weeds, and fallen oat-stalks, and drifted grass, with wonderful accuracy -to the very spot, and peering down amid the roots, will distinguish the -brown feathers almost covered with water and hidden by the vegetable -growth.</p> - -<p>In order to retrieve quickly, a wide-meshed scapnet<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_317" id="page_317"></a>{317}</span> is a great -convenience; but to mark well, a man most be endowed by nature with that -peculiar gift. Among the vast mass of undistinguishable marine plants -that spring from the muddy bottom and rise a few inches or many feet -above the surface, it would seem impossible to determine, within an -approach to accuracy, where some bird, visible only for a moment and cut -down when just topping the reeds, has fallen; and when another bird -rises to meet the same fate, and perhaps a dozen are down before the -first is retrieved, successful marking becomes a miracle. With some -punters on the Delaware, where their names are famous, so wonderful is -the precision that every bird, if killed outright, will be recovered, -and even a poor marksman will make a respectable return; but when the -gentleman shoots badly and the man marks worse, rail-shooting is -unprofitable.</p> - -<p>For this sport, thus followed, it will be seen that a punter is -indispensable, and it is made the business of a large class of men along -the salt marshes where the rail most do congregate; and wherever a -punter cannot be obtained, as in the wilder portions of our country, -rail-shooting cannot be had.</p> - -<p>From the necessity for rapid firing, the immense advantage of a -breech-loader must be apparent; the tide rarely serves for over two or -three hours, and to kill more than a hundred birds in that time with a -muzzle-loader is a remarkable feat, as it requires almost the entire -time for the mere loading and firing of the gun; but the breech-loader -may be charged in an instant, and enables the sportsman to improve<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_318" id="page_318"></a>{318}</span> the -lucky chance of coming upon a goodly collection of birds, and make the -most of the scanty time permitted to him.</p> - -<p>None of those vexatious mistakes that occasionally happen to the best -sportsmen can befall him; the shot cannot get into the wrong barrel, nor -the cap be forgotten; the powder is not exposed to ashes from a careless -man’s cigar; and there being no hurry, there is more probability of -steady nerves and a true aim.</p> - -<p>The charge should be light—three-quarters of an ounce of shot and two -drachms of powder being abundant to kill the soft and gentle rail—and -pellets at least as fine as No. 9 are preferable to coarser sizes. Old -cartridges, that have been split and mended by gumming a piece of paper -over the crack, may be used in the breech-loader, provided the sportsman -desires to indulge in praiseworthy economy, or is deficient in a supply.</p> - -<p>The sport is extremely exciting: the boat is forced along with -considerable rustling and breaking of stems and stalks; the bright sun -streams down upon the yellow reeds and lights up the variegated foliage -of the distant shore; the waves of the bay or river, rising apparently -to a level with the eye, sparkle in the gentle breeze that bends the -sedge grass in successive waves; neighboring boats come and go, approach -and recede; the rapid reports are heard in all directions, like -fireworks on the Fourth of July; the sportsman stands erect, and eager -with delirious excitement, near the bow; the punter<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_319" id="page_319"></a>{319}</span> balances himself, -and wields his long pole dexterously on a small platform at the stern.</p> - -<p>Silently a bird, rising close to the boat, wings its way, with pendent -legs and feeble strokes, towards some one of its numerous hiding-places; -instantly the punter plants his pole firmly in the bottom, holding the -skiff stationary, the sportsman brings up his piece, and, with -deliberate aim, sends the charge straight after the doomed rail, which -pitches headlong out of sight. The punter has marked him by that single -wild rice-stalk with the broken top, and heads the boat at once towards -the place; but ere he has advanced a dozen feet, another bird starts and -offers to the expectant sportsman, who has his gun still “at a ready,” -another favorable chance, and, meeting the same fate, falls into that -low bunch of matted wild oats. The breech-loader opens, the charges are -extracted and others inserted, just in time to make sure of two rail -that rise simultaneously, still ere the first has been reached, and -which are both tumbled over and marked down—one, however, wing-tipped, -and never to be seen by mortal eye again.</p> - -<p>Thus have I experienced it on the Delaware, at Hackensack, and, in -former days, among the tributaries of Jamaica Bay, and at many other -places where more or less success has attended me. Although never having -enjoyed great luck, never having advanced beyond the first hundred, and -claiming to be no such marksman as several of my friends, I have had -wondrous sport. Of a good day, when the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_320" id="page_320"></a>{320}</span> tide is favorable and the game -plenty, the excitement is continuous, and increased by a sense of -competition.</p> - -<p>Other sportsmen are on the same ground, stopping probably at the same -hotel and shooting in close proximity—occasionally too close, if they -are thoughtless or careless. Not only will a charge of mustard seed -sometimes rattle against the boat, but is apt, now and then, to pierce -the clothes and penetrate the skin, followed by an irritation of mind -and body; but when the tide has fallen, and the sport is over, a -comparison of the bag made by each sportsman is inevitable, and no -general assertions of round numbers will answer, but the birds must be -produced. It is vain to claim what cannot be exhibited, and more than -useless to talk of the immense quantities that were killed but not -retrieved; such excuses are answered by ridicule, and if the poor shot -would avoid being a butt, he must be modest and submissive.</p> - -<p>There is danger too, at times, although an upset in the weeds can result -in nothing worse than a wetting of oneself and one’s ammunition, and the -ruin of the day’s enjoyment; but I was once on the Delaware, opposite -Chester, when a fierce north-wester was blowing, which had driven much -of the water out of the bay and river. The tide, of course, was poor, -having difficulty to rise at all against the gale, which kept on -increasing every moment, and the birds were scarce and difficult to -flush. The work of poling was laborious; the boats stopped after every<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_321" id="page_321"></a>{321}</span> -push, and the heavy swell from the broad river, rolling in a long -distance among the reeds, added a new motion to their natural -unsteadiness.</p> - -<p>Of course the sport was not encouraging, and the accidents were -numerous; several sportsmen fell overboard, one upset his boat, and my -man came so near it—his pole slipping at the moment he was exerting his -utmost strength upon it—that his efforts to recover his balance -reminded me of dancing the hornpipe in a state of frenzy. He kicked up -more capers, and indulged in more contortions on the little platform, -scarcely a foot square, which he occupied, than I supposed possible -without dislocation of a limb; but he managed, however, to regain his -equilibrium, and neither fell overboard nor upset the skiff.</p> - -<p>These little incidents, and the shooting, such as it was, kept the -party, which was numerous, interested until the time came for recrossing -the river to our hotel. There was no stopping-place on our present side -of the river, which presented one apparently endless view of waving -reeds; and the alternative was simply to cross the open river, or pass -the night in our boats. The swell had increased into high waves capped -with snowy foam, and threatened destruction to our low-sided, short, and -narrow boats. Many were the consultations between the various punters, -and grave were the doubts expressed of a safe crossing; but as there was -no help for it, the trial had to be made.</p> - -<p>Selections were chosen of favorable starting-points, and most of the -party put out at about the same<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_322" id="page_322"></a>{322}</span> time—the sportsman lying on the bottom -at full length in the stern, and the oarsman timing his strokes to the -violence of the sea. The waves broke over us continually; it was -necessary to bail every few minutes, and several had to put back when -they met with some more than usually heavy wave, and take a fresh start, -after emptying the superfluous water. Of course we were drenched to the -skin, but found a species of consolation in knowing that no one had the -advantage of another. Had any of our boats upset, although we might have -clung to them and drifted back among the reeds, we could have effected a -landing nowhere, and would probably have terminated our career then and -there; had this happened to a certain little skiff that held two men and -very few rail, this account would probably never have been written. -However, fate ordained otherwise, and we reached our destination in -safety.</p> - -<p>The best locality for rail-shooting is along the marshy shores of the -Delaware River, above and below Philadelphia; many birds are also killed -on the Hackensack and the Connecticut; they are abundant on the James -River, and doubtless further south, but are not shot there; and they are -found scattered over the fresh as well as the salt marshes throughout -the entire country. I have killed them in the corn-fields of Illinois -while in pursuit of the prairie chicken, and have bagged several and -heard many among the wild rice of the drowned shores of Lake Erie. They -are a migratory bird, and pass to the southward in the early fall rather -in advance of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_323" id="page_323"></a>{323}</span> the English snipe, and alight at any damp spots for a -temporary rest wherever the growth of plants promises nutriment.</p> - -<p>They are often flushed by the snipe-shooter, together with the larger -fresh-water rail, <i>rallus elegans</i>, and their curious cry resounds along -the reedy marshes where the wild-fowler pursues the early ducks. -Nevertheless, they are difficult to flush and kill where there is no -tide to drive them from their muddy retreats, and where the ground is -too heavy for a dog; and, comparatively speaking, on fresh water, unless -the wind shall have caused a temporary rise, they are safe from injury.</p> - -<p>Their voices reply with the guttural “krek-krek-krek” to the noise of -the boat, and tauntingly boast of their abundance and their security. -Moreover, in a new country, where larger game is still plentiful, the -excellences of the tender but diminutive rail are lost sight of by -comparison with his more profitable compeers; and except along the -Atlantic coast, he is known as a game-bird neither to the sportsman nor -the cook.</p> - -<p>From the fact that he is rarely seen in the spring, and does not at that -season give his enemies a chance to prevent his reaching his -nesting-places at the far north—but only visits us during a few short -weeks in the fall, and then is not much exposed, except in certain -localities—his race will be preserved in undiminished numbers for many -generations; the light skiffs will carry the eager city sportsman along -the shores of the Delaware, the Hackensack, and the cove on<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_324" id="page_324"></a>{324}</span> the -Connecticut, and the rapid reports will continue to reverberate over the -reedy marshes.</p> - -<p>There are two varieties, the short-billed or sora-rail, <i>rallus -Carolinus</i>; and the long-billed, or Virginia rail, <i>rallus Virginianus</i>, -which are easily distinguished by this peculiarity, and differ, also, -slightly in plumage. The sora-rail are by far the most numerous, -especially along the sea-coast, and are usually referred to as “the -rail,” but both are shot and eaten indiscriminately. Their habits, mode -of flight, and gastronomic qualities, appear to be identical, but I -think the Virginia rail are proportionally more numerous at the West, -having a slight preference, perhaps, for the fresh water. Their food -must be, however, essentially different; for while the sora, on account -of its short bill, must be confined to the seeds of its favorite reed, -zimosa, or the grains of the wild oats, the Virginia rail, with its -longer bill, also draws much of its nourishment from snails and aquatic -insects, and is considered by some less delicate in flavor than the -former variety.</p> - -<p>About the fifth of September, before the English snipe are numerous, -although their taunting “scaip” may be occasionally heard on their -broad, open feeding-grounds; ere the ducks have marshalled their legions -in retreat from the chilly blasts of the north, after the bay-birds, -with the exception of the “short-neck,” shall have mainly passed to the -southward, and before the quail are large enough to kill—the sportsman -arms himself with his breech-loader, and driving to Hackensack or taking -steamboat from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_325" id="page_325"></a>{325}</span> Philadelphia, embarks in the slight skiff usually called -a “rail-boat,” and practises his hand—possibly out of exercise since -the woodcock days of early July—upon the tame and languid rail.</p> - -<p>His cartridges are prepared for the occasion; as he does not intend to -devote more than a day or two to the amusement, he takes with him a -light suit, appropriate to the boat and the weather, gaiter shoes, -flannel pants and shirt, and his waterproof, to meet a temporary shower, -and he lays in sufficient liquid for himself and his man, knowing that -salt air produces thirst, and country inns bad spirits. Thus armed and -equipped, if he is fortunate enough to have high tides, he is almost -sure to enjoy fine sport, and bring home a bag of game that will furnish -forth his table right handsomely to a goodly company, or go far and -spread much satisfaction among his friends who may be the fortunate -recipients. The heats of the summer solstice are over, the birds will -keep several days with care, and the sportsman has not to dread either -the burning sun of August or the freezing blasts of winter.</p> - -<p>Many double shots present themselves in rail-shooting; and upon the -manner in which these are turned to account, and the brilliancy with -which a bird that rises while the sportsman is in the act of loading, is -covered with the hastily charged barrel and cut down, depends the -superiority of one marksman over another. In the days of the -muzzle-loader, I have killed many a bird with one barrel while the -ramrod was still in the other, and have shot several<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_326" id="page_326"></a>{326}</span> with the barrels -resting on my arm, when they had slipped from my hand in bringing the -gun up hurriedly to my shoulder. Every single rise should be secured as -matter-of-course, and most of the double ones, care being taken in the -latter to obey that great rule, of always killing the more difficult -shot first; if you shoot right-handed, as the majority of persons do, -and one bird flies to the right and the other to the left, shoot first -at the former, and you will have less difficulty in bringing back the -gun towards the latter.</p> - -<p>Never relax your vigilance, as the birds rise silently, without the -warning whistle of the woodcock or whirr of the quail, at the least -expected moment; and if the punter attempts to direct your attention, -the chances are ten to one that you look in the wrong quarter.</p> - -<p>The rail, while being a pleasant bird to shoot, is also a pleasant bird -to eat. There is no variety of our wild game, large or small, that is -more delicious; its flavor is excellent, and its tenderness beyond -comparison; it may not have the rich full flavor of that noblest of them -all, the big-eyed woodcock, nor the savory raciness of the full-breasted -quail, nor the strong game taste of the stylish ruffed grouse, nor the -unequalled richness of the kingly canvas-back—but in tender, melting -delicacy it is hardly surpassed. If cooked in perfection, it drops to -pieces in the mouth, leaving only a delightful residuum of enjoyment. It -should be floated in rosy wine, and washed down with the ruby claret, -and accompanied by<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_327" id="page_327"></a>{327}</span> fried potatoes, thin and crisp as a new bank note. -It may be preceded by the <i>pièce de resistance</i>, and should be followed -only by salad, which may in fact be eaten with it, if dressed with -sufficient purity.</p> - -<p>Kill your rail handsomely in the field, missing not more than one in -twenty, present him properly and with due appreciation on the table, and -eat him with the gratitude that he deserves.</p> - -<p>It is only of late years that many rail were killed at the South. The -old-time battue of the negroes at night-time, with paddles and torches, -did not amount to much, but now hundreds are killed daily through the -season in the rivers below Washington, although the weather is usually -so hot that half of them spoil. In those extensive marshes, two hundred -to a gun is a moderate day’s bag. Still the numbers of this excellent -little bird have not sensibly diminished, and good sport is had every -year on the Connecticut and the Delaware.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_328" id="page_328"></a>{328}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br /><br /> -WILD-FOWL SHOOTING.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">It</span> is not proposed to give any extended account of wild-fowl shooting as -practised on the waters of Long Island, or in the neighborhood of the -great Northern cities; the unsportsmanlike modes of proceeding which are -there in vogue, and which, while contravening all true ideas of sport, -insult common sense by the ruthless injury they inflict, have been fully -set forth by other writers.</p> - -<p>In stationing a battery—that imitation coffin, which should be a -veritable one, if justice had its way, to every man who enters it—and -in lying prone in it through the cold days of winter, the market-man may -find his pecuniary profit, but the gentleman can receive no pleasure; -while the permanent injury inflicted by driving away the ducks from -their feeding-grounds, and making them timorous of stopping at all in -waters from any and all portions of which unseen foes may arise, is ten -times as great as the temporary advantage gained; and as for calling -that sport, which is merely the wearisome endurance of cold and tedium -to obtain game that might be killed more handsomely, and in the long run -more abundantly, by other methods, is an entire misapplication of the -word.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_329" id="page_329"></a>{329}</span></p> - -<p>So long as the shooter confines himself to points of land or sedge, -whether he uses decoys or awaits the accidental passage of the birds, he -not only permits himself a change of position and sufficient motion to -keep his blood in circulation, but he allows the frightened flocks that -have already lost several of their number in running the gauntlet, a -secure retreat in the open waters, and undisturbed rest at meal time. -And so long as this is granted them they will tarry, and trust to their -sharp eyes and quick ears to save their lives; but when they cannot feed -in peace, and when they can find no haven of safety in the broad expanse -of water, they will inevitably continue their migration, and seek more -hospitable quarters.</p> - -<p>Wild-fowl shooting, as pursued at the West, or even at the South, is -glorious and exhilarating; there the sportsman has exercise, or the -assistance of his faithful and intelligent retriever, and is required to -bring into play the higher powers of his nature. He manages his own -boat, or he stands securely upon the firm ground, and if he has not a -canine companion, chases his crippled birds and retrieves the dead ones -by his own unaided efforts.</p> - -<p>At the West, although the vast numbers do not collect that congregate in -the Chesapeake Bay and Currituck Inlet, there is an independence in the -mode of pursuit that has a peculiar charm; and from the facilities -afforded by the nature of the ground, the excellent cover furnished by -the high reeds, and the immense number of single shots, the average<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_330" id="page_330"></a>{330}</span> -success is as great as in the more open waters of the Southern coast.</p> - -<p>The employment of retrievers is not general in our country, which is, by -the character of its marshes and growth of plants, better suited for the -full display of their capacities than any other. There are certain -objections to the use of a dog in wild-fowl shooting, which, although -entirely overbalanced in the writer’s opinion by the corresponding -advantages, are unquestionably serious. The season for duck-shooting is -mainly late and cold, when it is essential to the shooter’s comfort that -his boat should be dry; but the dog, with every retrieved bird, comes -back dripping with wet, and if he does not let it drain into the bottom -of the skiff, where it “swashes” about over clothes and boots, shakes -himself in a way to deluge with a mimic cataract every person and thing -within yards of him.</p> - -<p>It is unreasonable to ask of the intelligent and devoted but shivering -creature, that he should remain standing in the freezing water or upon -the damp sedge; and if the master is as little of a brute as his -companion, and has a spare coat, the dog will have it for a bed, -regardless of the consequences.</p> - -<p>Nor is this the only difficulty; for unless the animal has instinctive -judgment as well as careful training, he may in open water upset the -frail skiff, by either jumping out of it, or clambering into it -injudiciously. A thoughtful creature maybe taught to make his entry and -exit over the stern, but unfortunately,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_331" id="page_331"></a>{331}</span> some of the most enthusiastic -and serviceable dogs have little discretion or forethought; and unless -he is trained to perfect quiet, and broken to entire immobility at the -most exciting moments, he is apt to interfere sadly with the sport.</p> - -<p>In spite of these inconveniences, however, the loss of many of his -birds—amounting, amid the dense reeds of the western lakes, to nearly -one-half of the whole number—will satisfy the sportsman that the -retriever, with his devoted and wonderful sagacity, to say nothing of -his delightful companionship, is a most desirable acquisition. Where the -sportsman is forced to pursue his calling solitary and alone, so far as -human associates are concerned, he will find the presence of his -four-footed friend a great satisfaction, and, amid the solitary and -unemployed midday hours, a pleasant resource.</p> - -<p>The dog is the natural companion of the sportsman—the partaker of his -pleasures, the coadjutor of his triumphs; and whenever his peculiar -gifts can be used to advantage, it is a gratification to both to call -upon him. The knowledge that he will acquire in time is truly -marvellous. Not only does he possess the power of smell, but his -eyesight and hearing far surpass those of man; he will often discern a -flock long before it is visible to human eyes, and his motions will warn -his master of its approach.