The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-01-29
Duo X Shooting on the Potomac.
OUR WASHING ron CORRESPONDENTS.

WASHINGTON, jan 20, 1000
Du Shooting on The Potomac, the Eastern Shore, aue me
iSsss4tehanns--Frcfts Of the Business-Apparatus En-
psoyed-Digaraa Kinds of Ducks Prices in Aarsa-
Difference in Quality and its caae-vunber of Vessels
and Men Employed in killing 0Dcks-Hop to Tell FM
Dtck de-, dc.
fell in a few evenings since with who has fol-
lowed duck shoe ing during the for it. for venty
years past. he bad just been excursion to the
Eastern Shore OF Maryland and the Potomac river and
his way home to Have de Grace, where hs
Sides &c raid he had been absent three xeeSs ard hal
cleared after paying for ovrions and the wages Of his
three hundred Collars. ae has email sloop which
be lives in boat snd guns, and two hundred AMI
sixty decoy ducks The box - contrvauce for duck
shooting which rst introduced the anua
only few years sgo, BY Long Islander 1t consists of
a plain wooden box, just Large enough to hold the
requisite ballast and q mans body. Attached to
the sides Of it broad wooden wings covered wit
check cred cloth All around the edge OF it
there up srpg pder OF sheet lead break tho
dsshes against it. The box is suok wi pig
TO the waers ege then lies down in it, vita hi,
gus beside him. The decoy ducks, which made Of
and pain ed to resemble live ducks well easily
is,as for them Tie distance are placed
the water ound.Dg 5e box The wild ducks mis-
led ny the decoys, and they them
about to ahght the midst OF them, the the x
6res frequently bringing co IN la &c number SOM
times hs has two guns WIN h, both double barreied
rnd fres all tour o8frels i1'o the flock When wshss
to Go hs he waits until part If the fo,s aght before
fires the first barrel T. give him time to fre them
al pesore the ducks get out OF reach.
This mode Of hunting you'd seem hazardous II
o. Tres care, but accidents seldom novice you'd
suppose from inspection Of the apparatus that he
might get coffin NJ or &C. and be done with
It. But squat comes up sli that il requted Is u
throw away the ballast and the box will i've long
beat
Another mode o. kiIlrg ducks is with large swivel
gun which t&es three ousrFers of pound OF sht at
TIE shooter in towsJes The ducks and fires
spprcach.s near them 80 ne ines a. many sixty
killed at single shot The swivel gun is held Anst
The shoulder wien Il is fred T. kicks very hard but
bsnlets or clio BIS are paced behind Il for it to kics
night as they look twi o. large floating the
when alive.
The ducks the Susquebspra river are much superior
TO those killed farther souh They weigh from pound
to pound and half more pair ard soil two three
shiirgsa pair higher In the washingto, market. This
superiority attributed to the better quality of the f.oi
in the hanna 1t consists Chiefly of the Of
grsss, which sveeter In fresh wafer. The in
the susquehanna Havre de Is fresh enough to
for domestic purposes that Of the Potomac in the
viciDity OF Warrington Is quit. brsekish.
The canvas back ducks eel the highest They called
back from the circumstance that portion OF he
back OF the drake resembles piece OF CANVASS On tbs
Potomac they are known as white backs. These
bin dollar and seventy five cents pair In the wash
il gton market
The next most valuable ducks he black heads a.
they called the SUE quehanns, shu-rs they
called en- the Potomac. These brig oaehalf the
price Of he canvass backs
Inc Ied beadH REQ neckf, tcey cAilo1 the
Susquehanbs, sell for onehaf the price Ct the black
beads,
There are about forty sloops over one hundred men
at HAVE de Grace empl yea In killing ducks the
later part If September to March air sportsman Il
Is sai clear thousand dollars n an AVERAGE
se6aOn.
The snly advantage that the Potomac has over The
Surquehanpa for cuek shooting th. 1t ioss reeze
up so soop. at ali On tpe Eastern shore of Maryland
the shooting good bur is icuit to get the ducks to
mslkes.
1t requires come knowledge to tell 60 I'd luck from
poor cne after they hi ed NAnY people II cling
ducks IN the usrke. FOR their table tosk only
have plump breast ard still be Door; an old one N ~
have q prominent pc, ked or snap brssstbons and b.
fa.-eo that Is not . safe criterion 10 90 by. Again
sportmen sometimes press the breas,b0ne Gown and
crowd the fesh up ocni It pGrpose TO make their
ducks FELL hotter. lhe ish way tel Whistler dack
is fat Lot IA by feef behind be legs II Il Ia pimp
sIo full there buy u; you have . fat duck. Cd onas
conSdefed BY many as good young ones, If they
10 ~ n