The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-16
SPORTING.
Stories of the Rod and
Gun.
Spring Hunting for Bay Snipe
and PlOver Should Stop.
Boston A. A. Will Probably Send
Team to the Olympic Games.

bay Is practically clear OF ice. and the bay
men are making preparations for tho usual
migration north OF the ducks. Black ducks
were very plentiful last fall, and the knowing
wild fowlers are predicting that there will be
an abundance Of brant this spring.
Beside the pleasure OF shooting wild fowl
and tho creeling Of brook trout in the early
spring there are.two other sports TO indulge
in-bay snipo and plover shooting-on the salt
meadowland and along tho ocean surf and
the tagging Of English snipe on the fresh
marshes OF the upiands.
1t is pleas.Ag TO note. however. that spring
shooting IS growing less in favor every year
The visit of the bay snipes and plover at this
season is only for a day or two Of feeding. the
birds resting ON their way 10 the North, whore
they nest and rear their young which return
with the parent birds late In the summer
Therefore. IL the mating birds are not de-
stroyed they will return with their young to
afford all the moro sport in August and
septomber-the proper bay snipo season. On
Long Island spring bay snipe shooting is
illegal, as tho season does not open until July
], still the market.supplying baymen make
sad havoc among these migrating birds.
It Is a peculiar fact that ducks are about tho
most curious Of birds imaginable. writer
and a friend of his lay down behind log one
day and watched for flock of canvasoacks to
come into the broad river Pretty soon in
came "a flock of thousands that alighted about
500 yards from shore, ana began to plume
themselves, duck fashion. One OF the men
tied u red handkerchief 10 the end of a stick
and began 20 wave IL at intervals in sight of
the ducks The ducks began 10 cock their
heads Sideways, and after awhile began to
swim toward the log. They came within
about 20 yards whom the men jumped UP and
fred. One bagged 10 and the other Is with
the four discharges. Another plan Of decoy-
ine ducks on Chesapeake Bay il the "tolling"
system. A lag Of chips carried TO the
shore, and dog well mp in the art OF "toll
ing" is riven them TO play with when flock
Uf wilu'fowl is sighted. The dog enters tho
water, and several chips thrown 10 him.
One after another nc plays with. tossing them
hither and thither, and swimming from chip
20 chip. apparently oblivious of the ducks,
who slowly approaching Curiously they
follow the dog as he draws them nearer and
nearer the fatal bunch OF brush where the
hunters are hidden, till finally they are in
good range, when the sagacious animal stops
his play walks. as IL may be termed. and
the deathly bark of the guns, followed by the
whirring Of wings breaks the silence
There is a fox in Nova Scotia which comes
down TO the Bay Of Fundy, and goes jumping
along tho beach a couple of rods and then
back again, resting ON it's hind legs at each
about face and waving its bushy tail in the
air. The little flock of four or five Canadian
geese out on the water begin to wonder what
can be the matter with the fox. They swim
up into the shallow water to investigate,
when in rushes Bre'r Reynard and graps one
by tho neck.
Speaking of foxes, the Lima Hunt Clubs
pack Of hounds had race after a crafty fox
near Media, Pa, which. before 1t was killed,
made the hunters wonder. He was a big red
fellow. and, according to the sportsmen, had
pedigr-o embracing most Of the smart foxes
Of the Welsh Mountains. and inherited all
their strong points.
The dogs got a cold scent and after follow
ng the trail awhile, jumped the animal near
the poor house. The fox led to Chester Creek
the first thing. plunged in like deer, swan
across, ran along tho far bank, jumped in
again. and so on, several times. But the dogs
We're good ones, and had merry time Of 10
picking up the trail after each swim, and
finally getting so close that the fox concluded
that The dee: trick was a fraud. Then away
he went over as rough country as he could
find, taking stone walls and rail fences,
ploughed ground and strong stretches in a
way that bothered tho dogs a heap. AT last
they drew in on him. followed him across n
broad pond, and on the far ,sido killed him,
dog fashion, by chewing him to pieces.
The Mississippi River rose four fee. re-
Gently. and with the falling Of the water the
-
hunters at Burlington. Ia, made some fair
bags of the BIRDS The chances are, sports.
men say, that spring duck shooting will be
unusually heavyithis year, because the inland
streams are full, and plenty Of water is in tho
lakes. All tho sportsmen papers are down on
spring shooting, because more ducks are
killed each year than are bred, and in conso.
quence there Is liable to be a scarcity Of
ducks some of these days, that will cause the
sportsmen 20 groan. According TO these
Nimrods, II 10 were not for the game dealers,
there would be game a-plenty in most Western
regions. Tons of it are shipped East each
year, and it looks AZ IL shipping game will
ceaso only when the source Of supply is ex.
hausted.
Surely, IL behoves those hustiing Western
sportsmen to reotify or alter their legislative
game laws.
A writer from Maryland in the American
Field makes somo remarks about n duck
which he calls creek sbufiers, better known
as ring.neck ducks. He says that they fly
twice as fast as swans, and swaEs have flown
ht the rate OF 30 miles an hour over n meas.
sred course. Besides being buttor-like flyers
they are also very brainy. Instead Of oming
TO the decoy like any ordinary duck, they fly
over the top of the blind in circles. for out.
of.gun shot, and, of course. seeing the shooter,
they alter their course 20 a less dangerous
one,~
Tho kind OF ducks most likely 90 come 20
one locality during given migration cannot
be given. IL is so with the creek shutters
bird abundant in Florida, and varying in
number from year to year IN the North. One
year canvasbacks came IN Thousands, and
thank fortune, shuffiers, then wallards and