</p> - -<p>His training can be carried on beyond limit; his knowledge increases -daily, and his devotion is unbounded. Of all the race, the retriever is -probably the most intelligent; as, in fact, intelligence is one<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_332" id="page_332"></a>{332}</span> of his -necessary qualifications. For this work no breed has the slightest value -unless the individuals possess rare sagacity and almost human judgment. -Some of the most valuable English dogs have been from an accidental -cross; and a pure cur with a heavy coat is often as good as any other.</p> - -<p>There is in England a strain of dogs known as retrievers; they are -mostly used in connexion with upland shooting, as English pointers and -setters are not broken to fetch; but the favorite animals for wild-fowl -shooting, which have made their name notorious in connexion with this -specialty, have generally come from parents neither of which possesses -the true retriever blood.</p> - -<p>In this country the best breed will have some of the Newfoundland -strain; the animal must be clothed with a dense coat of thick hair to -endure the severe exposure to which he is subjected, and must be endowed -with a natural aptitude and passion for swimming. The usual color is -dark, which, in the writer’s judgment, is a great mistake; and the only -really distinct breed of retrievers is known as that of Baltimore.</p> - -<p>In the Southern States the dog, as an assistant in wild-fowl shooting, -has always been in far greater repute than at the North; although the -inland lakes of the latter, the extensive marshes closely grown up with -tall <i>zimosas</i>, matted wild oats, and thick weeds, make his services far -more desirable. At the South alone has any intelligent attention been -given to raising a superior strain of retrievers; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_333" id="page_333"></a>{333}</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_012.jpg" alt="SHRIMP FISHING." title="" /> -<br /> -<span class="caption">SHRIMP FISHING.</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_334" id="page_334"></a>{334}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_335" id="page_335"></a>{335}</span> </p> - -<p class="nind">whether we seek an animal that by his curious motions will toll ducks up -to the stand, or by his natural intelligence will aid the punt-shooter -in recovering his game, it is at the South alone that we can find any -admitted pedigree.</p> - -<p>In the Northern States, however, the “native,” as he is called at the -West—probably from the fact that he is invariably a foreigner—selects -any promising pup, and by means of much flogging and steady work trains -him to a faint knowledge of his duties. A young dog loves to fetch, and -will take pleasure in chasing a ball thrown for him round the room, and -if he is a water-dog, naturally brings from the water a stick cast into -it, so that the routine part is easily impressed upon him; but an animal -with this proficiency alone is scarcely worth keeping.</p> - -<p>A good dog must have intuitive quickness of thought and judgment; he -must know enough to lie perfectly motionless when a flock is -approaching; he must understand how to retrieve his birds judiciously, -bringing the cripples first; he must have perseverance, endurance, and -great personal vigor. A duck is cunning, and to outwit its many -artifices and evasions the retriever must have greater shrewdness; it -can skulk, and hide, and swim, and sneak, and he must have the patience -to follow it, and the strength to capture it. Wonderful stories are told -of the many exhibitions of what seems much like human reason, evinced by -some of the celebrated retrievers.</p> - -<p>But probably the rarest quality for a dog or man to possess, and the -most necessary to both, if they<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_336" id="page_336"></a>{336}</span> would excel in field sports, is the -power of self-restraint. To ask an animal, trembling all over with -delirious excitement, to lie down and remain perfectly motionless during -those most trying moments when the ducks are approaching and being -killed, is to demand of him a self-control greater than would be often -found in his master. Yet upon this quality in the dog depends the entire -question of his value or worthlessness; if he makes the slightest -motion, the quick eyes of the birds are sure to discern it; and if he -bounces up at the first discharge, he will certainly destroy his -master’s chance of using his second barrel, and perhaps upset him over -the side of the boat.</p> - -<p>It is to avoid the sharp eyes of the ducks that a black color for the -dog has been condemned. Amid the yellow and brown reeds of the marshes, -or upon the reflective surface of the open water, black, from its -capacity for absorbing the rays of light, is visible at an immense -distance. Yellow, brown, or grey are the best shades; and any color is -preferable to black. Red is selected by the Southerners for their -tolling dogs, but this is with the purpose of making them attractive.</p> - -<p>Many persons conceive that a dark coat is warmer for an animal than -white, an idea that is carried into practice in the ordinary winter -dress of human beings; but it is refuted not only by the simplest -principles of science, but by the natural covering of the animals that -inhabit the cold climes of the north. The polar bear is clothed in -white, while the southern bear<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_337" id="page_337"></a>{337}</span> is of a deep black; and many of the -animals and some birds that pass the winter in the arctic regions, -change their dress in winter from dark to grey or pure white.</p> - -<p>Undoubtedly with a retriever the first point is to consider his -protection against cold; plunging as he does at short intervals into -water at a low temperature, and exposed when emerging to the still -colder blasts of Æolus, he must be rendered comfortable as far as -possible at the sacrifice of every other consideration. This is attained -by the thickness more than the color of his coat; and the writer has -always fancied, whether correctly or not, that curly hair is warmer than -straight hair.</p> - -<p>The matted coat of the Newfoundland dogs—the smaller breed being -preferable by reason of size—is extremely warm, and where its color is -modified by judicious crossing, is all that can be desired; while the -instinctive intelligence, the devotion, faithfulness, docility, and -interest in the sport, of these admirable animals, fit them in an -extraordinary degree for wild-fowl shooting. Coming from the north and -accustomed to playing in the water, they can, without danger, face the -element in its coldest state; and whether it be to chase a stick thrown -into the waves by their youthful human playmates, or to recover ducks -shot by their sporting owner, they take naturally to all aquatic -amusements.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, as has been heretofore remarked, although it is well to -have a slight strain of the Newfoundland, no distinct breed is necessary -to make a good retriever. Our ordinary setters are sometimes<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_338" id="page_338"></a>{338}</span> -unsurpassable for the purpose; and any tractable dog, if well trained, -will answer in a measure.</p> - -<p>How different it is to stand in the narrow skiff among the tall reeds at -early dawn, with the eager and expectant, though humble, associate, -crouched in the bottom upon his especial mat, and there in the -increasing light that paints the east with many changing hues, to single -out the best chances from the passing flocks, and have your skill doubly -enhanced by the intelligent cooperation of your companion; than to lie, -cramped, cold, and suffering, all through the weary hours, stretched at -full length upon your back with eyes staring up to Heaven and straining -to catch a glimpse of the horizon over your beard or forehead; and -occasionally to rise to an equally constrained posture that is neither -sitting nor lying, and do your best to discharge your gun with some -judgment at a passing flock of fowl! Who can hesitate in selecting the -mode in which he will pursue the sport of wild-fowl shooting? Most of -the favorite varieties of ducks, including many that are known among -ornithologists as sea-ducks, <i>fuligulæ</i>, are found in the many scattered -ponds, the shallow marshes, or the extensive inland seas of the great -west; while the swans and geese are shot, the former along the larger -rivers and lakes, and the latter in the corn-fields. It is true that the -enormous flocks that collect in the lagoons and bays of the South are -rarely seen; but the flight of small bodies or single birds is more -continuous, and probably the total number even larger.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_339" id="page_339"></a>{339}</span></p> - -<p>It is impossible to particularize localities as pre-eminent for this -sport where so many are good; and the swamps, rivers, lakes, cultivated -fields, and even open prairies of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, -Iowa, Nebraska, Dakota, Colorado, Minnesota, and Wyoming, and the -Western country generally, abound in their seasons with various -descriptions of wild-fowl. An English sportsman, who had spent many -years in the West, gave it as his opinion that the best place for all -varieties of sport in the world was Southern Minnesota.</p> - -<p>Although the use of a light skiff is always desirable and adds -enormously to the comfort of the shooter, circumstances will often arise -that will deprive him of its use; and in such case he has no better -resource than to don his long wading boots, and tramp through the -shallow water until he comes to a favorable spot, perhaps the deserted -house of a family of beavers; and there, perched upon its summit and -concealed by the surrounding reeds, to resign himself to the inevitable -inconveniences of his position. When his feet grow cold in spite of -their india-rubber casing, and his muscles weary for want of rest, he -will long for the dry skiff; and when he comes to “back” his load of -game—consisting, if he is successful, of geese, canvas-backs, -red-heads, mallards, blue-bills, widgeons, and perhaps a swan—across -the muddy flats a mile or two to dry land, he will long for it still -more intensely.</p> - -<p>For shooting ducks the best weather is dark, or even rainy, as at such -times the birds fly closer to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_340" id="page_340"></a>{340}</span> the earth, being unable to follow their -course, and do not perceive the sportsman so readily. But as a natural -consequence, the sportsman’s ammunition becomes damp and his clothes -wet, while the old-fogy owner of the muzzle-loader will unjustly -anathematize Eley’s water-proof caps when his gun misses fire, instead -of blaming his own stupidity. The insides of barrels will foul and the -outsides rust; the loading-stick will become dirty and the sportsman’s -hands and face grimy; and then the happy possessor of the breech-loader, -when he handles his clean cartridges, although one occasionally may -stick, will thank his good fortune and bless Lefaucheaux.</p> - -<p>A strong wind forces the birds out of their safe course, up and down the -open “leads,” upon the various points where the fowler, selecting the -most favorable by watching the flight, takes his stand; and, when they -are heading against it, reduces their speed from the lightning rate of -ninety miles an hour to reasonable deliberation; but when they are -travelling with it, renders the art of killing them one of no easy -acquisition.</p> - -<p>In shooting wild-fowl, or in fact any rapid flying birds, it is -necessary to aim ahead of them—not that the gun is actually fired ahead -of them, but to allow for the time, hardly perceptible to man, but -noticeable in the changed position of the birds, necessary to discharge -the piece; and the distance allowed must depend not only on the rapidity -of their flight, but on the customary quickness of the marksman. The -great fault of sportsmen is, that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_341" id="page_341"></a>{341}</span> they shoot below and behind their -birds; and this is particularly apt to be the case where the game, as -with wild-fowl, appears to move more slowly than it really does.</p> - -<p>To the novice in this peculiar sport, the second difficulty to overcome -will be the inability to judge distances. Not only do objects appear -over the water nearer than they really are, but there is no neighboring -object that will aid the judgment in coming to a correct conclusion; and -by changes in the weather birds in the air will seem to be nearer or -further off, and their plumage will be more or less distinctly visible, -according to circumstances. After several days’ experience in dark, -cloudy weather, the greatest proficient will, on the first ensuing day -of bright sunshine, throw away many useless shots at impracticable -distances.</p> - -<p>There is no criterion to determine the distance of any bird high above -the horizon, and any recommendation to wait till the eyes can be -seen—the book-maker’s rule—is worse than useless; it is a matter of -experience and judgment.</p> - -<p>There is no better time to kill ducks than when they are coming head on, -the commonly promulgated idea that their feathers will turn the heavy -shot being simply absurd; and all the marksman has to do is to cover his -bird, pitch his gun a trifle upwards, and pull the trigger.</p> - -<p>In the matter of ammunition, the high numbers of shot and the light -charges of powder of old times have changed by general consent; and for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_342" id="page_342"></a>{342}</span> -ducks, one ounce and a quarter of No. 4 or 5, and perhaps No. 3 late in -the season, and of No. 1 or 2 for geese, driven out of the ordinary -field-gun by three and a half drachms of powder, will be found -preferable. I say a field-gun, because, although the heavy duck-gun, -with its enormous charge of six drachms of powder and three ounces of -shot, is undoubtedly more killing when discharged into large flocks, the -waste of ammunition would be immense were it used at the scattering -flight of the western country.</p> - -<p>Many kinds of wild-fowl will, like bay-snipe, be attracted by an -imitation of their cry; and, when decoys are used, the mastery of these -calls is necessary to the proficiency of the bayman. But at the West, -where the use of decoys is not customary, and where the nature of the -ground prevents full advantage being obtained from these devices, a -knowledge of the art is not so necessary. Nevertheless, there is -something thrilling in the “honk” of the wild goose; when it is heard, -the sportsman is earnest in his efforts to imitate it, and if -successful—which he often is, for the bird responds readily—is not -only proud of the result, but amply rewarded for his skill.</p> - -<p>In shooting from any species of cover, when ducks are approaching, it is -more important not to move than to be well hid; the slightest motion -startles and alarms the birds, that would possibly have approached the -sportsman in full view if he had remained motionless. If they are -suddenly perceived<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_343" id="page_343"></a>{343}</span> near at hand while the sportsman is standing erect, -let him remain so without stirring a muscle, and not attempt to dodge -down into the blind. The ducks may not notice him—especially if his -dress is of a suitable color—among the reeds, but will inevitably catch -sight of the least movement.</p> - -<p>So much for general suggestions and advice, which will be regarded or -disregarded by the gentlemen for whom this work is written, much -according to their previously conceived ideas; and which may or may not -be correct according to the opportunities of judging, and the skill of -turning them to account, of the writer; and now we will record a few -personal experiences, in the hope, if not of further elucidating and -supporting the views herein expressed, of furnishing the reader with -more interesting matter.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_013.jpg" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_344" id="page_344"></a>{344}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.<br /><br /> -DUCK-SHOOTING ON THE INLAND LAKES.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">Out</span> West—’way out West—a very long distance from our eastern cities in -miles, but, thanks to steam and iron, a very short one in hours, upon an -island lying in a bay that debouches into one of the great chain of -lakes, is situated a large, neat, white-painted and comfortable house, -where a club of sportsmen meet to celebrate the advent and presence of -the wild ducks. The mansion—for it deserves that name from its extent -and many conveniences—peeps out from amid the elms and hickories that -cover the point upon which it stands, almost concealed in summer by -their foliage, but in winter protected, as it were, by their bare, gaunt -limbs. From the piazza that extends along the front a plank pathway -leads to the wharf, which shelves into the water, like the levees on the -Mississippi, and down or up which each sportsman can, unaided, run his -light boat at his own sweet will. Adjoining the wharf is the out-house, -where the boats are stored in tiers, one above another, and are -protected summer and winter from the weather. Not far off stands that -most important building, a commodious ice-house, suggestive of the -luxuries and comforts that a better acquaintance with the ways of the -place will realize.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_345" id="page_345"></a>{345}</span></p> - -<p>The island is not large, but wherever it is tillable, a garden, orchard, -and grapery have been planted, and furnish the household with delicious -fruit and vegetables. Quail have been introduced, and, being protected -by the regulations of the establishment, have increased and multiplied; -and wild turkeys occasionally commit upon the vines depredations which -are condignly punished. It is a lovely spot, far from other habitations, -and affords shelter during the fall months to as pleasant a set of -sportsmen as can be found the world over.</p> - -<p>The President, with his short figure and grey hair, but sharp, clear -eye, was selected for his superior success as a marksman, and rarely -returns from a day’s excursion without a boat-load of game. The -Vice-President and Secretary are the only other officers, and upon their -fiat it depends whether any outsider shall trespass upon their inland -Paradise. Promiscuous invitations were once extended to the brethren of -the gun and rod, but so many spurious counterfeits presented themselves, -that a stringent rule had to be adopted to exclude all but the genuine -article.</p> - -<p>The shooting lasts from the 1st of September till the chill breath of -winter closes the bay and drives the birds to more hospitable -localities. It is pursued in a small, light, flat-bottomed boat, -similar, on a larger pattern, to the rail-boats used on the Delaware. -Each boat is provided with a pair of oars working on pins that fit into -outriggers; and also with a long setting-pole, which has a bent wire, -like<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_346" id="page_346"></a>{346}</span> a tiny two-pronged pitchfork, on the end, to catch against the -reeds in poling. A place is made to rest the gun on upon one of the -thwarts; an ammunition-box, containing separate compartments for shot of -several sizes, wads, and caps, is stowed away in the bottom, and a heavy -loading-stick, in addition to the ramrod, is carried. Two guns are an -absolute necessity, unless the sportsman has a breech-loader; for many -birds are crippled and require a second shot before they escape into the -thick weeds, where they are hopelessly lost; and when the flight is -rapid, he requires, at least, four barrels, and would be thankful if he -could manage more.</p> - -<p>The bay, which stretches in vast extent, is filled with high reeds and -wild rice, and rarely exceeds a few feet in depth except where open -passages mark the deeper channels. It is a matter of no little intricacy -for a stranger to find his way, and after nightfall the oldest <i>habitué</i> -will often become bewildered, as the various bunches of weeds, tufts of -rice, or stretches of pond lilies look alike, and when a southerly wind -is blowing the water falls and leaves all but the deep channels nearly -or quite bare. If a man under such circumstances once loses his course -he may as well make up his mind to pass the night in his boat; though he -work himself almost to death trying to pole over bare spots, he will but -travel in a circle and grow momentarily more bewildered.</p> - -<p>I landed at the wharf in the middle of October, of a year ever famous -for the immense numbers of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_347" id="page_347"></a>{347}</span> birds that were killed during it, and met -with a hearty greeting from a goodly company collected round the -groaning board of mine host of the white-flowing locks. There was our -worthy President, and our Secretary and Treasurer gracefully combined in -one; there our lucky man and the unlucky man, and there a famous -black-bass fisherman, and there my special friend, and others of lesser -note.</p> - -<p>We sat down to tea with roasted canvas-backs at one end of the table, -broiled steaks at the other, and beautiful potatoes flanking each that -had been raised on our own premises and were tumbling to white -particles, as though they were trying to be flour; jolly, round, baked -apples sitting complacently in their own juice, vegetables of all sorts, -grapes from our grapery, and so many other inward comforts that one -hardly knew where to begin and never knew where to leave off. Our comely -hostess, who had prepared these good things, poured out the tea for us, -and put in sly remarks to her favorites; and, altogether, it was truly -pleasant.</p> - -<p>After tea and adjournment to the sitting-room, while enjoying the -practical cigar or comfortable pipe, we discussed the varied fortunes of -the day and the probabilities of the morrow; compared views on the -habits of fish, flesh, or fowl, and related experiences of former -expeditions. But eager for the morning sun, we retired early and dreamed -of victory.</p> - -<p>As soon as the lazy dawn streaked the east, dressing being done by -candle-light, we hastily disposed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_348" id="page_348"></a>{348}</span> of our breakfast and prepared for the -start. Having selected our boats and arranged them on the wharf, we -stowed our guns, ammunition-boxes, over-clothes, a few decoys, and such -other articles as fancy suggested; and then taking two little tin pails, -we put a nice lunch of cold duck, steak, bread, pickles, cake, and fruit -in one, and into the other water with a large lump of ice bobbing around -in the centre; and thus equipped, each man slid his boat down the -inclined wharf, and shipping his oars, pulled for his favorite location.</p> - -<p>My friend and myself joined forces, and made our first pause at a little -bunch of wild rice not far from the house, called Fort Ossawatomie. -Decoys are not generally used in this region, as they cannot be seen -from any considerable distance by the birds on account of the reeds; but -my friend had left his at this place over night, and they were still -“bobbing around”—pretending to swim and looking deceitfully -innocent—when we ensconced ourselves among the reeds near by, crowding -down into the bottom of our boats well out of view.</p> - -<p>Several flocks were seen hovering over the horizon, or moving along in -the distance, scarcely discernible against the morning clouds; and -although occasionally they bade fair to approach, our hopes were, -destined to disappointment, till a single bird turned and headed -directly towards us. When a bird is approaching head on, it is almost -impossible to tell whether he is not going directly from you; and at -times, except for his growing plainer every moment,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_349" id="page_349"></a>{349}</span> we should have -doubted which way this bird was flying. Once he turned, from a change of -fancy or fearing danger, but perceiving some other cause of alarm he -again straightened his course towards us.