The Portland daily press., 1870-05-19

The season for shooting sea fowl is over, and
sportsmen can lay aside their guns until the
first of September when the law permits the
shooting OF woodcock and partridge
During this winter and spring less number
usual On three or four several times durino
the winter, parties obtained from 20 to 25 sea
ducks and brakes (eider) from Halfway
Rock and Grasn Islands The cider rarely
comes nearer to main land We wait with in
terest to know, IL the light house, in process of
erection on the Halfway Rock, will close for
ever this famous resort of sea ducks. A few
years since, party from Harpswell had their
boat stove in endeavoring to get off from this
exposed ledge after cunning and came near
perishine before being rescued by passing
vessel.
From the middle of April to the middle Of
May, great numbers of old squaws (pin tailed
ducks) fly into the bay in the morning va
Hussey's Sound, TO feed, and out again at
night to rest on the ocean. The birds are shot,
though not in great numbers, by gunners in
boats, stationed in line from Long Island to
Peaks Island, who shoot at the birds as they
fly over. On every morning and evening,
when the weather permits, may be seen from
ten to twenty boats, laying for old squaws-
On one afternoon we counted twenty -one
boats containing forty-five men, and all the
birds we saw shot in two hours were two. Bad
luck that Five ducks to boat is called good,
old squaw shooting Some of our gunners did
much better than that. The old squaws hav-
ing had their feed, are now moving on again
in their migratory passage toward the north
ern seas, or wherever the next polar expedi-
ton may find their nests. 1t is said that the
principal discovery by one polar navigator
was, where the elder built her nest And the
principal scientific fact from Alaska, is, that
we know for the first time, where the Canvas
Back of Chesapeake Bay lays her eggs and
rears her young.
Black duck shooting was failure this
spring, perhaps the open state of our rivers
and lakes allowed of the ducks passing direct
ly to their breeding places and prevented any
accumulation of these dusky ducks on our
shores.
But very few geese have been shot The
most ado was made over wild goose which
was captured after hard scull by two of our
experienced gunners.
The shooting of coots (surf and velvet ducks)
affords more extensive and extended sport
than any other during April and May. They
are shot over decoys and in flying past points
of land and over bars. 1t is 2 popularity of
this fowl that they will not fly over any por-
ton Of the main land, when migrating. When
on flight, they are shot on the passage by lying
IN vuat or i,fr tI,nx
they stop to feed, as they sometimes do in
large numbers, they are enticed to decoys and
become an easy prey. The principal points at
which they are shot in passing are Richmond
Island, Cape Elizabeth, Jaquish, and Bald
Head near Cape Small point. There are two
principal flights, the first in April and the
second in May.
Parties fit out in Portland and other places,
and remain at Bald Head Phipsburg, at the
eastern end of Casco bay famous place, for
several days. A party this year had less sue
cess there than usual, obtaining from thiity
to fifty birds trip where ordinarily they are
sure of from one hundred to two hundred. Are
these sea fowl, seenin immense numbers while
migrating, becoming less in numbers or did
they pass by this season, farther off shore? One
or two more seasons will be required to answer
the question. The residents along shore say
they are scarccr, and at Bald head the opinion
is, that not 1.-THE of the fowl pass that were
seen there twenty-five years age. We have
seen at Bald head birds constantly in view,
focks Of fowl in sight either coming, passing
or going Off during whole forenoon and were
told that it continued so for month Looms
considered solitary bird, we have counted in
hocks of five and ten and even seventeen. GER
tainly as many as five hundred in half dav,
and a continual stream of sea fowl moving on
at fifty miles an hour. Old squaws move at
about ninety miles an hour.
The residents near Spurwink inform mo
numerous this spring snaf1 mas peen very
duck, wood ducks and coons breed al over tbe
State.
Since the close Of the war hundreds
OF thousands of muzzle loading musk
cts which have been replaced by the Unit
ed States breecb leaders, have been put into
the market and retailed from two to three
dollars apiece. 1t has enabled every one
desirous OF having gun to be gratif1ed. They
are just as efficient as expensive guns of the
same calibre. There is no man living on the
sea shore without one or two muskets, and the
sea fowl are constantly annoyed when in sight
whether in range or not With a party of
eight men counted twenty-six barrels. They
had double guns and most of them two guns
apiece. When birds come in range of such
battery their chance of reaching Labrador is
small.
Sea fowl are not shot merely for sport With
fishermen they make amount of the feathers
as well as the meat, and merry is the house of
the fishermen whose beds are filled with his
shootings. The taste for sea fowl is somewhat
of an acquired one, but many people
regard sea fowl as luxury, and rarely, even
when large number is obtained are there anv
wasted. An old gunner told me few weeks
since, that he enjoyed coot sent him better
than he ever did woodcock
have not heard of any serious accidects
among our gunners this season which testifies
to their uniform care. A spent shot in falling
at distance of over two hundred yards brought
blood from the hip of man, and this was
in violation of rule never to fire in the di-
rection of another boat unless mile away.
One of our West India sea captains told me
that when he followed the fishing business
thirty years ago, he did not put on board bar
rels of beef as now is the custom, but, that he
went on shore on Labrador where sea fowl
made their home, and in two or three DAYS
would shoot fowl enough to salt down several
barrels which they soaked out and cooked as
wanted.
Another Dog story.