The daily gazette., 1880-11-15
DUCK EHOITEaG.

Under this title the Afeld and Afodt,
of last week has an interesting article,
from which we rake the following:
Speseutia Island short distance be-
low the mouth of the Susquehanna, is q
famous place for ducks and geese. From
the middle of September, when blne-
winge d teal and butter balls make their
first appearance, until the middle of
winter, when the inland streams are
closed with ice, myrlads OF ducks, geese,
brant and swan resort TO this famous
feeding. ground and are killed in count
less mum bers by the market shoe ters, and
sent to Baltipore, Philadelphia and Nsw
York. There Is no place in our wide ex-
font of country where duck shooting Is
followed to such an extent and with 50
much ardor an on these famous feeding
grounds. Every species of wild fowl re-
sort 20 these waters in countless numbers
and hover in tDterminable fOcks over
these favored grounds. 1t is not the va
riety or extraordinary mum Der, however,
that particularly attracts the shooter to
these parts, as there are other rivers jus,
as easy of access but the great centre of
attraction is the presence of the far-tam-
ed can vas back, that here only acquires
Its peculiar delicacy of flavor while feed
ing upon the roots of the Udlisinerid or
wild Gallery, and this dellcacy of favor 10
not impaired to the cdnvas-back alone,
but TO all the others that feed ON these
fats.
During the equine octialstorms, from the
20h until the 25th OF Septem Der, i'm
mense flocks of ducks begin to arrive
from the north in the Elk, Susquehanna,
Northeast and Sassafras rivers, which
all empty In to the Chesapeake bay with
in a radius of a few miles. Among the
first arrivals are the butter-balls anu blue
winged teal; then come the mall rd and
south-southerly, and after them, as the
cold weather increases, we have the
black head or Chesapeake blue-bill, ami
the bald-pate, or American widgeon, and
last, but by no means least, the canvas
back. By the first of December the wa
,ers Of the Chesapeake and its tributar-
les are fl led to repletiOn with the armies
of ducks and geese that collect on the
fats where the juicy blades OF the wild
celery abound IN the greatest profusion.
The waters are thickly strewed with the
remnants of this Aquatic plant, and the
air is darkened by the flights of the
winged hosts travelling hither In search
of food. The ordinary occupations OF
the inhabitants of these regions are
abandoned for the more lucrative and
exciting one of duck shooting. Every
Old rusty fowling piece is cleaned up,
ana all the muakets are brought into re
| QUESTION also; and even the neglected
water-dog who has wandered about un-
cared for and unfed for several months
| past is now looked upon with some de-
gree of kindness by his self-h MASTER
The bay shore for miles Is alive with
shooters long before the dawn of day,
and every point is occupied by eager
marks men. The before quiet shores OF
the bay now resOuud with the deafening
q Al. aaI "A
| behind blinds erected along the banks,
while the guns from the skltfs and sink
boxes send their echoes over the placid
waters, carrying death and destruction
among the hocks that carelessly venture
within range.