</p> - -<p>We were bent down, peering eagerly through the high reeds, as at last he -came by, within a long gunshot, on the side of my companion. The latter, -rising at the exact moment, wheeled round, brought up his gun, and fired -in an instant. It was just within range, but the bird turned over, -killed dead, and fell with a great splash into the water, sending the -spray six feet into the air. Seizing the pole, I pushed out to him, and -found that he was a blue-bill, one of the best birds of the Western -waters, and at this time in perfection.</p> - -<p>We again concealed ourselves; but noticing that the birds shunned the -spot, I determined to leave it, and pushed out alone to one of the -principal landmarks, where the landscape presents so great a -uniformity—a large umbrella-like elm upon the distant shore. I did not -follow the regular channel; and at first the way was a difficult one, -being directly through a fringe of wild rice, where the water was -shallow and the stalks reached high above my head, but beyond, an open -patch of water-lilies stretched for half a mile.</p> - -<p>The broad, smooth leaves of this remarkable plant, far larger than those -of the pond-lilies of the Eastern States, lay in numbers upon, or half -buried in, the water; while standing up a few feet above its surface -with their straight stems, and gracefully<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_350" id="page_350"></a>{350}</span> waving in the wind, were the -cup-like pods that contain the seeds.</p> - -<p>When the pods first form the seeds are entirely hidden from view, but as -they increase in size, holes form in the covering, through which they -peep as through a window. The seeds and pod are originally green, but -darken and turn blue, and then brown, as the season advances; and the -holes, which begin by being small, become larger till they open -sufficiently for the seeds to fall out. The seeds or berries are -elliptical in shape and of almost the size of a chestnut; in the green -state they are soft, and can be readily cut with a knife; but when ripe -and black, they are as hard as stone, and will turn the edge of a knife -like agate.</p> - -<p>When about half ripe, or bluish in color, they are good to eat, and -after the removal of a little green sprout hidden in the centre, are -sweet, tasting much the same as a chestnut. As they ripen and their -covering recedes, their stems hold them upright; but the first heavy -frost breaks down the stems, and lets the seed fall out into the water, -where they lie till next year.</p> - -<p>The working of nature is wonderful, as no one observes more frequently -than the sportsman; all this care is taken to preserve the seeds for -their appointed work. If they were permitted to fall out when green or -even half ripe, the action of the water would soften and destroy them; -extreme hardness is necessary to resist its action for so long a time; -while, on the other hand, if they were retained<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_351" id="page_351"></a>{351}</span> longer and exposed to -excessive cold, their germinating principle would be annihilated.</p> - -<p>Wood-ducks are fond of them in their unripe state, and frequent the -marshes, especially in the early fall, to procure a supply. With a view -to nuts and grapes for dessert, I paused to gather a number of pods, and -was carelessly pushing along, when from out a bunch of weeds, with a -great clatter, sprang a couple of those birds. Dropping the -setting-pole, I threw myself forward to seize the gun; but for this -shooting, infinite practice and great aptitude are required; and -although well accustomed to kill rail from the floating cockleshells on -the Delaware river, and able to take one end of a birch canoe with any -man, I was bunglingly in my own way, and, when at last one barrel was -discharged, a shameful miss was the only result. Anathematizing my -awkwardness, I was dropping the butt to reload, when, roused by the -report, another bird sprang not more than twenty yards off. In an -instant the gun was at my shoulder, and, when the fire streamed forth, -the bird doubled up, riddled with shot, and pitched forward into the -weeds. It was a drake, and, although young, the plumage was resplendent -with the green, brown, and mottle of the most beautiful denizen of our -waters—the elegant wood-duck.</p> - -<p>Several more rose, far out of range, before the lilies were passed and -my destination in the open channel reached. Stopping on the brink of the -latter,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_352" id="page_352"></a>{352}</span> to watch the flight of the birds, I noticed that they -frequently crossed a reedy island in the middle of the channel, and -consequently proceeded to conceal myself in what among our association -is called the Little Bunker. It was an admirable location; the channel -on each side did not exceed one hundred yards in width, and the weather -having become thick, with an easterly wind blowing and a slight rain -driving, the promise of sport was excellent.</p> - -<p>Once fairly hidden, and my work commenced; bird after bird and flock -after flock approached, and although the boat, even while pressed in -among and steadied by the stiff reeds, was far from firm, a goodly -number was soon collected. How much more exhilarating is this noble -sport as it is pursued in the West than upon our Atlantic coast, where, -stretched upon his back in a coffin-like battery, the sportsman has to -lie for hours cooling his heels and exhausting his patience! There he is -not confined to one position; but, after shooting down a bird, has the -excitement of pushing after it, and, if it is only wounded, of following -it, perhaps in a long chase before it is retrieved; and then he must -make all haste to return to the hiding-place, over which the birds are -flying finely in his absence, and thus he keeps up a glow and fire of -activity and exercise.</p> - -<p>It is a glorious sight to see a noble flock of ducks approach; to watch -them with trembling alternations of fear and hope as they waver in their -course,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_353" id="page_353"></a>{353}</span> as they crowd together or separate, as they swing first one -flank of their array forward, then the other; as they draw nearer and -nearer, breathlessly to wait the proper time, and, with quick eye and -sure aim, select a pair, or perhaps more, with each barrel. It is still -more glorious to see them fall—doubled up if killed dead, turning over -and over if shot in the head, and slanting down if only wounded, driving -up the spray in mimic fountains as they strike; and glorious, too, the -chase after the wounded—with straining muscles to follow his rapid -wake, and, when he dives, catching the first glimpse of his reappearance -to plant the shot from an extra gun in a vital spot. Glorious to survey -the prizes, glorious to think over and relate the successful event, and -glorious to listen to the tales of others.</p> - -<p>Sad, however, is it when the flock turns off and pushes far out to the -open water; sadder still when the aim is not true and the bird goes by -uninjured; sad when the chase is unsuccessful and the weeds hide the -prey, or he dives to grasp a root and never reappears; and saddest of -all to fall overboard out of your frail bark—A fate that sooner or -later awaits every one that shoots ducks from little boats.</p> - -<p>I had had all these experiences except the last, and almost that—when -pushing through the weeds, my friend appeared, attracted by my rapid -firing, and after comparing our respective counts, ensconced himself in -one of the points opposite me on the channel. By this plan all birds -that came between<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_354" id="page_354"></a>{354}</span> us gave one or the other a shot, and each could mark -birds approaching the other from behind.</p> - -<p>The morning passed rapidly away amid splendid shooting, and noon found -us united in my hiding-place to eat a sociable meal together. During the -middle of the day the birds repose, and the sportsman employs the time -in satisfying the cravings of hunger or even in a nap, interrupted -though he may be in either by an occasional whirr of wings, that, when -it is too late, informs him of lost opportunities.</p> - -<p>We talked over matters. As the day had cleared off and become warm, the -prospect of sport for some hours at least was over, and my friend -suggested we should visit the snipe ground. To approve the suggestion, -to push out and to ship our oars, was the work of a moment, and we were -soon at Mud Creek bridge, a pull of about two miles through an open -lead, from which the ducks were continuously springing on our approach. -Having anchored our boats a short distance from shore, to prevent the -wild hogs paying us a visit, we waded to land, and substituting small -shot for the heavy charges in our guns, walked a few yards up the road -and crossed the fence.</p> - -<p>I had brought my setter with me, and he had proved himself a model of -quietness in the boat, from the bottom of which he had raised his head -only once all day; when my first duck dropped he rose on his haunches, -and watching where it fell, sniffed at it as I pushed up, and then, -satisfied he had no part in such sport, lay down to sleep.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_355" id="page_355"></a>{355}</span></p> - -<p>The moment he touched land his vigor returned; at a motion, he darted -out into the meadow of alternating broad slanks and high field grass -that lay before us, and ere he had traversed fifty yards, as he -approached an open spot, hesitated, drew cautiously, and finally paused -on a firm point. Stepping to him as fast as the impressible nature of -the ground permitted, we flushed three birds, rising as they are apt to -do one after the other, and killed two, one springing wide and escaping -unshot at.</p> - -<p>While going to retrieve the dead birds we flushed two more, both of -which were bagged, one a long shot, wing-tipped, and not recovered till -some time afterwards; for, ere we reached him, we had sprung a dozen, -most of which were duly accounted for. The missed birds, after circling -round high in the air, returned to the neighborhood of their original -locality, and pitching down head-foremost, concealed themselves among -the high grass near enough to lure us to their pursuit.</p> - -<p>The walking was terribly hard; the clayey mud uncommonly tenacious; the -day was already well advanced, and splendid as was the sport, we -resolved, after having pretty well exhausted ourselves and bagged -twenty-six birds, that we must hasten back to the rice swamp, or we -should lose the evening’s shooting.</p> - -<p>We returned to our boats, and stowing the game, pulled with the utmost -vigor down the channel of Mud Creek, and in a short time were again -hidden among the high reeds, awaiting the ducks. This<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_356" id="page_356"></a>{356}</span> time my friend -selected a spot near a sort of semi-island, that was submerged or not, -according to the state of the water, and near which was a favorite -roosting-place.</p> - -<p>The sun was leisurely dropping down the western sky, throwing his -slanting rays across the broad bay, and lighting up the distant -club-house as by a fire. The fringe of land, trees, and bushes, that -shut out the horizon and rose but little above the water level, was -growing dim and hazy of outline. The wind had died away; and stillness, -but for the quacking of the ducks, the splashing of the coots, or -so-called mud-hens, and the occasional report of a gun, reigned supreme. -A lethargy seemed to have fallen upon the birds; a distant flock alone -would at long intervals greet our eyes, and for some time our evening’s -sport bade fair to prove a failure.</p> - -<p>However, as the sun was about to sink, the birds began to arrive, at -first one or two at a time, then more rapidly and in larger flocks, till -at last it was one steady stream and whirr of wings. Faster than we -could load, faster than we could shoot, or could have shot had we had -fifty guns, from all quarters and of all kinds they streamed past; now -the sharp whistle of the teal, then the rush of the mallard, sometimes -high over our heads, at others darting close beside us; by ones, by -twos, by dozens, by hundreds, crowded together in masses or stretched in -open lines, in all variety of ways, but in one uninterrupted flight.</p> - -<p>Such shooting rarely blesses the fortunate sportsman;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_357" id="page_357"></a>{357}</span> we drove down our -charges as best we could, sometimes having one barrel loaded or half -loaded, sometimes the other, oftener neither, when we were interrupted -with such glorious chances; our nerves, eyes, and muscles were on the -strain, and to this day we have only to regret that we did not then -possess a breech-loader.</p> - -<p>The air was alive with birds; the rustle of their wings made one -continuous hum; the heavy flocks approached and passed us with a sound -like the gusty breeze of an autumn night rattling through the dying -leaves. When the sun fled and darkness seemed to spring up around us, -they appeared in the most unexpected and bewildering manner; at one time -from out of the glorious brilliancy of the western sky, then from the -deep gloom of the opposite quarter, darting across us or plunging down -into the weeds near by.</p> - -<p>Our birds lay where they fell, and when the approaching night bade us -depart, we retrieved sixty-seven—the result of about one hour’s -shooting—doubtless losing numbers that were not noticed, or which, -being wounded, escaped. Had we not been awkward from a year’s idleness, -or had we shot as the professionals of Long Island and each used a -breech-loader, I could hardly say how many we might not have killed. As -it was, the sport was wonderful, and the result sufficient to satisfy -our ambition.</p> - -<p>We lost no time in escaping from the weeds into the channel-ways, -whither the open-water ducks—<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_358" id="page_358"></a>{358}</span>the red-heads and canvas-backs—had -preceded us, and were still directing their flight; and then started for -the few dim trees that we knew surrounded the club-house, rousing in our -course immense flocks of the worthless American coot, <i>Fulica -Americana</i>, the mud-hen of the natives.</p> - -<p>The wharf reached, the boats landed, supper over, the birds counted and -registered, the social pipe illumined, and we gathered in a circle round -the fire of our parlor for improving conversation.</p> - -<p>“How many birds have we killed this year?” inquired a member.</p> - -<p>“The record shows a goodly total of 2,351,” replied the Secretary, -turning to the register; “almost as many already as the entire return of -last season, during which we only killed 2,908.”</p> - -<p>“And the better varieties seem this year to be more numerous.”</p> - -<p>“In that particular there is surprising uniformity from year to year. -Last season the return is made up as follows: canvas-backs, 246; -red-heads, 122; blue-bills, 395; mallards, 540; dusky-ducks, 108; -wood-ducks, 601; blue-winged teal, 474; green-winged teal, 39; widgeons, -204; pin-tails, 50; gadwalls, 67; spoonbills, 11; ruddy-ducks, 2; -butter-balls, 7; geese, 2; quail, 14; cormorants, 2; turkeys, 3; great -hell-diver, 1; and this year the average is about the same.”</p> - -<p>“But I think,” said the President, “the canvas-backs and red-heads are -earlier and better than usual.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_359" id="page_359"></a>{359}</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_014.jpg" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_360" id="page_360"></a>{360}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_361" id="page_361"></a>{361}</span> </p> - -<p>“They are rather earlier in making their appearance abundantly. The -variation is never great, however, and the birds appear in the following -order: the wood-ducks first, being plentiful early in September; the -blue-winged teal begin to surpass them about the 20th of that month, and -soon afterward the mallards arrive; widgeons are abundant by the middle -of October, and canvas-backs and red-heads are the latest.”</p> - -<p>“Ah,” burst forth the unlucky man, enthusiastically, “the wood-duck -shooting is my favorite; when they rise from the lilies they are easier -to kill than when flying past at full speed; and you have a punter to -pole the boat and help mark the wounded birds.”</p> - -<p>“October has my preference,” responded the President, with glowing eye; -“the large ducks—the mallards, canvas-backs, and red-heads—have then -arrived; the blue-bills and teal are numerous; and, when a single teal -flies past, a man has to know how to handle his gun to keel him over -handsomely.”</p> - -<p>“But mallards dodge, when you rise to shoot, at the report of the first -barrel; and red-heads and canvas-backs, if not killed stone dead, dive -and swim off under water, or, catching the weeds in their bills, hold on -after death and never reappear. Have you noticed the large teeth, or -nicks, in the bills, especially of red-heads?”</p> - -<p>“Yes. Those long, recurved teeth aid them in tearing up the wild celery, -on which they feed. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_362" id="page_362"></a>{362}</span> have had them serve me the trick you complain of -when they were at the last gasp—so nearly dead, that I have pushed out -and been on the point of picking them up. When not so badly hurt, they -will swim off with their bill only projecting above the surface, and if -there is the least wind this is entirely invisible. The trick is known -to others of the duck family; even the ingenuous wood-duck will have -recourse to the same mean subterfuge occasionally, as one that was but -slightly wounded proved to me to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Is it true,” inquired the fisherman, “that other ducks steal from the -canvas-backs the wild celery that they have exhausted themselves in -procuring?”</p> - -<p>“The widgeons have the credit of doing so; but I have never seen, and -somewhat doubt it. The canvas-back is too large and strong a duck to be -readily trifled with, and is by no means exhausted by diving to the -depth of a few feet after celery. This celery, as we call it—which has -a long, delicate leaf, resembling broad-grass, and bears the name of -<i>Zostera valisneria</i> among the botanists—grows in water about five feet -deep, and its roots furnish the favorite and most fattening food of the -canvas-backs, red-heads, and, strange to say, mud-hens. The widgeon is -not a large nor powerful duck; can dive no further than to put its head -under water, while its tail stands perpendicularly above the surface; -and, although a terrible torment to the weak and gentle mud-hen, would -think twice<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_363" id="page_363"></a>{363}</span> before incensing the fierce and powerful canvas-back. Of a -calm day it is amusing to watch the flocks of noisy mud-hens, collected -in front of the club-house, diving for their food, and being robbed of -it by the widgeons. The latter swims rapidly among them, and no sooner -does he espy one coming to the surface, with his bill full of celery, -than he pounces upon and carries it off. He is watchful and voracious, -and quickly devours the food; while the injured mud-hen, with a resigned -look, takes a long breath and dives for another morsel.”</p> - -<p>“Do they not combine to drive the robber away?”</p> - -<p>“Occasionally; but he minds their blows as little as their scoldings, -and generally swims off with his prize. The canvas-back, however, would -soon teach him better manners.”</p> - -<p>“Are the western canvas-backs as delicate and high-flavored as those of -the Chesapeake?”</p> - -<p>“Fully so, as my friends in New York, who have been fortunate enough to -share my luck, have often testified. Of course, when they first come -they are thin and poor, but having the same food as is found in the -Chesapeake, and being less disturbed, they soon attain excellent -condition, and are entirely free from the slightest sedgy flavor.”</p> - -<p>“That sedgy or fishy taste is confined mainly to birds shot on the salt -water, and is rarely found in any birds killed upon the inland lakes, so -that many—for instance the bay-snipe—that are barely passable when -shot along the coast, are excellent in the interior.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_364" id="page_364"></a>{364}</span></p> - -<p>“And yet the naturalists class the canvas-back among <i>fuligulæ</i>, or sea -ducks.”</p> - -<p>“That arises from some scientific peculiarity, and is not universal. He -is certainly a fresh-water duck, and thousands are shot here yearly.”</p> - -<p>“I lose a great many crippled birds,” said the unlucky man, -meditatively; “I wonder what becomes of them all?”</p> - -<p>“Many die, a few recover, some are frozen in when the bay freezes over; -after the first hard frost large numbers can be picked up, but they are -so poor as only to be fit to send to the New York market. Most sportsmen -lose many ducks that they should recover; considerable practice is -required to mark well, but the search after a bird should be thorough, -and not lightly abandoned. The boat, when pushed into the reeds, must be -so placed that it can be easily shoved off, and the pole kept ready for -instant use. If, however, a mallard is only wounded, and falls into the -weeds, it is useless to go after him.</p> - -<p>“On the other hand, if a canvas-back, but slightly touched, falls in -open water, he will be rarely recovered; the one hides in the weeds, the -other dives and swims under water prodigiously. The mallard and -canvas-back are the types of two classes—the former is a marsh duck, -the latter an open-water duck. The mallard lives on the pond-lily seeds, -and affects the shallow, muddy pond-holes; the canvas-back seeks the -broad channels, and devours the roots of plants; the one dodges at the -flash, of the gun or sight of the sportsman, the other moves -majestically<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_365" id="page_365"></a>{365}</span> onward, regardless of the havoc that the heavy discharges -make in his ranks. Of nearly the same size, of unsurpassable delicacy on -the table, of equal vigor, they differ utterly in their habits.”</p> - -<p>“Speaking of types,” said the unlucky man, recalling unpleasant -reminiscences of numerous misses, “you might call blue-bills types of -the fast-flying and dodging ducks. When they come down before a stiff -wind, and are making their best time, lightning is slow by comparison, -and shot does not seem to me to go quite fast enough.”</p> - -<p>“They are the scaup or broad-bill of the East, <i>Fuligula Marila</i>, and -are aptly termed the bullet-winged duck. They are undoubtedly the most -difficult duck to kill that flies. I have known a thorough sportsman and -excellent shot on quail, shoot all day at them without killing one. You -must make great allowance for their speed.”</p> - -<p>“And, moreover,” added the President, “you must load properly; there -must be powder enough behind the shot to send it clear through the bird; -one pellet driven in that way will kill a bird that would carry off a -dozen lodged beneath the skin or in the flesh.”</p> - -<p>“Perhaps so, but I doubt its feasibility,” was the response; “no small -shot was ever, in my opinion, driven through the body of a duck with any -charge of powder at over thirty yards. I use light powder and plenty of -shot.”</p> - -<p>This announcement was received with unanimous dissent, and the President -expressed the general feeling when he continued—<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_366" id="page_366"></a>{366}</span></p> - -<p>“Heavy shot will make a gun recoil painfully; but if the shot is light -the charge of powder may be large without producing unpleasant effects; -the shot will be driven quick and strong, and the bird deprived of life -instantaneously. Perhaps the pellets are not driven through the body, -but the blow is severer and the shock is more stunning. I use one ounce -of shot and three drachms of powder, and would prefer to increase rather -than diminish the powder. It is a mistake to suppose powder does not -burn because black particles fall to the ground if it is fired over snow -or white paper; these, I take it, are flakes of charcoal and not powder, -and some will fall, no matter how light may be the load.”</p> - -<p>“For my part,” persisted the unlucky man, “I think the crippling of -birds arises from our inability to judge distances, and from our firing -at birds out of reasonable range. The patent breech was meant to remedy -the necessity for such heavy charges of powder as are used in the -old-fashioned flint-locks. Johnston, the author of an admirable treatise -on shooting, which is now out of print, is my authority, and he says -that an over-charge of powder makes a gun scatter prodigiously without -adding proportionately to the force.”</p> - -<p>“That depends upon the character of the bore,” answered the Secretary; -“if it is relieved at the breech, and after narrowing above, made a -perfect cylinder towards the muzzle, the more the powder the better it -will shoot.”</p> - -<p>Seeing that an interminable discussion was about<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_367" id="page_367"></a>{367}</span> to open, branching -off, in all likelihood, into the comparative qualities of powder and -manufactures of guns, the President interposed.</p> - -<p>I slipped off and went to bed. Being a comparative stranger at the club -house, for this was the first year of my membership, I had made it a -rule to follow the advice and direction of the older habitues, but I -wanted to get a chance to try some experiments of my own. This would -require a little preparation for which I needed the early hours before -the others should be up.</p> - -<p>As I have said, the members were not at the time of which I am writing -in the habit of using decoys. There was a prejudice against them, their -weight in the boat was an admitted disadvantage, which it was claimed -was not compensated by any corresponding benefit. My experience in a -country where birds were not so plenty, assured me that this was a -mistake, but having come to the club house unexpectedly, I had not -brought my decoys with me, and had to rely upon such substitutes as -could be got up on the spur of the moment. It was with the intention of -preparing these that I retired so early.</p> - -<p>In those ancient days of Western civilization, it was the habit not only -to put several beds in one room, but often to devote one bed to the -accommodation of two men, but by being content with a very small -apartment, I had succeeded in getting a room all to myself. The bedstead -was nothing more than a cot, none too long and by no means<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_368" id="page_368"></a>{368}</span> too wide. -There was a feather bed on it, a couch we Eastern people do not always -approve, but which has its compensations of a cold night in a loosely -framed house. When I had once felt the insidious wind creeping down my -back where the clothes left an open place for it, I learned the -superiority of experience to theory. I slept, however, as only the just -and the sportsman sleep, my head dropping into unconsciousness as it -touched the pillow, and never returning to it until the daylight -penetrated the open window with its welcome rays—sleep without a dream, -such as youth and health and tired nature only know.</p> - -<p>Next morning I borrowed a saw and a hatchet, all the tools that the -place boasted, and fashioned as best I could some floats. These I -carefully concealed in my boat, and said nothing about them. After -breakfast, when we pushed off, I took my course alone. I went pretty -well up into the marsh, in fact as far as in my ignorance of the -intricacies of the swamp I dared. I chose a point between two creeks, -and going carefully into my blind from behind, so as not to break it -down in front, a precaution which I observed most of the sportsmen -neglected, I concealed myself, and waited the course of events. Mere -waiting never suited my views, but on this occasion there was nothing -else to do. It was some time before I killed a duck, and I was wondering -whether I should have any opportunity to try my floats, when a solitary -mallard came within long range, and I was so fortunate as to bag him.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_369" id="page_369"></a>{369}</span></p> - -<p>It was a beginning, I set him on one of the blocks of wood I had roughly -trimmed into shape that morning. I had noticed the day before that the -water was too deep to set up a dead duck in the ordinary way. Neither -had I been able to find weights of half bricks, which are the main -reliance of the Long Island gunner, or stones, which were an unknown -quantity in that muddy country. So the best I could do, was, to thrust -down a long reed with a string tied to it at the proper distance from -the bottom. My decoy was not as natural as I could have made it with -better appliances, but it was the best I could manufacture, and it did -some service. In less than five minutes it was joined by another -mallard, which first came to look, and was then persuaded to stay by the -gentle influence of an ounce and a half of shot.</p> - -<p>In a short time all my floats were occupied, and although they bothered -me, and wasted my time by breaking away in consequence of not being -properly arranged, they brought me, I do not doubt, twice as many birds -as I should have got without them. I have much faith in being well -hidden. For black ducks, which are the most wary, it is absolutely -necessary not to disturb a leaf that their sharp eyes will notice. If -the reeds are thick enough of themselves to conceal the shooter, do not -either add to them or break them down. I have seen blinds built up, till -they looked like straw mattresses set on end, of which the birds would -be more shy than of the man himself. I was killing shoal-water ducks,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_370" id="page_370"></a>{370}</span> -not of course getting canvas-backs, red-heads, or broad-bills so far -back in the marsh, and it was not desirable to have many stools for the -same reason that it is not right to have too large a blind, they are apt -to awaken suspicion.</p> - -<p>One great improvement noticeable after the decoys were set out was, that -the birds came in closer, and gave me better shots. Without them there -is nothing to attract the ducks out of their line of flight, they drive -straight along, perhaps in a direction to bring them to the gunner, more -likely not, but if there are a few decoys, they will at least make a -dash toward the stand. Situated as I was, surrounded almost entirely -with marsh, only a little open water on front and on either side of me, -I felt the want of a dog sadly. My setter, which I had brought from the -East solely for snipe shooting, had shown himself on the day before so -utterly worthless as a retriever, that I had not taken him with me -again. Many of my ducks fell into the reeds, and if they were killed -dead, they were hard to find, and if they had the least life in them, -they would crawl away, and sneak so effectually that if I got them at -all it would be after I had wasted much valuable time. Had my retriever -been with me, I am sure that I should have doubled my bag.</p> - -<p>Of all the retrievers which have ever been used in this country, none -equal those which are called the Chesapeake Bay dogs. Their hair is so -thick and matted that they can stand any amount of cold without -suffering, they are capital swimmers, and I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_371" id="page_371"></a>{371}</span> have seen them dive for a -wounded duck, and they seem to have an adaptation for this shooting, -developed perhaps by generations of training, which no other dogs -possess. On one occasion I remember taking out a pup for the second time -that he had ever been shot over. He was so eager that I had to tie him -in the blind, and only let him loose after a bird had been shot down. -Yet on that day I saw him recover a wounded duck after following him -half a mile, twice drop a dead one which he had in his mouth, to bring a -live one, and jump on another and hold him with his paws till he could -reach him by putting his head entirely under water. The wonderful -instances of intelligence reported of this breed would be incredible, if -something only a little less astonishing were not known to every man who -has owned one.</p> - -<p>On this occasion I did not have my dog, and much was the time and many -the duck I lost in consequence. It seemed as though most of those which -were killed dead, fell into the marsh where I could not find the half of -them, and that the wounded fell into the open water, whence they made -their way to cover, before I could run the boat out and pick them up. -The sun was shining brightly from a cloudless heaven, and although the -air was cold, I was so sheltered by the reeds that I was as warm as I -desired to be. That is one of the points of superiority of inland over -battery shooting; had I been lying in the battery with the same wind, no -amount of sun would have kept me warm.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_372" id="page_372"></a>{372}</span></p> - -<p>I had to pick up early, as it would be no joke to be lost in those -monotonous marshes during the night. To get out after dark would have -been impossible, and almost equally impossible for any assistance to -reach me. I was fain to be satisfied with a moderate bag, and lose the -evening’s flight rather than lose myself. When I arrived at the club -house, I found that with the aid of my improvised stools I had made the -second-best bag of the day. Comparative stranger as I was to the -marshes, this result was more than satisfactory. My supper tasted all -the better in consequence, but I did not say anything about the means -which I had taken to bring about the result.</p> - -<p>That evening, when we had collected around the social fire and lighted -our still more social pipes, the president referred to the fact that the -night before, after I had gone to my welcome couch, the rest of the -members had been repeating stories and called upon the unlucky man to -fulfill a promise he had made to give some personal experience of trout -fishing.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Unlucky Man.</span>—“But my adventure occurred on Long Island, whither I had -gone to learn trout-fishing. I had a new rod of Conroy’s best and most -expensive pattern, a book full of flies, a basket, a bait-box, a net, a -gaff, and all things appurtenant, and was especially proud of my fishing -suit, which a brother of the angle had kindly selected for me. My boots -came above my knees, and were of yellow Russian leather, with which my -brown pants matched admirably,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_373" id="page_373"></a>{373}</span> while a blue vest, a white flannel coat, -red neck-tie and crimson cap, combined all the colors that were least -likely to alarm the fish.</p> - -<p>“The other anglers collected at the hotel kindly aided me with their -advice, for which I was truly grateful. They rigged out my leader with -flies, and convincingly proving that the more flies used the more fish -must be taken, fastened on thirteen. Conroy had hardly served me fairly -in selecting my assortment, for they were pronounced by all not to be -half large or bright enough. It was clear that the larger the fly the -easier the fish could see it, and the more surely it would catch; so -they loaned me a number, principally yellow, green, and blue, which was -the more generous of them, as they had but few of the same sort -themselves.</p> - -<p>“They impressed upon me to be up early, because trout will not bite -after sunrise—besides, I knew from the proverb that worms were more -easily obtained early; and it was still dark when, having passed a -restless few hours, I awoke and dressed. The house was silent, not a -person to interfere with me, and having set up my rod the night before, -I crept cautiously down stairs. The tip would slash about and knock at -the doors and on the walls as I passed, and gave me great trouble in -turning the corners of the stairs, but I reached the hall door safely -and stepped out upon the piazza.</p> - -<p>“I had hardly congratulated myself, when, hearing a suspicious growl, -and recollecting that the tavern-keeper had a cross mastiff, I turned, -and saw<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_374" id="page_374"></a>{374}</span> him in the dim light making straight for me. Running was never -my forte, but, gentlemen, my speed round that house with that mastiff -after me has rarely been equalled; he kept it up well, however, and if -he could have turned a corner readily, would have caught me. Recovering -my presence of mind in the third round, I darted through the hall door, -and slamming it to behind me, heard my enemy bounce against it, and -after a growl and a sniff or two, turn away in disgust.</p> - -<p>“Upon regaining my breath, I ascended to my room, and loading the -revolver which I always carry on dangerous journeys, returned to the -attack, determined on revenge. Strange to say, however, the cowardly -beast, the moment the pistol was presented at him, uttered a low whine -and shrank away. Disgusted with his cowardice, I seized up my rod, which -had been dropped in my first flight, and pursuing him howling piteously -three times round the house, laid it on him soundly.</p> - -<p>“It must have been poor stuff, for the tip broke. Conroy mended it -afterwards, without charge, when I told him the circumstances. But I put -in a spare one, and having dug my box full of worms, went to the shed -where my horse was left standing, ready harnessed, from the night -before. There is nothing like attention to these little matters in time; -for, if the hostler had had to harness him, he might have detained me -many precious minutes.</p> - -<p>“A half-hour’s drive soon brought me to the pond, and, after hitching -the animal to the fence—<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_375" id="page_375"></a>{375}</span>for it was necessary to turn into the field -from the main road—I walked down to the bank and jumped into a boat. -Unfortunately, it was chained to a staple and padlocked; the inn-keeper -had forgotten to give me the key. They were all the same but one, lying -on the shore and turned bottom up, that did not seem to be sound. No -time, however, was to be lost; the streaks in the east were beginning to -turn red—an indication that the sun was rising—and the hour for -fishing would soon be over. I launched the boat, such as it was, and -pushed off.</p> - -<p>“Casting the fly is difficult, but casting thirteen flies is almost -impossible. The boat was leaky; the fish did not rise, and the water -did. I bailed as well as I could with one hand, and fished with the -other, till at last, almost exhausted, I saw the sun rise. As a -desperate resource, however, the bait-box came into play. I removed the -flies and substituted a hook and worm; but while thus employed, and -unable to bail, the water gained on me rapidly. Hardly had the bait -touched the water before a fine fish seized it. I tried my best to pull -him out, but he would not come—the rod was such a miserable, weak -affair that it bent like a switch. The trout swam about in every -direction, and tried to get under stumps and weeds and to break my line; -but I held him fast and reeled in—for my friends had explained to me -what the reel was for—and was about to lay down my rod and fish him out -with the landing-net, when—the boat sank.”</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Chorus</span>—“Could you swim?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_376" id="page_376"></a>{376}</span></p> - -<p>“No; but the water was only up to my arm-pits, and I was about to wade -ashore, when a colored gentleman, who had arrived and been sitting on -the bank for the last few minutes, shouted to me that it was his boat -and I must bring it with me. I answered, savagely, that I would do -nothing of the sort, when he began to abuse me and call me thief, and -say I had stolen his boat, and he would have me arrested. So I thought I -had better comply, and waded along, dragging it after me. The bottom was -muddy, and I slipped once or twice and went all under. It was probably -then that the fish got off; but my colored friend took pity on me, and -pointed out to me the best places to walk.</p> - -<p>“I was nearly ashore, and had clambered upon a bog, as the gentleman -advised, and, by his direction, I jumped to a piece of nice-looking -green grass. I have always thought he deceived me in this, for it turned -out to be a quagmire, and I sank at once above my waist in solid, sticky -mud. The matter now became serious; my weight is no trifle, and every -motion sank me deeper and deeper. I implored the colored man to help me -out; to wade in to me, and let me climb on his back; I offered him money -profusely; and—would you believe it?—he laughed, he roared, he -shouted, he rolled over in an agony of mirth. He asked me whether I was -afraid to die—that only cowards were afraid to die. I did not dare to -say no, lest he should take me at my word, and was ashamed to say yes; -but, as I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_377" id="page_377"></a>{377}</span> kept on sinking, I had to own up that I was afraid, and then -he only laughed louder than ever.</p> - -<p>“My feelings were beyond description—fury does not adequately describe -my rage; but fear so tempered it, that I seemed to change suddenly from -the extreme of heat to the extreme of cold. I would begin by swearing at -him, and end by imploring; I begged, cursed, prayed, and raved. Overcome -by his unrestrained delight, at last I threatened—pouring out upon him -the vilest abuse, and dire menaces of what I would do when I did get -out. The prospect of that, however, rapidly diminished—the nasty, slimy -mud rose by perceptible degrees—and then he made me take back all my -threats and apologize to him. In the agony of my returning terror, he -actually made me beg his pardon.</p> - -<p>“When, however, hope was nearly over with me, he slowly, with maddening -deliberation, took a rail from the nearest fence, and, interspersing the -operation with much improving advice, began to pry me out. As I rose -towards the upper world my courage returned, and my revenge was merely -waiting till my body touched <i>terra firma</i> to take ample amends. Even -that satisfaction was destined to disappointment; for when I was so far -out, that with the aid of the rail I could help myself, he dropped it, -and, suspecting my intention, he scuttled off as fast as his black legs -would carry him.</p> - -<p>“What an object I presented after effecting my escape—from head to foot -one mass of mud; my<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_378" id="page_378"></a>{378}</span> handsome clothes, my hands and face, all blacker -than my ebony friend, and stiff and heavy with the noisome -conglomeration. After resting for a few minutes, I gathered up my rod -and started for the wagon, when what should I see in the other end of -the lot but a bull. A single glance showed me what I had to expect; no -bull could stand such an object as I was. I ran and he ran. I made for -the wagon and he after me. Such a picture as I must have presented, -flying from an infuriate bull, may seem funny to you, gentlemen, but was -not to me. We both reached the wagon and both went into it together—I -into the seat, he into the body; the result being that I went flying out -again, on the other side, over the fence. The horse, which at that -moment must have been dreaming, or sleeping the sleep he did not have -the night before, aroused by the crash, cast one look behind and burst -his bonds and fled.</p> - -<p>“It was a long walk home; people looked strangely at me on the way, and -some unfeeling ones laughed. My wagon was broken, my horse was ruined, -my clothes were spoiled; and the only consolation I had, was that my -brother anglers at the hotel felt and expressed such intense sympathy -for my sufferings.”</p> - -<p>The resigned tones and manner of the speaker were inimitable, and his -story was received with great satisfaction and closed the evening’s -amusements. All parties having resolved upon an early start, retired -early, and enjoyed a rest such as the sportsman only knows.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_379" id="page_379"></a>{379}</span></p> - -<p>One of the attachés of our club-house, without whom it would be deprived -of many pleasant features, and who is a remarkable and eccentric -character, is called Henry—a Canadian Frenchman. He possesses the -lightheartedness, the honesty and trustworthiness of that peculiar -class, with the strongest prejudices against mean and underhanded -actions and those who are guilty of them; he is, in his own obstinate -way, devoted to the service of those who enjoy his esteem. Animated with -strong dislikes, he is barely polite to those who have excited his -distrust, while he will do anything for his favorites. He is a good -shot, and thoroughly acquainted with the marsh and the habits of the -birds, but on no terms will he make any suggestions as to the most -promising localities. To the question, no matter how casually or -confidingly uttered:</p> - -<p>“Well, Henry, where had I better go, to-day?” He will respond, looking -you calmly in the face, and in a slightly admonitory tone:</p> - -<p>“You know I never give advice, sir.”</p> - -<p>His greatest favorites can obtain no more satisfactory answer, and in -fact not much information of any kind, from him in relation to the -flight or haunts of the birds. He appears to have discovered that -knowledge worth having is worth working for, and is resolved that every -man shall be his own schoolmaster. He has quite an insight into -character, and appreciates the members of the club and their -peculiarities.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_380" id="page_380"></a>{380}</span></p> - -<p>One day a party, including a number who were not members, had been -snipe-shooting, and some of the latter indulged the habit of pushing on -before their neighbor to shoot any bird they may have seen alight, or -had reason to believe was upon his beat. Afterwards Henry remarked, as a -sort of soliloquy, “He was a poor man—did not have much education, and -supposed he did not know; but he did not think it right for one -sportsman to run in ahead of another in order to shoot a bird before -him. Probably he was wrong; but that was the way he felt, and could not -help it.”</p> - -<p>It was this curious individual who waked us the next morning at an hour -before daylight, and enjoyed heartily the satisfaction of rousing us up -at that unseemly time. We were no way loth, however, and hastily -swallowing our breakfasts and launching our boats, pushed out under -cover of the darkness for our respective points. As yet the water and -land were scarcely distinguishable, and localities could only be -determined by intuition. Night was still brooding with outstretched -wings on the earth; the sky seemed to be close overhead, and the clouds -could not be distinguished from the open heavens. Slowly, however, the -outlines of the horizon became apparent; then the heavy masses of -lowering cloud that hung in the eastern sky, and left a narrow, -transparent strip of light between themselves and the horizon, came out -in strong relief; the stars faded and turned dim; trees, bushes, and -distant elevations—the minutiæ of the landscape—appeared;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_381" id="page_381"></a>{381}</span> long lines -of sedge-grass and reeds sprang up from the water; the eastern sky, and -especially the bright strip beneath the cloud, became lighter; a roseate -tinge spread itself over the meadows, deepening to intensity in the -east, and at last the sun peeped over the horizon.</p> - -<p>Occasionally ducks will move at the first break of dawn; but frequently, -as in the present instance, they do not fly till about sunrise; then the -canvas-backs commenced coming in from the open water; the red-heads -accompanied them; and the mallards, aroused from safe beds among the -reeds, flew with loud quackings overhead. Later, the rapid blue-bills -and teal darted past, the pin-tails moved majestically in stately lines, -and the diminutive butter-balls hurried by. The rising sun dissipated -the clouds, and the increasing wind announced a glorious ducking-day.</p> - -<p>To enjoy this sport thoroughly, or to make the most of the chances -offered, requires long practice and peculiar skill; but, when this skill -has been acquired, no specialty in sportmanship can be carried to higher -perfection, or confer more intense delight. To observe quickly and note -the direction of flight of the distant flock; to catch sight of the -single bird just topping the reeds; to hide well from the sharp eyes of -the approaching ducks; to keep a steady footing, yielding to the -treacherous motions of the unsteady boat without losing self-command; to -measure the distance accurately from birds passing high in air; to -select the proper moment to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_382" id="page_382"></a>{382}</span> fire, and to determine correctly the speed -of the moving object; to do all these things at once, without hesitation -or failure in any particular, requires in a man the highest qualities of -a sportsman. The wonder is that success is so often attained; for there -are many men who will kill almost every bird that comes fairly within -range, and who will tell you before they shoot whether they are sure of -killing or not.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately our party, although tolerably proficient, were far from -perfect. Many were the fair shots missed, or only half hit, and more -still were the impossible shots that were wasted. The wind drove the -birds upon the long neck of reeds called Grassy Point, where several of -us had located ourselves, and the river-scows, or small boats, -occasionally passing kept them in motion.</p> - -<p>During the morning several flocks of swans were seen, looking, when they -passed in front of a dark cloud, like flying snow-flakes. Although -somewhat resembling the appearance of geese, at a distance, the beat of -their wings and their trumpet-voiced cry are altogether different. They -were very shy, keeping far out of range; but excited our nerves at the -mere thought of what glory would be conferred if they should happen to -come within the proper distance.</p> - -<p>One of our party, however, acquired but little credit by a shot which he -made at a flock of geese that passed within twenty yards of him. He was -of Milesian descent, and explained the occurrence afterwards as -follows:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_383" id="page_383"></a>{383}</span></p> - -<p>“You see, I was watching them come closer and closer, and making my -calculation to pick out two fine ones. I knew the fellow at the head was -an old gander, and tough; but right behind him came two tender, juicy -youngsters—altogether the fattest and best in the whole flock. Well, it -took me some time to make this selection, and, letting the old one go -by, I was just about preparing to knock over the two others right and -left—and done it I should have, because I intended to, you know. Well, -I put up my gun, and was about taking aim, and was waiting for them to -get just in the right position—for I was as cool as I am this moment; -an old hunter like me is not easily flurried. Well, they were almost -ready, and I was on the point of cutting them down, when somebody -else—bad luck to him—about a hundred yards off fired into the flock. -Of course they flirted in every direction, and darted about so, that I -lost sight of those I selected; and how could you expect me to kill any -others when I had made up my mind to have those? You need not laugh -because I missed with both barrels; I wouldn’t have missed if the birds -had been in their proper places, where I was pointing my gun.”</p> - -<p>So it was that we obtained no geese. But the canvas-backs and mallards, -in the early morning, made up for the deficiency; and when, towards -midday, they ceased flying, some of our party resolved to pole for -wood-ducks.</p> - -<p>To do this, as has been heretofore intimated, requires<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_384" id="page_384"></a>{384}</span> more practice -than even shooting from “points”—exacting from the sportsman not merely -readiness in handling the gun, but activity of motion and accuracy of -balance. The gun, at full cock, is laid in its rack across the thwart; -or, as I prefer, from one thwart to another, with the triggers up; the -sportsman, standing erect on the stern, wields his pole with care, -avoiding noise, and never by any chance touching the side of the boat -with it, for nothing alarms the birds so much as rapping on the side of -the boat, although it is not easy to avoid doing so. He faces forward, -raises the pole carefully, and replacing it without a splash or a blow -on the crackling stems or leaves of the lilies, use his body as a -fulcrum as often as he wishes to alter the direction of the boat. He -works his way against the wind as much as possible, and, casting his -eyes in every direction, is always on the alert. Suddenly, with a roar -like distant thunder, a wood-duck, generally the male, starts from the -weeds, and with a curious cry, like that of a wailing infant, makes the -best of his way from the approaching danger; instantly the sportsman -drops the pole, wherever it may be—in mid air or deep in the mud, just -planted or at its full reach—and springing to his gun, raises it with -rapidity but deliberation, and, if the bird has hot already gained a -safe distance, discharges it with the best effect he is able to command. -Frequently, at the report, another bird will start, and offer a fair and -generally successful shot.</p> - -<p>To one accustomed to kill quail, this shooting,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_385" id="page_385"></a>{385}</span> after the awkwardness -arising from the motion of the boat is overcome, is not difficult; but -the knack of dropping the pole at once is almost unattainable. Most -persons, at first, frantically endeavor to deposit the pole in the boat, -and cannot drop it instantly; others give it an energetic push. The -former allow the birds time to escape, while the latter increase the -unsteadiness of the boat.</p> - -<p>The birds usually rise well, attaining the height of twenty feet before -they move directly away, and hence present a good shot. If they are -missed, they may be marked down, pursued, and started again; and as they -are frequently very numerous, and rise at unexpected moments, they keep -the sportsman excited, until, worn out with the excessive and -unaccustomed labor, he has to stop and rest. If the water is low the -poling is hard work, and at the most favorable times will be found -sufficiently exhausting. The birds principally frequent the lily beds, -which stretch out in broad patches where the water is moderately deep; -but they are also found in open spots among the high reeds, and -occasionally among the deer-tongue.</p> - -<p>There are several kinds of weeds growing in the shallows of the bay, and -restricted in their extent by its depth. The reeds, which in the fall -resemble a ripe field of grain, have crimson stems, and narrow yellow -leaves, almost inclosing the stems at their base and streaming -gracefully in the wind at the top; they thrive in shallow water, and, -attaining a height of twelve feet, form the hiding-places<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_386" id="page_386"></a>{386}</span> of the -sportsman. The wild rice had a greenish-yellow stem, with longer joints -and without leaves; it branches at the end into the seed-receptacles, -and is not found in such large patches. The deer-tongue grows in deeper -water, and retains its green hue till the weather intimates that winter -is present. It has a leaf like a dull spear-head, that projects but a -few inches above the surface; and its stout stems, springing up close -together, constitute a serious obstacle to the advancing boat. There are -also scattered patches of weeds, usually called grass because they are -green, but with a round, hollow, tapering stem, or leaf, that has no -resemblance whatever to grass.</p> - -<p>Early in the season, when there are few birds flying over the points, -and the young, tender, and gentle wood-ducks crowd the marshes and will -permit an easy approach, it is customary to employ a punter, who poles -the boat while the sportsman sits on the forward thwart, gun in hand, -ready in a moment to cut down the feeble birds. But if any of the -shooting is to be done from the points, the punter will be found in the -way, increasing the unsteadiness of the boat and augmenting the danger, -already sufficiently great. Although by no means proficient, I always -prefer poling myself, and will never permit any guns in the boat but my -own.</p> - -<p>On the day more particularly referred to in this chapter, we found the -birds plentiful, although rather wild, and had grand sport, starting the -crying wood-ducks and the quacking mallards from their<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_387" id="page_387"></a>{387}</span> hiding-places, -and killing a goodly number in spite of their sharp ears and strong -wings.</p> - -<p>Of the particular shots, the numerous misses, the various mishaps, it -were vain to tell. A baptism in the shallow bay-water is regarded as a -necessary initiation, and not being dangerous, the ceremony is -frequently repeated. Good shots are rarer than bad ones, even with the -best marksmen, and perhaps the author would have to vindicate truth by -telling some awkward blunders of his own, and thus forfeit the reader’s -respect for ever. It is sufficient for the reader to recall the best -day’s sport at ducks he ever had, to imagine his own shooting -considerably improved, his strength and activity augmented, and his -promptest deliberation surpassed; and he will have a faint idea of our -performance. It is enough to say the birds were there, and we were -there.</p> - -<p>Towards night we occupied a series of points above the Gap, as it is -called—an opening between the island where the house is situated and -the land beyond—and waited for the evening flight. The wind had died -away, and as the sun was setting, the mallards came in from the lake to -pass the night. Innumerable flocks, one after another, appeared from -behind the trees, and passing overhead, settled down into the reeds. By -twos, threes, or hundreds in a flock, in straight, even lines of battle, -or bent like the two sides of a triangle, or in long single file, their -wings whistling in the still air, or producing reports like pop-guns as -they flirted or touched one another—immense numbers moved over us.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_388" id="page_388"></a>{388}</span></p> - -<p>Having ascertained by several ineffectual shots that they were far out -of range, we watched them with delight and curiosity, wondering whence -they could all come, and whither they were going. There was no abatement -or pause till the increasing darkness shut them out from our sight. Had -we been prepared with Ely’s wire cartridge we could have rained -destruction among them, but as it was we only killed a few chance birds; -and then reassembling our party where the open lead joined the bay, we -returned to the club-house together.</p> - -<p>The next day being clear and still, it was devoted to fishing and -exploring. A Kentuckian who was among our numbers, having no fishing in -his own State, and knowing nothing of salmon or striped-bass, and little -of trout, was devoted to black-bass fishing. Persuading the writer to go -in the boat with him, while two friends accompanied us in another, we -crossed the bay, and having fastened large Buel’s spoons to the end of -stout hand-lines, proceeded to troll in the most primitive manner.</p> - -<p>The bass were plentiful, and rushing from their lairs in the weeds close -to the shore, darted out after the boat had passed, and devoured our -baits. Although quite large, they gave feeble play, turning over and -over in the water, and rarely jumping with the vigor of fish brought up -in cooler latitudes; in fact, the river and lake bass differ so greatly -as to seem almost to belong to different species. The river fish, which -lie in the discolored water where long weeds grow from a bottom of deep -mud, are yellow<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_389" id="page_389"></a>{389}</span> in color, have a large head, and a yellow iris to the -eye. The lake fish, which prefer the clearer element near rocky shoals, -have a small head and reddish eye, are dark-sided and vigorous, have a -large forked tail, and are infinitely preferable on the table.</p> - -<p>One of our friends in the other boat was a practical joker, and of a -lively turn of mind. He at first amused himself by jerking the line of -his companion who sat nearer the bow, to induce him to think it was a -bite; then he landed all the fish that were taken on either hook; and -finally, having accidentally caught his hook into his companion’s and -drawn it in without the latter’s knowledge, he hung it on the gunwale -and had the fishing to himself. As the portion of the line, or bight as -sailors call it, which still towed overboard kept up the ordinary -strain, his associate was in great wonderment at his bad luck, and did -not discover the reason till the fishing was over.</p> - -<p>Having absolutely filled our boats with bass that weighed from two to -four pounds, and having ordered a good dinner at the club-house to -entertain some strangers, we returned, rather disgusted with such tame -sport.</p> - -<p>We caught, besides the bass, a few pickerel and a small pike-perch, -<i>lucioperca Americana</i>; and found the most successful bait was a red and -tin spoon, with a white feather on the hook. The natives call the -pickerel a grass-pike, and the pike-perch a pickerel. Those curious -nondescripts—half fish, half reptile—bill or gar-fish, <i>lepidosteus</i>, -relics of antediluvian<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_390" id="page_390"></a>{390}</span> ages, were seen in the water, but are only taken -in the net.</p> - -<p>The weather had been clear, mild, and still; it continued so for several -days, and as storm and wind are necessary to duck-shooting, our sport, -although pleasant, was greatly diminished. Consequently we rose at -reasonable hours, ate comfortable breakfasts, and smoked our pipes -before we left the house. One morning, as I was about departing, the -Kentucky fisherman, who had found the weather admirable for his sport, -offered to bet ten of the largest fish he would catch against the -largest bird I should shoot, that I would not kill a dozen ducks. Of -course I accepted the wager.</p> - -<p>It was unpromising weather, still and warm, and there was absolutely no -flight either during the morning or evening; but by chance two -cormorants came close to my stand. Without waiting to distinguish what -they were I fired, killing one dead, and dropping the other some -distance off in the open water. My disgust on picking up the one -nearest, and observing the thick legs, ugly shape, and crooked yellow -bill, was only diminished by the recollection of my bet. I lost, failing -in the end to bring home the dozen birds—although I shot more than that -number, but was unable to recover several that fell in the weeds—and on -my return, using that fact as an excuse, endeavored to beg off. The -Kentuckian was delighted; imagining from my conversation that I had shot -a canvas-back, and anticipating an amusing triumph, he insisted upon the -letter of the law.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_391" id="page_391"></a>{391}</span></p> - -<p>Our discussion, as was intended on my part, attracted the attention and -interest of all the members, and my opponent waited with a victorious -air till I should bring him my largest bird. At last, after much -procrastination, it was produced amid such shouts as rarely rang through -the old club-house. In vain did my Kentucky friend attempt to disclaim -his acquisition or propose to waive his rights; “he would have the bird, -and he must take him; it was a remarkably fine one of the kind, and a -good specimen.” At last he burst forth:</p> - -<p>“Oh, get out with your cormorant; take him away; do, and I’ll never make -another bet with you as long as I live.”</p> - -<p>To this day, in that section of the West, a man who is too exacting -occasionally wins a cormorant.</p> - -<p>The time that circumstances permitted me to devote to pleasure was -drawing to a close, and the last morning that was to be appropriated to -the ducks had arrived, when, as I was about loading my boat, Henry stood -before me, and with great earnestness remarked:</p> - -<p>“I am going to shoot with you to-day, sir.”</p> - -<p>If he had said, “I am going to shoot you,” he could not have spoken with -more firmness and solemnity; or, if he had anticipated the most violent -contradiction, he could not have assumed a more convincing manner. The -proposal, as it suggested an augmented bag for my last day, was, -however, cordially welcome; and, as soon as he was ready, I inquired in -an unconcerned manner:<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_392" id="page_392"></a>{392}</span></p> - -<p>“Well, which way shall we go?”</p> - -<p>The effrontery of the question fairly took him aback, and, pausing in -apparent irresolution as to whether he was not in danger of being caught -at last, he seemed for a moment half inclined to run for it. -Incoherently he commenced his usual response about not giving advice; -paused, and then, in a sadly reproachful tone, remonstrated as follows:</p> - -<p>“You know if I were to give advice to gentlemen, and they were to have -bad luck, they would blame me; and how can I know all the time where the -ducks are flying?”</p> - -<p>“But, Henry, as we are going together, I must certainly be told where -the place is to be.”</p> - -<p>This appeared to surprise him; for, after a moment’s deliberation, he -jumped into his boat, and, seizing his paddle, said, “I am going to -Grassy Point,” and made off as fast as he could.</p> - -<p>“Well, Henry, I suppose I shall have to go with you, instead of you with -me; but the difference is not very great.”</p> - -<p>He seemed confused, and in doubt whether he had not compromised himself, -and paddled with such speed that I could scarcely keep up with him. -Seated with his face towards the bow of the boat, his guns lying ready -for instant use in front of him, he plied his double paddle—that is to -say, a long paddle with a blade at both ends, which are dipped -alternately—with a vigor that would have distanced, for a short -stretch, the most expert rower. Like<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_393" id="page_393"></a>{393}</span> the other natives, he preferred -the double paddle to the oars. While using it he could make an accurate -course—an important consideration in the intricate channels; could -watch for a chance shot ahead of him, or chase a wounded duck -advantageously; at a moderate speed, could travel a long journey; and, -for a spurt, could surpass the same boat propelled by oars; and was not -annoyed by catching the blades in the innumerable weeds. So great was -the respect that I acquired for the double paddle, from his manner of -wielding it, that I thereupon resolved to have one and learn to use it, -even if I did suffer somewhat in the attempt.</p> - -<p>We proceeded in unbroken silence, and, reaching the point, located -ourselves well upon it, not far apart, and awaited the ducks. Henry was -an excellent shot, and set me an example that I did my best to follow; -but as the birds did not fly well, we left at the expiration of a couple -of hours, and crossed Mud Creek into the main swamp, called Lattimer -Marsh. On the way, happening to pass an old muskrat house, my curiosity -was excited, and I inquired:</p> - -<p>“Are there any animals in that house now?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know whether there are any animals, sir; there might be some -sort of animals, but there are not any rats.”</p> - -<p>“Where are the rats, then?”</p> - -<p>“They all disappear in summer; they leave their houses, and in the fall -build new ones. I can’t tell what becomes of them; but they have queer -ways.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_394" id="page_394"></a>{394}</span> They build a big house—a sort of family house, as I call -it—where a number of them dwell; and around it, about fifty rods off, -smaller ones, where each rat appears to feed or go when he wants to be -alone. There are generally two entrances, one above and the other under -water, so that when the bay is frozen over they can get in.”</p> - -<p>“How do you catch them?”</p> - -<p>“We set spring-traps of iron, but without teeth, so as not to hurt the -skin, near their houses, and where we think they will be apt to step -into them. The time to catch them is from the 1st of March till the 10th -of April.”</p> - -<p>“Can anybody trap them?”</p> - -<p>“Oh no, sir; that wouldn’t do at all; a person has to own the land, or -have the right to trap. The land isn’t worth much, though—only about a -dollar an acre.”</p> - -<p>“The Indian name of muskrat is said to be musksquash?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know how that is; but I have heard people call them so. There -are a good many in the marsh, and we sometimes make three or four -hundred dollars a year from them.”</p> - -<p>“But, as the swamp fills up and the land makes, won’t they disappear?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir; the swamp isn’t filling up; but the land is sinking, or the -water rising—either one or the other; for the swamp is growing larger. -The trees on the island are being killed by the water—some are dead -already; and every year more high<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_395" id="page_395"></a>{395}</span> land becomes meadow, and the meadow -turns into swamp.”</p> - -<p>“I thought the Western lakes were growing shallow, and receding yearly.”</p> - -<p>“Not here, sir. Why, that long spit of reeds beyond Grassy Point was dry -land once, so that you could drive a team clear over to Squaw Island; -there were large trees on it, but they are all dead, and the channel -between it and the island is six feet deep.”</p> - -<p>“All the better for us sportsmen. Have you any other valuable animals -besides the rats?”</p> - -<p>“A few otter; but not many. No, sir; the ducks are the most valuable -things we have.”</p> - -<p>“They will soon be killed off.”</p> - -<p>“No, sir; as there is no shooting allowed in the spring they are -becoming more plentiful. They are tamer, too; and some stay here all -summer and breed. It was the spring shooting, when they were poor and -thin, that killed them off or drove them away.”</p> - -<p>“How many birds can a good shot average daily the season through?”</p> - -<p>“I think I can kill forty a day, but perhaps there are some men who can -shoot better. But now, sir, if you will choose your stand, I will go a -little way below.”</p> - -<p>I ensconced myself in a bunch of high weeds surrounded by a pond of open -water, and killed a few mallards. The birds did not fly well, however, -and we moved from place to place in the hope of better<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_396" id="page_396"></a>{396}</span> luck, and with a -restlessness that showed increasing dissatisfaction on the part of -Henry; so that I was not surprised when, early in the afternoon, he told -me that he must return to the club-house. I remained for some hours -where he left me; but hearing rapid shooting near the Gap, I poled my -way there through a broad field of lilies, known as the Pond Lily -Channel, and there, to my surprise, found Henry.</p> - -<p>Whether it was the desire to be alone, for his peculiarity of preferring -to shoot by himself has been mentioned, or whether he was tempted by a -favorable flight of birds, I never knew; when I appeared, he paddled -hastily away as though ashamed, and made no answer to my inquiries as to -what detained him, or how they could manage without him at the house. -Unceremoniously occupying his place, I completed the evening, and the -allotted hours of my stay, with some excellent shooting at flocks of -mallards, widgeons, and blue-bills, that poured through the Gap in -endless flights, till after dark.</p> - -<p>Then, for the last time, I rowed through the darkness towards the -well-known point; for the last time sat down at the groaning board which -our kind-hearted landlady had furnished so liberally; played my last -game with the euchre-loving son of Kentucky; smoked a farewell pipe of -Killikinnick in the sociable circle around the air-tight; slept for the -last time in the comfortable bed under the hospitable roof of the -club-house; and next morning, having seen my associates depart, each in -his little boat, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_397" id="page_397"></a>{397}</span> bid them all farewell, I set out, with my birds -packed in ice, for the City of New York. My friends welcomed me and my -birds gladly. Reader, had you been my friend, you would also have -welcomed us both.</p> - -<p>It is surprising how well the duck-shooting in the confluents of the -great lakes has held out in spite of time and breech-loaders. Wild -ducks, like tame ones, lay fifteen to twenty eggs, not like the English -snipe, which rarely lays more than four. They go to inaccessible places -to breed, and are so tough, strong, and active, that they can put their -natural enemies almost at defiance. Spring shooting has been forbidden, -and the result is that as many are now killed every fall as were killed -twenty years ago.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_015.jpg" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_398" id="page_398"></a>{398}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.<br /><br /> -SUGGESTIONS TO SPORTSMEN.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> word “sport” has been more abused, ill-treated, and misapplied than -any other in our language; of a high, pure, and noble signification, it -has been debased to unworthy objects; of a restricted and refined -significance, it has been extended to a mass of improper matters; from -its natural elegant appropriateness, it has been degraded to vulgar and -dishonest associations.</p> - -<p>The miserable wretch who lives on the most contemptible passion in human -nature, and with practised skill cheats those who would cheat -him—winning by the unfair rules of games, so-called, of chance—or, -with less conscience, converting that chance into a certainty, calls -himself a sporting man. The individual who, having trained a horse up to -the finest condition of activity and endurance, drives or rides him -under lash and spur round a course to win a sum of money, although he -may call himself a sportsman, is really a business man. The daring -backwoodsman of the Far West, who follows the fleet elk or timid deer, -and who attacks the formidable buffalo or grizzly bear, is less a -sportsman than a mighty hunter; the man who shoots with a view of -selling his game is a market-gunner; and he who kills that he may eat is -a pot-hunter.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_399" id="page_399"></a>{399}</span></p> - -<p>The sportsman pursues his game for pleasure; he does not aspire to -follow the grander animals of the chase, makes no profit of his success, -giving to his friends more than he retains, shoots invariably upon the -wing, and never takes a mean advantage of bird or man. It is his pride -to kill what he does kill elegantly, scientifically, and mercifully. -Quantity is not his ambition; he never slays more than he can use; he -never inflicts an unnecessary pang or fires an unfair shot.</p> - -<p>The man who, happening to find birds plentiful in warm weather, and, -after murdering all that he can, leaves them to spoil, is no more a -sportsman than he who fires into a huddled bevy of quail, or who -considers every bird as representing so much money value, and to be -converted into it as soon as possible.</p> - -<p>The sportsman is generous to his associate, not seeking to obtain the -most shots, but giving away the advantage in that particular, and -recovering it if possible by superiority of aim; for although to be a -sportsman a person must naturally be an enthusiast, he should never -forget what he owes to his friend, and above all what he owes to -himself.</p> - -<p>Boys and Germans need not imagine that killing robins or blackbirds on -trees, no matter how numerously, is sport. Robins and blackbirds, the -latter especially, if the old song is to be believed, make dainty pies, -but do not constitute an object of pursuit to the sportsman. Diminutive -birds shot sitting are as far beneath sport as gigantic wild animals -shot standing or running are above it. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_400" id="page_400"></a>{400}</span> only objects of the -sportsman’s pursuit are the game birds; not in the confined sense used -in old times by the English, when the very prince of all—the -woodcock—was excluded from the list, but embracing every bird, fit for -the table, that is habitually shot on the wing. Many of these, perhaps -the finest, gamest, and bravest, are shot over dogs, where the wonderful -instinct of the animal aids the intelligence of the human; but whether -followed by the faithful setter, or lured to bobbing decoy; killed from -points where, prone in the reeds, the eager sportsman, insensible to -cold or wet, at the grey of dawn or dusk of night, awaits his prey; or -from the convenient blind which the deluded birds approach without -suspicion, or pursued with horse and wagon on the open plain—these all -are game birds, and he who follows them legitimately is a sportsman.</p> - -<p>Wild birds, like the tame ones, are given for man’s use, and the best -use that can be made of them is the one that will confer most health, -nourishment, and happiness on mankind. Fanatics imagine that although -birds may be killed, it must be done only to furnish food; as if there -was nothing beyond eating in this world, and as if contribution to -health were not as essential as supplies to the stomach. The two may and -should be combined; a man who is hungry may kill that he may be -satisfied, the man who is sickly may kill that he may recover—neither -may kill in excess; and a third may kill lest he become sick, provided -nothing is injured that is not used.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_401" id="page_401"></a>{401}</span></p> - -<p>Death before the muzzle of a gun, in the hands of an experienced -marksman, when the body of the charge striking the object terminates -life instantly—and even when, in the hands of a bungler, the wounded -bird is not put out of his pain till he is retrieved—is far more -merciful than after capture in a trap, accompanied with agonies of -apprehension and perhaps days of starvation, till the thoughtless boy -shall remember his snare and awkwardly end life. The birds of the air -and beasts of the field are given for man’s use and advantage, whether -domesticated, or wild as they once all were; and if they serve to supply -him with food or healthful exercise, and especially if they do both, -they have answered their purpose. It is certainly no more brutalizing to -shoot them on the wing or in the open field, when they have a reasonable -chance to escape, than to wring their necks in the barn-yard, or knock -them on the head with an axe.</p> - -<p>To become a sportsman, the first thing to acquire—provided nature has -kindly furnished the proper groundwork of heart and body, without which -little can be done—is the art of shooting. A few, very few men become, -through fortuitous circumstances of nature and practice, splendid shots; -many shoot well, and some cannot shoot at all. The author of this work -has handled a gun from his twelfth year, and been out with thousands of -sportsmen, but he never yet saw a dead shot—one who can kill every -time.</p> - -<p>Crack shots, however, are numerous; and include,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_402" id="page_402"></a>{402}</span> according to Frank -Forester, those who, in covert and out of covert, the season through, -will kill three out of five of the birds that rise fairly within range; -but in the opinion of the author, the application should be extended to -any man who can kill two out of five on an average. This calculation, -however, has no reference to fair shots; every bird that rises within -twenty-five yards and is seen, though it be but for an instant, and many -that rise at thirty-five yards, are to be counted.</p> - -<p>In our country there is so much covert, that the man who picks his birds -and only fires at open chances, is a potterer, unworthy even of the -common-place name of gunner; he has nothing of the sportsman and little -of the man about him. Afraid to miss, anxious to boast of his skill, -desirous of surpassing his friends, he unites the qualities of braggart -and sneak.</p> - -<p>Be liberal in your shots; do not grudge ammunition, nor dread the -disgrace of a miss—the disgrace of eluding the trial is far greater; -and no man who waits for open shots, and acquires a hesitating manner, -will ever effect anything brilliant. If you miss, there are always -plenty of excellent excuses at hand—your foot slipped, the bird dodged, -a tree intervened; or, you hit him hard, cut out his feathers, or even -killed him stone dead, but he did not fall at once. If you doubt the -validity of these excuses, go out with the best shot you know and -observe whether he does not furnish you with ten times the number in a -week.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_403" id="page_403"></a>{403}</span></p> - -<p>Now, the author cannot shoot, and never could; but he manages to bring -home as many quail, wood cock, snipe, rail, ruffed grouse, and ducks, on -the average, as any of his friends. He observes that most of them miss -as often as he does, with no better excuses, and some far oftener; but -still he never, to the best of his belief, saw the season during which -he killed—that is, bagged—one-half of the birds he shot at. Some -professionals, of course, shoot at one kind of game wonderfully; the -gunners of Long Island Bay are astoundingly accurate on wild-fowl, but -would not kill one quail in a week; while some men who could scarcely -touch a duck, handle their guns splendidly in the thickest cover. -Professionals, however, usually yield the best chances to their -employers, and may be more skilful than they seem; but among amateurs -the author claims a rank that will at least entitle him to judge of -others.</p> - -<p>The majority of persons rarely consider how many birds escape, without -the fault of the marksman; at over thirty yards the best gun, especially -when a little dirty, will leave openings in the charge where a bird may -be hit with only one shot, if at all. Ducks, the larger bay-snipe, -ruffed grouse, and, above all, quail late in the season, will carry off -several shots—flying away apparently unhurt, although in the end they -may fall dead. If the gun was held perfectly straight this would happen -less frequently; but to so hold it is almost impossible, for no living -man could kill, once in a dozen times, a flying bird with a single ball; -and even then the probabilities<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_404" id="page_404"></a>{404}</span> are, that a yellow-leg snipe shot at -more than thirty-five yards off, would once in five times carry away the -few pellets that may strike him; and at forty yards escape entirely -untouched. If the reader will select the best target his gun can make -with an ounce of No. 8 shot at forty yards, and see how many spaces -there are entirely vacant large enough to contain a snipe, he will be -convinced that the above statement is correct; and at fifty yards, the -chances are three to one against the marksman. Sir Francis Francis, who -is a good authority in England, says, that to kill one bird in two shots -is good shooting; and there the grounds are almost always open, while -the reverse is the case with us.</p> - -<p>Do not be discouraged, therefore, if the sun gets in your eyes, your -foot slips, the bird dodges, a few floating feathers are the only result -of your effort, or you make a clean miss; others do the same. Neither -lose your temper nor curse your luck, as by so doing you may excite your -nerves and injure your shooting, and cannot improve it. Be cool, never -shoot without an attempt at aim, if it is only where the bird -disappeared; take your disappointments pleasantly, strive to do your -best, and you will improve.</p> - -<p>Many ducks fly at least ninety miles an hour; that is, twenty-six -hundred yards a minute, or forty-four yards a second; if, therefore, a -duck starts at your feet with that velocity, and you require a second to -cover him, he will be out of range; or if he is flying across, and you -dwell one forty-fourth<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_405" id="page_405"></a>{405}</span> part of a second on your aim, you will miss him. -A quail, late in the season, flies as fast as this, and rises with a -rapidity equal to his flight. He is often found in coverts, dodges and -twists with remarkable skill and judgment, frequently flies off in a -direct line behind the thickest bush, and requires the perfection of -training to bring down with certainty. These are difficulties that -patience alone can overcome; for if shooting were simple, there would be -no art or pleasure in it.</p> - -<p>All books on sporting tell you to fire ahead of cross shots, and in this -they are right; but the reason they give is, that time is necessary for -the shot to reach the object—in this they are wrong; shot moves -infinitely faster than the bird, and for practical purposes, reaches its -mark instantaneously. Human nerves and muscles, however, are imperfect, -and it requires an instant, an important one, to discharge the gun after -the aim is taken. The result, therefore, is the same, and you must -endeavor to shoot ahead of the bird; and if he is flying fast, far ahead -of him. If the motion of the object is followed and the gun kept moving -before the discharge, some writers allege no allowance need be made, but -it is so difficult not to pause slightly, that it is better in all cases -to allow some inches.</p> - -<p>To follow the motion of a very fast-flying bird, is almost, if not quite -impossible, and the attempt to do so at all, is apt to create a popping -habit. When a broad-bill, driving before a strong north-wester, darts -past, the best plan is to try and fire many feet,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_406" id="page_406"></a>{406}</span> even ten or fifteen, -ahead of him; and then you will rarely succeed in discharging your piece -before he is abreast of the muzzle, and frequently will lag behind him. -The aim must be taken on the line of flight, and a little attention will -convince you that the bird is up with the sight ere the trigger is -fairly pulled. A knowledge of this principle, and an ability to practise -it, may be said to be the art of duck-shooting; as in that there are a -vast majority of cross shots, and the birds fly rapidly.</p> - -<p>There is an erroneous idea that the eye must be lowered close down to -the breech, in order to have a correct aim; but, while it is apparent if -the neck is not bent at all there can be no aim, a slight inaccuracy -will not only make no difference, but will give an advantage by throwing -the shot high. It will be perceived, on fastening the gun in an -immovable position, that the eye may be moved from near one hammer to -the other, and the aim altered but a few inches, on an object thirty -yards distant—an inaccuracy, considering the spread of shot, which is -utterly unimportant.</p> - -<p>So also, although by the attraction of gravitation the charge falls -somewhat, the deflection is too inconsiderable to merit attention.</p> - -<p>After watching himself carefully, reading what the best authors have -written, and comparing experiences with his friends, the author has -concluded that experienced sportsmen miss from hesitation in pulling the -trigger, dwelling on the aim, and nervously shrinking from the recoil. -The first fault<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_407" id="page_407"></a>{407}</span> arises from some temporary or permanent condition of -mind or body, the second from anxiety to make assurance doubly sure, and -the last from habit.</p> - -<p>If a man is naturally slow he can never shoot fast-flying birds, but if -his fingers are stiff from cold he can warm them. A resolution to fire -boldly, and not to dread missing, will cure the over-anxiety that -destroys its own intent, but to meet the recoil without giving to it, or -pushing against it, which is the more common mistake, is often extremely -difficult. This unfortunate habit, occurring at the moment of highest -excitement amid the noise and smoke, is rarely noticed by the guilty -party, and some will at first stoutly deny its existence.</p> - -<p>To mind the recoil of a gun seems pusillanimous, and few can believe, -till assured by actual experiment, that it equals sixty or seventy -pounds, and will crush the bones of the body if immovably fixed. Let the -reader observe the next time that his gun is unwittingly left at -half-cock, how far he will pull it out of aim, and how he will push -against it, when attempting to discharge it at game. An acquaintance of -the writer, who would scout the idea of being affected by the recoil of -his gun, and indeed would have sworn “it did not kick a bit,” was once -chasing a diver on a placid, sluggish stream, in a dug-out. When the -bird rose close to the boat, the sportsman was standing erect, poising -himself with care in the unsteady craft, but as he pulled the trigger he -instinctively pushed so hard, that, as the cap snapped,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_408" id="page_408"></a>{408}</span> he lost his -balance, upset the canoe, and pitched forward head-foremost overboard!</p> - -<p>Probably one half of the fair shots that are missed escape on account of -this unfortunate nervousness; and it is a habit that can only be cured -by incessant care and unrelated watchfulness. Anything that affects the -nerves, as smoking or drinking, increases the difficulty, and the sudden -flushing of a bird will cause it. Unhappily it is apt to be most -prevalent when the shooting is good and the sportsman excited, thus -ruining many of his best days. With heavy loads, or what is known as a -kicking gun, the error will be aggravated; and most persons have no idea -of the proper proportions of powder and shot, putting in immense -quantities of the latter and sparing the former.</p> - -<p>The true load for a gun not exceeding eight pounds in weight, regardless -of its size or bore, is one ounce and a quarter of shot and three -drachma of the strongest powder, or three and a half drachms of common -powder. The same proportion should be retained if the gun is heavier or -the charge increased. Where more shot is used power is lost and recoil -aggravated; and if the powder is not augmented one ounce of shot will do -better execution than two.</p> - -<p>Many persons who have ascertained this fact and practise upon it, will -inform you that they drive their shot through the birds, and -consequently kill them instantly. This is a mistake; small shot are -rarely, if ever, driven through a bird; but where<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_409" id="page_409"></a>{409}</span> the force is -increased the blow is much harder, and stuns. It is the velocity rather -than the size or number of the shot that tells. A soldier in battle was -struck on the belt-plate by a spent minié bullet not a half inch in -diameter, and he described himself as feeling that he had been torn to -pieces, and that a cannon-ball had gone directly through his body.</p> - -<p>The size of the shot is to be proportioned to the size of the -bird—weight, of course, being an element of power and telling on each -individual pellet—but the more the aggregate amount can be reduced the -less the recoil. Six drachms of powder and one ounce of shot, will not -occasion as much recoil as three drachms of powder and an ounce and a -half of shot.</p> - -<p>The gun should always be held firmly to the shoulder, and the shoulder -never rested against a solid substance; indeed, the collar-bone may be -broken by simply firing directly upwards. Therefore, never fire in the -air while lying on your back upon the ground, and be careful when -shooting at ducks from a boat not to support yourself upon the latter.</p> - -<p>If the reader still doubts the universally disastrous effects of -cringing at the moment of discharge, let him have an assistant to load -the gun out of sight, who without his knowledge shall vary the load, and -occasionally put in none at all. Then let the reader fire at a mark, and -in spite of the efforts which he will naturally make, he will find when<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_410" id="page_410"></a>{410}</span> -there is no load, and consequently nothing to distract his attention, -that he does shrink, and pull the muzzle somewhat off the object.</p> - -<p>This book is not written for beginners; there are plenty of works with -every variety of instruction in them, and the reader is supposed to have -read them, digested their contents, acquired a knowledge of the gun, and -some skill in its use, and to have been frequently in the field, but to -be perfect neither in the use of the gun, nor the practice of the -sportsman’s art. There are, however, a few simple suggestions that may -prove valuable, not only in acquiring the ability to shoot, but in -restoring it where, from want of practice, it has diminished.</p> - -<p>The sportsman must be as quick and ready in handling his gun as the -juggler in handling his tools; he must be able to bring it to his -shoulder and point the muzzle at a stationary mark simultaneously, to -aim in every direction with equal facility, and to follow a moving -object accurately. This is merely mechanical, and is acquired, like -every other mechanical art, by dint of practice.</p> - -<p>Some writers recommend firing at turnips tossed through the air by an -assistant, and this is well; but an equally advantageous plan is to -throw a soft ball about a room and take aim at it, pulling the trigger -every time, with an unloaded and uncocked gun. The sole, but important, -recommendation of this idea is, that it may be carried out anywhere and -at all seasons, and if the reader will try it daily<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_411" id="page_411"></a>{411}</span> for a week before -going into the field, he will perceive the effects.</p> - -<p>So also, to acquire quickness: if the reader will throw two small -objects—pennies, or the like—into the air, and endeavor to aim at or -hit them both before they reach the ground, he will in a short time -obtain such facility that he will be able to lay down his gun, and after -throwing the pennies, to pick it up and hit them both twice out of three -times.</p> - -<p>To shoot at pigeons from a trap, robins from trees, and even swallows on -the wing, although the practice differs greatly from shooting at game, -is useful to a certain extent; but steady and long-continued practice of -this nature is injurious rather than beneficial. It is somewhat -notorious that the celebrated pigeon-shots are generally poor marksmen -in the field, and entirely at a loss in thick covert.</p> - -<p>After all, however, the best place to learn the use of the gun, while it -is by all odds the pleasantest, is in the field; where, amid the -thousand beauties of nature, and under the excitement of the presence of -game, the sportsman by slow degrees overcomes the innumerable -difficulties that surround the art of shooting flying.</p> - -<p>Closely allied to skill in killing the right object is the ability to -avoid killing the wrong one. A gun is extremely dangerous—how much so -is known only to those who have handled it long; in spite of the best -care it will occasionally go off at unexpected times, and in careless -hands is sure, sooner or later,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_412" id="page_412"></a>{412}</span> to do terrible damage. Every possible -precaution must be taken, vigilance must never be relaxed, the muzzle -must under no circumstances point towards the owner or his companions; -if two men are crawling through thick brush, the gun of the first must -point forwards, and of the last, backwards; the caps of muzzle-loaders -should be removed on getting into a wagon, and when the loaded weapon is -left in a house the hammers ought never to be left down on the caps; -but, above all, no man who is not in search of an early grave should -pull a gun towards him by the barrels.</p> - -<p>These rules are simple, and the reasons for them apparent; if the hammer -is on the cap, a blow on it, or its catching on a twig, will discharge -the load; if a horse runs away, as horses have an unpleasant habit of -doing, even if the lock is at half-cock, the tumbler may be broken down; -if a gun is capped in a house, every one but an idiot knows it is -loaded; and if it is drawn towards a person—as will be often done by -thoughtless people in taking it from a wagon or lifting it from a boat -or from the ground—it is almost sure to go off.</p> - -<p>In the field it should be earned either at whole or half-cock; -authorities differ as to which of these two modes is the safer. If the -hammer is at full cock, a touch on the trigger will set it loose; if it -is at half-cock, in the excitement of cocking it when a bird rises -unexpectedly, it will often slip unintentionally. I prefer the former -method, believing that the sense of danger makes the person more<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_413" id="page_413"></a>{413}</span> -careful, and that the risk of a twig’s touching the trigger in spite of -the trigger-guard is very slight, while the weapon is ready for instant -use, and only has to be pointed at the object and discharged. Moreover, -I have twice seen a gun that was at half-cock discharged when the -sportsman was in the act of cocking it hastily, and twice when putting -it back to half-cock; but the piece should never for a moment be trusted -out of the sportsman’s hands without his first putting it at half-cock; -nor should he ever cross a fence without the same precaution. In -changing from whole to half-cock, pass the hammer below the first notch, -so as to hear a distinct click when it is drawn back.</p> - -<p>Countrymen when about to walk a log over a rapid stream, will usually -carefully put the hammers down on the caps, and placing the butt on the -log, steady themselves by it, thus insuring their destruction if they -should happen to slip; and if they stand on a fence they do the same -thing, and rest the stock on the upper rail. Not only should such -follies be avoided, but the gun should never be leaned against a tree, -as thoughtless people are apt to do when they stop at a spring to drink, -and never placed where it can slip or roll.</p> - -<p>When you desire to reload a muzzle-loader, put the hammer of the loaded -barrel at half-cock, and if the right barrel has been discharged, set -down the butt so that the hammers are towards you, and the contrary way -if the left barrel is to be loaded; in this manner you will avoid -bringing your hand over the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_414" id="page_414"></a>{414}</span> loaded barrel, and in case the other charge -should go off you would lose the end of your thumb, perhaps, but save -most of your fingers.</p> - -<p>From the foregoing rules, which apply mainly to muzzle-loaders, it will -be seen how much safer are breech-loaders; with them the entire charge -can be withdrawn on entering a house or getting into a wagon, and there -is absolutely no danger to fingers or thumb in the process of loading. -And in carrying the weapon on long tramps in the woods, where it is -frequently removed from boat to shoulder, from shoulder to boat, and -from wagon to case, and when it has to be ready at any instant, with the -muzzle-loader the only possible precaution is to leave the nipples -without caps, which are to be carried in the vest pocket, and must be -removed after every vain alarm; while with the breech-loader, the charge -itself is not inserted till needed.</p> - -<p>With these few suggestions, which are applicable not merely to the kinds -of sport treated of in this volume, but to every species of shooting, we -leave the young sportsman to his own resources and to the knowledge that -he will acquire in the field, hoping that he may find something in them -that will aid him to kill reasonably often the game he points at, and to -avoid the dreadful misfortune of injuring a friend or companion.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_415" id="page_415"></a>{415}</span></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI.<br /><br /> -DIRECTIONS FOR BUILDING A BATTERY.</h3> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">A battery</span>, or sink-boat as it is called in some parts of the country, is -a narrow box with a platform around it, so arranged that the weight of -the shooter will sink it so nearly level with the water that the ducks -will not notice it when it is hidden among the stand of stools that are -always anchored around it. The box is almost square, narrowed a little -on the bottom and at the foot, twenty-two inches across at the head, -eighteen at the foot on the top, and four less on the bottom; the two -end pieces are of one and a half inch oak, the sides of three-quarter -inch white pine. It is fifteen inches deep, except at the head, which -shoals up to six inches, beginning about two feet abaft the end. This is -done in order to enable the sportsman to look over the edge of the box -without getting a cramp in his neck, and besides to reduce the flotation -of the battery as much as possible, which is a most important thing to -effect. The narrowing of the bottom is for the same purpose of -diminishing the buoyancy, for as it has to be sunk to the level of the -water if the weight of the sportsman will not bring it down -sufficiently, iron weights, or what is far preferable, iron decoys, have -to be placed in it or on it, and weights in the box are always in the -way.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_416" id="page_416"></a>{416}</span></p> - -<p>Two oak carlings are cut out six feet long, one and a quarter inch -thick, and two and a half wide in the middle, tapering off to one and a -quarter at the ends, with a bow or spring of an inch from the center to -the extremities. Nail these firmly on each end an inch below the top of -the box, and to them fasten the platform, which is made of planed stuff -ten feet long, and to each end of which a batten is nailed as well as a -short additional carling in the middle, projecting from the side of the -box. Fill in the head and foot of the platform with short pieces, so as -to make it compact, and take especial care to have it fit tightly around -the box. As it is made of three-quarter inch stuff, there will be left a -quarter of an inch all around the box to which, when the other work is -done, a narrow piece of lead is nailed that can be raised to keep out -the water in rough weather. Two boards, or what is better, two frames -covered with duck, are hinged together by leather hinges. These are one -foot wide each, and as long as the platform, and are hinged to it on -both sides. A foot-piece made of two boards is hinged to the foot in the -same way. To the head it is customary, on Long Island, to fasten a -fender of the width of the battery and wings, and eighteen or twenty -feet long. It is made of duck nailed to thin wooden slats, is tied on to -the battery when in use, and taken off at other times. In other parts of -the country it is customary to dispense with the fender and substitute a -head wing of three boards hinged on like the foot and side wings. A -single board,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_417" id="page_417"></a>{417}</span> fourteen to sixteen inches wide, can be used at the foot -in place of the double foot wing. Sometimes an additional row of lead is -put on about the middle of the platform as an additional breakwater.</p> - -<p>The battery is anchored at both ends. From the head of the fender a sort -of bridle, a short rope tied into the two corners, is fastened at the -center or bight to the anchor rope. A small grapnel or light anchor is -used at the head, as it is important that it should not drag, while at -the stern, to a rope led through a hole in the foot board, a stone is -fastened. This is arranged in this way as it is occasionally necessary -to haul it in and throw it out again on a change of wind. The entire -surface of the battery, wings and all, is to be painted a dull blue, as -near the color of the water as possible. The necessary iron decoys, to -bring the whole structure down to a level with the water, are set upon -the platform, and the stand of stools, not less than a hundred and -fifty, and double that number is better, are placed around the battery, -mostly at the foot and towards the left side if the shooter is -right-handed. A bottom board of half-inch stuff, with half-inch cleats -under it, is put in the bottom of the box for the gunner to lie on, and -all is ready for the exercises to begin. A sink-box made on this plan -will stand quite a heavy sea, but care must be exercised in taking it up -that the wind does not get under the fender when it is being hauled -aboard the sailing vessel, that is ordinarily used in this kind of -shooting, for if it does, and it is blowing at all hard, the fender,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_418" id="page_418"></a>{418}</span> -box, platform and all will be lifted out of the water and tossed -skyward. Wear dull-colored clothes, never a red shirt, and a cap in -battery shooting. And first and last, remember never to rise to shoot -before the birds are well into the lower portion of the stools. More -birds are lost by getting up too soon to shoot than from any other -cause.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_016.jpg" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_419" id="page_419"></a>{419}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="APPENDIX" id="APPENDIX"></a>APPENDIX.</h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">The</span> following technical descriptions are taken mainly from “Giraud’s -Birds of Long Island,” a work that is now almost out of print, but which -is more valuable to the student of nature than some of its more -pretentious rivals; and I have interpolated such suggestions and made -such alterations as my experience dictated and the purposes of this work -demanded. A discourse on the wild-fowl of the Northern States hardly -seemed complete without such a description of them as would enable the -sportsman to distinguish one from another; and yet it was not within the -purview of a work intended for sportsmen, to devote much attention or -many of its pages to ornithology. This is therefore condensed into an -Appendix, where it will not trouble the general reader, but will be easy -of reference when the information it contains is wanted.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">The Goose.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Genus Anser</i>, Briss.</p> - -<p><i>Generic Distinctions.</i>—In this class of birds, the bill is shorter -than the head, rather higher than broad at the base; head small, -compressed; neck long and slender; body full; feet short, stout, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_420" id="page_420"></a>{420}</span> -central, which enables them to walk with ease; wings long; tail short, -rounded.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">The Wild Goose.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Canada Goose.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas Canadensis</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Length of bill from the corner of the mouth to -the end, two inches and three-sixteenths; length of tarsi, two inches -and seven-eighths; length from the point of the bill to the end of the -tail, about forty inches; wing, eighteen; the head and greater portion -of the neck black; cheeks and throat white. Adult with the head, greater -part of the neck, primaries, rump, and tail, black; back and wings -brown, margined with paler brown; lower part of the neck and under -plumage, whitish-grey; flanks, darker grey; cheeks and throat white, as -are the upper and under tail-coverts. The plumage of the female rather -duller.</p> - -<p>This bird is nowhere very abundant, but migrates across the Northern -States in their entire breadth from ocean to ocean; it obeys the call -well, and stools readily if the gunner is carefully concealed. It is the -latest in its migrations of the wild-fowl.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">The Brant.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Barnacle Goose—Brent Goose.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas Bernicla</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill black; head and neck all round black; a -patch on the sides of the neck white;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_421" id="page_421"></a>{421}</span> upper parts brownish-grey, the -feathers margined with light greyish-brown; quills and primary coverts -greyish-black; fore part of breast light brownish-grey, the feathers -terminally margined with greyish-white; abdomen and lower tail-coverts -white; sides grey; feathers rather broadly tipped with white. Length two -feet; wing fourteen inches and a half. Female rather smaller.</p> - -<p>The brant is not fond of the fresh lakes and streams, but prefers the -ocean and its contiguous bays and lagoons; it is far more abundant along -the sea-coast than upon the western waters, and in fact I am not aware -that I have ever killed one in the inland States. It responds to its -peculiar note, stools well, and is often killed in great numbers on the -South Bay of Long Island.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">The Swan.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Genus Cygnus</i>, Meyer.</p> - -<p><i>Generic Distinctions.</i>—Bill longer than the head, higher than broad at -the base, depressed and a little widened towards the end; upper -mandible, rounded, with the dorsal line sloping; lower mandible -flattened, with the angle very long, and rather narrow; nostrils placed -near the ridge; head of moderate size, oblong, compressed; neck -extremely long and slender; body very large, compact, depressed; feet -short, stout, placed a little behind the centre of the body; tarsi -short; wings long, broad; tail very short, graduated.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_422" id="page_422"></a>{422}</span></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">The White Swan.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">American Swan.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Cygnus Americanus</i>, Aud.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Plumage, pure white; bill and feet black; length -of the specimen before us, four feet; wing twenty-one and a half inches.</p> - -<p>These magnificent birds, the most majestic of the game-birds of our -continent, are rarely shot to the northward and eastward of Chesapeake -bay, but are much more abundant in the far West—even to and beyond the -Rocky Mountains.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Fresh-water Ducks.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Genus Anas</i>, Linn.</p> - -<p><i>Generic Distinctions.</i>—Bill higher than broad at the base, widening -towards the end, and about the same length as the head; the upper -mandible with a slight nail at the end; neck rather long; body full; -wings moderate, pointed; feet short, stout, and placed behind the centre -of the body; walks with a waddling gait; hind toe furnished with a -narrow membrane.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Mallard.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Green Head, English Duck, Grey Duck (female), the Duck, the Wild Duck.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas Boschas</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Speculum bright purple, reflecting green, -bordered with black; secondaries<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_423" id="page_423"></a>{423}</span> broadly tipped with black; secondary -coverts towards their ends white, broadly tipped with black; adult male -with the entire head and upper part of the neck bright green, with a few -touches of reddish-brown passing from the forehead, on the occiput; -middle of the neck with a white ring; the lower part of the neck and -breast reddish-brown, approaching to chocolate; fore part of the back -light brown, rest of the back darker; rump black; upper tail coverts -greenish-black; upper parts of the wings brown, intermixed with grey; -breast, sides, flanks, and abdomen, grey, transversely barred with -dusky; bill greenish-yellow; feet reddish-orange; tail rounded, -consisting of sixteen pointed feathers, nearly white; speculum violet; -length two feet, wing eleven inches.</p> - -<p>Female smaller than the male; speculum less brilliant; general plumage -brown; head and neck streaked with dusky; the feathers on the back and -flanks margined with white, with a central spot of brown on the outer -webs; bill black, changing to orange at the extremity.</p> - -<p>This bird is abundant both at the West and along the coast, but on the -fresh water it frequents the mud-holes and shallow marshes, in -contradistinction to the open water-ducks that affect the broad unbroken -stretches of water.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_424" id="page_424"></a>{424}</span></p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Black Duck.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Dusky Duck.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas Obscura</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—General plumage dusky; speculum green, reflecting -purple, bordered with black; secondaries tipped with white. Adult with -the forehead, crown, occiput, and middle space on the hind neck -brownish-black, the feathers slightly margined with greyish-brown; -cheeks, loral space, and sides of the neck dusky grey, streaked with -black; throat reddish-brown; general plumage dusky, lighter beneath; -under wing-coverts white; speculum brilliant green; bill yellowish; feet -reddish-orange. Female rather smaller, plumage lighter, speculum less -brilliant. Length of male about two feet; wing eleven inches.</p> - -<p>These ducks are killed equally in the fresh and salt waters; they come -to the decoys warily.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Gadwall.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Welsh Drake, German Duck.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas Strepera</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Speculum white; secondary coverts black; upper -wing-coverts chestnut red; general plumage dusky grey, waved with white; -abdomen white. Adult with the bill bluish-black; head and upper part of -the neck grey, streaked with dusky—darkest on the upper part of the -head, as well as the middle space on the hind neck; lower<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_425" id="page_425"></a>{425}</span> neck, upper -part of the breast and fore part of the back blackish-brown, the -feathers marked with semicircular bands of white, more distinctly on the -fore part of the neck and upper part of the breast; sides of the body -pencilled with greyish-white and dusky; lower part of the breast and -abdomen white, the latter barred with dusky towards the vent; lower and -upper tail-coverts and sides of the rump greenish-black; tail -greyish-brown, margined with white; hind part of the back dark brown, -faintly barred with white; primaries brown; secondaries greyish-brown, -tipped with white; middle coverts reddish-brown; a few of the outer -secondaries broadly margined with greenish-black; inner scapulars brown, -broadly margined with dull yellowish-brown; outer undulated with dark -brown and yellowish-white; feet dull orange. Female two inches shorter; -about four inches less in extent. Length twenty-one inches and a half; -wing eleven.</p> - -<p>This is an ugly duck, and not much esteemed by epicure or sportsman.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Widgeon.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Bald-pate.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas Americana</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill short, the color light greyish-blue; -speculum green, banded with black; under wing-coverts white. Adult male -with the loral space, sides of the head below the eye, upper part of the -neck and throat, brownish-white, spotted<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_426" id="page_426"></a>{426}</span> with black; a broad band of -white, commencing at the base of the upper mandible, passing over the -crown; behind the eye, a broad band of light green, extending backwards -on the hind neck about three inches; the feathers on the nape rather -long; lower neck and sides of the breast, with a portion of the upper -part of the breast, reddish-brown; rest of the lower parts white, -excepting a patch of black at the base of the tail; under tail-coverts -same color; flanks brown, barred with dusky; tail greyish-brown, tipped -with white; two middle feathers darker and longest; upper tail-coverts -white, barred with dusky; lower part of the hind-neck and fore part of -the back undulated with brownish and light brownish-red, hind part -undulated with greyish-white; primaries brown; outer webs of inner -secondaries black, margined with white—inner webs greyish-brown; -secondary coverts white tipped with black; speculum brilliant green, -formed by the middle secondaries. Length twenty-one inches, wing ten and -a half. Female smaller, plumage duller, without the green markings.</p> - -<p>This duck is much prized along the sea-coast, but at the West he holds -an inferior rank.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Pintail.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Sprig-tail—Pigeon-tail—Grey-Duck.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas Acuta</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill long and narrow, lead color; at the tip a -spot of block, at the corner of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_427" id="page_427"></a>{427}</span> the mouth a spot of similar color; neck -long and slender; speculum bright purple, with reflecting deep green -bordered with black; the feathers broadly tipped with white; tail long -and pointed. Adult male with head, cheeks, throat, upper parts of the -neck in front and sides, dark brown; a band of light purple behind the -eye, extending about three inches on the sides of the neck; on the hind -neck a band of black, with green reflections, fading as it extends on -the back—a band of white commencing between the two former, passing -down the neck on the lower part of the fore neck; breast and fore part -of the abdomen white, tinged with pale yellow—hind part of the abdomen -and vent greyish-white tinged with yellow, and marked with undulated -lines of brown or dusky; at the base of the tail a patch of black; under -tail-coverts black, margined with whitish; two middle feathers black, -with green reflections, narrow, and about three inches longer than the -rest, which are rather long and tapering; upper tail-coverts ash-grey, -margined with yellowish-white, with a central streak of dusky. Rump -greyish-brown, marked with undulating lines of white; sides of the rump -cream color; sides of the body, back, and sides of the breast, marked -with undulating lines of black and white. Primaries brown; shafts -brownish-white, darker at their tips; secondaries and scapulars black, -with green reflections, the former margined with grey, which is the -color of the greater part of the outer web, the latter margined with -white; speculum<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_428" id="page_428"></a>{428}</span> bright purple, with splendid green reflections edged -with black, the feathers broadly tipped with white. Length twenty-nine -inches, wing eleven. Female with the upper part of the head and hind -neck dark brown, streaked with dusky; sides of the throat and fore neck -lighter; a few touches of rust color on the chin and on the base of the -bill. Upper plumage brown, the feathers margined and tipped with -brownish-white; lower plumage brownish-white, mottled with brown; -speculum less extensive, and without the lengthened tail feathers so -conspicuous in the male.</p> - -<p>This duck is more abundant in the neighborhood of the great lakes than -along the margin of the ocean; in epicurean qualities it ranks with the -black duck.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Wood-duck.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Summer-Duck.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas Sponsa</i>, Aud.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—The pendant crest, the throat, upper portion of -the fore neck, and bands on the sides of the neck white, with the -speculum blue, glossed with green and tipped with white. Adult male with -the bill bright red at the base, the sides yellow; between the nostrils -a black spot reaching nearly to the black, hooked nail; the head is -furnished with long silken feathers, which fall gracefully over the hind -neck, in certain lights exhibiting all the colors of the rainbow; a -narrow<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_429" id="page_429"></a>{429}</span> white line from the base of the upper mandible, passing over the -eye; a broader band of the same color behind the eye, both bands -mingling with the long feathers on the occiput; throat and upper portion -of the fore neck pure white, a band of the same color inclining towards -the eye; a similar band on the sides of the neck, nearly meeting on the -nape; lower portion of the neck reddish-purple, the fore part marked -with triangular spots of white; breast and abdomen dull white; sides of -the body yellowish-grey, undulated with black; the feathers towards the -ends marked with a broad band of black, succeeded by a band of white; -tips black; tail and upper tail-coverts greenish-black; lower -tail-coverts brown; sides of the rump dull reddish-purple; rump, back, -and middle portions of the hind neck, dark reddish-brown, tinged with -green; a broad white band before the wings, terminating with black; -lesser wing-coverts and primaries brown, most of the latter with a -portion of their outer webs silvery white; the inner webs glossed with -green towards the ends; secondaries tipped with white; their webs blue, -glossed with green; the inner webs brown, their crowns violet-blue; -secondaries black.</p> - -<p>Female, upper part of the head dusky, glossed with green; sides of the -head, upper portion of the sides of the neck, with the nape, -greyish-brown; a white patch behind the eye; throat white, the bands on -the sides of the neck faintly developed; fore part and sides of the -neck, with the sides of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_430" id="page_430"></a>{430}</span> body, yellowish-brown, marked with -greyish-brown; breast and abdomen white, the former spotted with brown; -lower tail-coverts greyish-white, mottled with brown; tail and upper -tail-coverts dark brown, glossed with green; rump, back, and hind neck, -dark brown, glossed with green and purple; bill dusky, feet dull green. -The crest less than that of the male, and plain dull brown. Length -twenty inches; wing eight inches and a half.</p> - -<p>This is an extremely beautiful duck, but of moderate size; it is rare on -the sea-coast, but absolutely swarms during the month of September among -the lily-pads of the Western swamps. Fed upon the berry of this plant, -called at the South chincapin, it becomes fat and deliciously tender. It -does not pay much attention to decoys.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Green-winged Teal.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas.</i></p> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas Crecca</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill black, short, and narrow; the outer webs of -the first five secondaries black, tipped with white; the next five plain -rich green, forming the speculum; secondary coverts tipped with pale -reddish-buff. Adult male with a dusky band at the base of the bill, of -which color is the throat; a faint white band under the eye; upper part -of the neck, sides of the head, and the crown, chestnut brown; a broad -band of bright green commencing behind the eye, passing down on the -nape,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_431" id="page_431"></a>{431}</span> where it is separated by the terminal portion of the crest, which -is dark blue; lower part of the hind neck, a small space on the fore -neck, and the sides of the body, undulated with lines of black and -white; lower portion of the fore neck and upper part of the breast -reddish-brown, distinctly marked with round spots of brownish-black; -abdomen yellowish-white, faintly undulated with dusky; a patch of black -under the tail; outer tail-feathers buff, inner white, with a large spot -of black on the inner webs; tail brown, margined with whitish, the outer -feathers greenish-black; upper parts brown, faintly undulated with black -and white, on the fore part of the back; outer scapulars similar, with a -portion of their outer webs black; lesser wing-coverts brown-ash; -greater coverts tipped with reddish-cream; the first five secondaries -velvety-black; the next five bright green, forming the speculum, which -is bounded above by pale reddish-buff, and on each side by deep black; -before the wing a transverse, broad white band.</p> - -<p>Female smaller; head and neck streaked with brownish-white and dusky, -darker on the upper part of the head; lower parts reddish-brown, the -feathers margined with dusky, upper parts dusky-brown, the feathers -margined and spotted with pale reddish-white, without the chestnut red -and the green on the head; the black patch is wanting, as is the white -band before the wings, the conspicuous spot on the wings is less -extensive. Its short and narrow bill is at all times a strong specific -character;<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_432" id="page_432"></a>{432}</span> length fifteen inches; wing seven inches and a half.</p> - -<p>This is an excellent little duck, too confiding for its own security, -but capable of saving itself by great rapidity of flight. It is greatly -attracted by decoys, and will generally alight among them if permitted.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Blue-winged Teal.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas Discors</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill bluish-black and long in proportion with the -other dimensions of this species; smaller wing-coverts light-blue; -speculum purplish-green. Adult male with the upper part of the head -black; a broad band of white on the sides of the head, before the eye -margined with black; rest part of the head, and upper part of the neck -greyish-brown, with purple reflections on the hind neck; chin black; -lower parts reddish-brown; lower part of the fore neck and sides of the -body spotted with blackish-brown; breast and abdomen barred with the -same color; lower tail-coverts blackish-brown; tail brown, margined with -paler, the feathers pointed, a patch of white on the sides of the rump; -back brownish-black, glossed with green; the feathers on the fore part -of the back and lower portion of the hind neck margined with -yellowish-white; primaries brown; inner webs of the secondaries same -color; outer vanes dark green, which form the speculum; secondary -coverts brown, the outer broadly tipped with white, the inner tipped -with blue; tertials dark-green,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_433" id="page_433"></a>{433}</span> with central markings of deep buff; -feet dull yellow.</p> - -<p>Female without the white patch on the sides of the head; throat white; -lower parts greyish-brown, the feathers spotted with darker; upper parts -blackish-brown, the feathers margined with bluish-white and pale buff; -smaller wing-coverts blue; speculum green; secondary coverts the same as -those of the male; length fourteen inches, wing seven inches and a half.</p> - -<p>This species greatly resembles the last.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Spoonbill.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Shoveller.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Anas Clypeata</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill brownish-black, about three inches in -length, near the end it is more than twice as broad as it is at the -base; much rounded and closely pectinated, the size of the upper -mandible at the base having the appearance of a fine-toothed comb. Adult -male with the head and the neck for about half its length glossy green, -with purple reflections; lower part of the neck and upper part of the -breast white; rest of the lower plumage deep chestnut-brown, excepting -the lower tail-coverts and a band across the vent, which is black, some -of the feathers partly green; flanks brownish-yellow pencilled with -black and blackish-brown; inner secondaries dark green with terminal -spot of white; outer<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_434" id="page_434"></a>{434}</span> secondaries lighter green; primaries dark brown, -their shafts white, with dusky tips; lesser wing-coverts light blue; -speculum golden-green; rump and upper tail-coverts greenish-black, a -patch of white at the sides of the rump; tail dark brown, the feathers -pointed, broadly edged with white, of which color are the inner webs of -the three outer feathers.</p> - -<p>Female with the crown dusky; upper plumage blackish-brown, the feathers -edged with reddish-brown; breast yellowish-white, marked with -semicircular spots of white. Young male with similar markings on the -breast; length twenty inches and a half, wing ten.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Sea-Duck.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Genus Fuligula.</i></p> - -<p><i>Generic Distinctions.</i>—In this class the head is rather larger, neck -rather shorter and thicker, than in the preceding genus (Anas), plumage -more dense, feet stronger, and the hind toe with a broad appendage, -which is the principal distinction.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Canvas-back.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Fuligula Valisneria</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill black, the length about three inches, and -very high at the base; fore part of the head and the throat dusky; -irides deep red; breast brownish-black. Adult male with the forehead,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_435" id="page_435"></a>{435}</span> -loral space, throat, and upper part of the head dusky; sides of the -head, neck all round for nearly the entire length, reddish-chestnut; -lower neck, fore part of the breast and back black; rest of the back -white, closely marked with undulating lines of black; rump and upper -tail-coverts blackish; wing-coverts grey, speckled with blackish; -primaries and secondaries light slate color; tail short, the feathers -pointed; lower part of the breast and abdomen white; flanks same color, -finely pencilled with dusky; lower tail-coverts blackish-brown, -intermixed with white; length twenty-two inches, wing nine and a -quarter.</p> - -<p>Female, upper parts greyish-brown; neck, sides, and abdomen the same; -upper part of the breast brown; belly white, pencilled with blackish; -rather smaller than the male, with the crown blackish-brown.</p> - -<p>This is without question the finest duck that flies, as it is the -largest and gamest; it is abundant late in the season, but wary.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Red-Head.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Fuligula Ferina</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill bluish, towards the end black, and about two -inches and a quarter long; irides yellowish-red. Adult male with head, -which is rather large, and the upper part of the neck all round, dark -reddish chestnut, brightest on the hind neck; lower part of the neck, -extending on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_436" id="page_436"></a>{436}</span> back and upper part of the breast, black; abdomen -white, darker towards the vent, where it is barred with undulating lines -of dusky; flanks grey, closely barred with black; scapulars the same; -primaries brownish-grey; secondaries lighter; back greyish-brown, barred -with fine lines of white; rump and upper tail coverts blackish-brown; -tail feathers greyish-brown, lighter at the base; lower tail-coverts -brownish-black, rather lighter than the upper; length twenty inches; -wing nine and a half. Female about two inches smaller, with the head, -neck, breast, and general color of the upper parts brown; darker on the -upper part of the head, lighter on the back; bill, legs, and feet, -similar to those of the male.</p> - -<p>This duck, as it is scarcely distinguishable from the canvas-back, and -has mainly the same habits, is but little inferior to that incomparable -bird.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Broad-Bill.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Blue Bill, Scaup, Black Head, Raft Duck.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Fuligula Marila</i>, Linn.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—The head and neck all round, with the fore part -of the breast and fore part of back, black; the sides of the head and -the sides and hind part of the neck dark green, reflecting purple; -length of bill, when measured along the gap, two inches and -five-sixteenths; length of tarsi one inch and three-eighths; length from -the point of the bill to the end of the tail nineteen inches; wing eight -inches and five-eighths; a broad white band crossing the secondaries<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_437" id="page_437"></a>{437}</span> -and continues on the inner primaries. Adult male with the forehead, -crown, throat, and upper part of the fore neck brownish-black; sides of -the head, neck, and hind neck, dark green; lower portion of the neck all -round, with the upper part of the breast, purplish-black; rest of the -lower parts white, undulated with black towards the vent; under -tail-coverts blackish-brown; tail short, dark brown, margined and tipped -with lighter brown; upper tail-coverts and rump blackish-brown; middle -of the back undulated with black and white; fore part black; wings -brown, darker at the base and tips; speculum white, formed by the band -crossing the secondaries and inner primaries; scapulars and inner -secondaries undulated with black and white; secondary coverts -blackish-brown, undulated with white. Female with a broad patch of white -on the forehead; head, neck, and fore part of the breast umber brown; -upper parts blackish-brown; abdomen and lower portions of breast white; -scapulars faintly marked with white.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Whistler.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Golden Eye, Great Head.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Fuligula Clangula</i>, Linn.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill black, high at the base, where there is -quite a large spot of white; head ornamented with a beautiful crest, and -feathers more than an inch long and loose; insides yellow; the entire -head and upper part of the neck rich glossy-green, with purple -reflections, more particularly so<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_438" id="page_438"></a>{438}</span> on the throat and forehead; rest of -the neck, with the entire plumage, white; sides of the rump and vent -dusky grey; tail greyish-brown; back and wings brownish-black—a large -patch of white on the latter, formed by the larger portion of the -secondaries and the tips of its coverts; legs reddish-orange. Length -twenty inches; wing nine inches. Female head and upper part of the neck -dull brown; wings dusky; lower parts white, as are six of the -secondaries and their coverts; the tips of the latter dusky. About three -inches smaller than the male.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Dipper.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Butter Ball, Buffel-Headed Duck, Spirit Duck.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Fuligula Albeola</i>, Linn.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Bill blue, from the corner of the mouth to the -end about one inch and a half, the sides rounded, narrowed towards the -point; head thickly crested, a patch behind the eye and a band on the -wings white. Adult male with the plumage of the head and neck thick, and -long forehead; loral space and hind neck rich glossy green, changing -into purple on the crown and sides of the head; from the eye backwards -over the head a triangular patch of white; the entire breast and sides -of the body pure white; abdomen dusky white; tail rounded, -greyish-brown; upper tail-coverts lighter; under tail-coverts soiled -white; back and wings black, with a patch of white on the latter. Female -upper plumage sooty-brown, with a band of white on the sides<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_439" id="page_439"></a>{439}</span> of the -head; outer webs of a few of the secondaries same color; lower part of -the fore neck ash-color; breast and abdomen soiled white; tail feathers -rather darker than those of the male. Male fourteen and a half inches -long; wing six inches and three-fourths. Female rather smaller.</p> - -<p>The dipper is quite plentiful everywhere in the Northern States, but not -much valued.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Old Wife.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">South Southerly, Old Squaw, Long-Tailed Duck.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Faligula Glacialis</i>, Linn.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Length of bill, from the termination of the -frontlet feathers to the point, one inch and one-sixteenth—the upper -mandible rounded; the sides very thin; the bill rather deeply serrated, -and furnished with a long nail; tail feathers acute. In the male the -middle pair of tail feathers are extended about four inches beyond the -next longest, which character is wanting with the female. Adult male -with the bill black at the base; anterior to the nostril reddish-orange, -with a dusky line margining the nail; fore part of the head white, the -same color passing over the head down the hind neck on the back; eyes -dark red; cheeks and loral space dusky-white, with a few touches of -yellowish-brown; a black patch on the sides of the neck terminating in -reddish-brown; fore neck white; breast brownish-black, terminating in an -oval form on the abdomen—the latter white; flanks bluish-white; -primaries<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_440" id="page_440"></a>{440}</span> dark brown; secondaries lighter brown, their coverts black; a -semicircular band of black on the fore part of the back; the outer two -tail feathers white—the rest marked with brown, excepting the four -acuminated feathers, which are blackish-brown, the middle pair extending -several inches beyond the others. Female without the long scapulars or -elongated tail feathers; bill dusky-green; head dark, greyish-brown—a -patch of greyish-white on the sides of the neck; crown blackish; upper -parts dark greyish-brown; lower parts white. Length of male from the -point of the bill to the end of the elongated tail feathers twenty-three -inches; wing eight inches and five-eighths. Female about six inches less -in length.</p> - -<p>This bird is abundant along the coast, but is generally tough and fishy.</p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Merganser.</span></h4> - -<p class="c"><i>Genus Mergus</i>, Linn.</p> - -<p><i>Generic Distinctions.</i>—Bill straight, higher than broad at base; much -smaller towards the end; upper mandible hooked; teeth sharp; head rather -large, compressed; body rather long, depressed; plumage very thick; feet -placed far behind; wings moderate, acute; tail short, rounded.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_441" id="page_441"></a>{441}</span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_017.jpg" alt="SHELDRAKE." title="" /> -<br /> -<span class="caption">SHELDRAKE.</span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_442" id="page_442"></a>{442}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_443" id="page_443"></a>{443}</span> </p> - -<h4><span class="smcap">Shell-Drake.</span></h4> - -<p class="c">Goosander Wenser.</p> - -<p class="c"><i>Mergus Merganser</i>, Wils.</p> - -<p><i>Specific Character.</i>—Forehead low; head rounded, crested; bill bright -red, the ridge black, high at base; upper mandible much hooked. Adult -male with the head and upper part of the neck greenish-black; lower -portion of the neck white; under plumage light buff, delicately tinged -with rose-color, which fades after death; sides of the rump -greyish-white, marked with undulating lines of dusky; fore part of the -back and inner scapulars glossy black; hind part of the back ash-grey; -the feathers margined and tipped with greyish-white, lighter on the -rump; upper tail-coverts grey, the feathers marked with central streaks -of dusky; tail feathers darker; primaries dark brown; wing coverts and -secondaries white, the outer webs of the latter edged with black; the -basal part of the greater coverts black, forming a conspicuous band on -the wings; under tail-coverts white, outer webs marked with dusky grey, -which is the color of the greater part of the web; bill and feet bright -red. Female with the head and upper part of the neck reddish-brown; -throat and lower neck in front white; breast and abdomen deeply tinged -with buff; upper parts and sides of the body ash-grey; speculum white. -Length of male, twenty-seven inches; wing, ten and a half. Female about -three inches smaller. Young like the female.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_444" id="page_444"></a>{444}</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/ill_018.jpg" alt="[Image unavailable.]" /> -</div> - -<p class="cb"> -<big><big><big>The American Agriculturist</big></big></big><br /> -FOR THE<br /> -Farm, Garden, and Household.<br /> -<br /> -Established in 1842.</p> - -<p class="cb"><big>The Best and Cheapest Agricultural Journal in the World.</big></p> - -<p><small>TERMS</small>, which include postage <i>pre-paid</i> by the Publishers: $1.50 per -annum, in advance; 3 copies for $4; 4 copies for $5; 5 copies for $6; 6 -copies for $7; 7 copies for $8; 10 or more copies, only $1 each, Single -Numbers, 15 cents.</p> - -<p class="cb"><big><big>AMERIKANISCHER AGRICULTURIST.</big></big></p> - -<p>The only purely Agricultural German paper in the United States, and the -best in the world. It contains all of the principal matter of the -English Edition, together with special departments for German -cultivators, prepared by writers trained for the work. Terms same as for -the “American Agriculturist.”</p> - -<p class="cb"><big><big>BOOKS FOR FARMERS AND OTHERS.</big></big></p> - -<p>Send ten cents for our new handsomely illustrated and descriptive -Catalogue of Books on all branches of Agriculture, Horticulture, -Architecture, etc. All books comprised in this Catalogue will be mailed -pre-paid on receipt of the price named. 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