Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-28
0rtolan and Reed Birds Will Be Legal
Game Next Week.
THEY PROMISE TO Be PLENTIFUL
Pointers About the Best Places
Where They May Be Killed.
OTHER NOTES OF INTEREST

| Next Wednesday will mark the beginning
| of an epoch in local gastronomy and sport.
| The simple fact that there is an ''r'' in the
| name of the month which will be ushered
| in on that day is generally taken as an
| assurance that oysters are edible. and the
demand for the popular shell fish will in
| crease several hundred per cent. On the
| same day it becomes permissible by law to
| shoot reed birds and ortolan. The oyster
we will have always with US through the
| fall, winter and spring, but the reed bird
and the ortolan are merely temporary Wis
| itors, and must be made the most of while
| in this vicinity. Every man and boy who
owns gun from Jersey Gown to Georgia
\ is preparing for the annual warfare upon
| these birds, and in Washington, where
perhaps more attention is paid to their
| shooting than anywhere else in the country
| 1t would not be extravagant to say that al
least 5000 gunners are waiting eagerly for
the opening of the season. The ortolan is
known to the sportsmen north of Washing
ton as the rail, and when ii gets below the
| James river it is universally called the
sora. 1t frequents the whole of the eastern
part of North America and is found as far
south as Venezuela. Its migrations in the
Bermuda ISlaldS are immense. 1t comes
| north in the early spring and breeds from
northern Pennsylvania to the frigid zone,
as specimens have frequently been killed in
Greenland.
The ortolan is one of the most tiinid of
birds, and at low water on the marshes.
where it is always founo, it clings to the
roots of the reeds and can seldom be flush
ed. At high tide, however. it is driven
from it's hiding places, and when flushed
makes feeble flight and flies but short
distance. Ortolan must be killed singfy, as
they are never seen in focks. 1t feeds on
the seeds of the marsh reeds, commonly
a led ma ma a
olive brown above with longitud nal Spo OF
black. few of the feathers being tipped
with white. The anterior portion of the
he ad is black The abdomen Is white and
| the breast white lead color. Its long legs
are yeliowish green.
The Autocrat of the Appetite.
What is called the reed bird in this vi
cinity is really the bobolirk. On its way
north in the spring its music is heard in
the meadows and fields, and then the bird Is
! a black little fellow with white markings.
The bobolink breeds in the far north, and
| it multiplies in immense numbers. In mid
August 1t begins to start south in enor-
nous fiocks, and continues Its journey as
| far south as Brazil. Its color has changed
and II has become brownish yellowish in
dividual with only one note-a tweet tweeI
tweet tweet, that any one can initiate.
In South Carolina 1T is the rice Dlru'
and when 1t reaches Jamaica, whe.e
| IL is found in enormous focks, 1t Is
the butter bird. By the time it reaches
washington the reed bird is extremely fat,
and properly broiled is the most deiicate
morsel known to gastronomy.
The Eastern Branch Marshes.
The marshes most favored by reed birds
ard ortolan in the immediate vicinity OF
Washington are those on the Eastern
branch above BenniIg bridge, while very
good sport can also be had between that
and the railroad bridge.
The crop of marsh oats upon which the
| birds feed is particularly rich this year.
and heavy in grain. Last year the oats
grew in thickets, so to speak: dense
punches with wide strips of water between
them. This year, while not SO thick, ana
giving comparatively easy passage Ior
boats they cover considerably more terri
tory and are spread out in one immense
green plat like a wheatfield. for instance
1t is useless for a novice to try. his
luck in the marshes without the as
sistance of an experienced pusher. The
pusher owns his boat and places 1t at the
service of a gunner. with his own services.
at SO much per tide. He poles the skin
slowly through the marsh. marks birds as
they rise when the gunner may not hap
pen to see them. and marks where killed
birds fall and RECEIVERS them With good
pusher, all a gunner needs to do Is to stand
well up in the bow of the skif and shoot
and load. When birds are plentiful. it is
well for gunner to take two guns along,
so that when one set of barrels get too hot
to handle from constant shooting he can
let them cool off.
At Benning bridge good pushers can al
ways be engaged a day in advance when
the season is lively. For a tide gunner
should take twelve-bore gun and a couple
OF hundred shells loaded with two and a
half drachms Of black powder-or its equiv
alent in wood or smokeless-and three
quarters of an ounce of No. 10 shot. A few
stronger loads. say B 3-4 drachms. and an
taken along for chance focks of reed birds.
Veteran William Wagner.
Old Veteran william Wagner, the author
ity on everything pertaining to game shoot
ing, and who has shot the Eastern branch
for forty years. will be Gut Wednesday as
soon as there is tide enough to push a
skiff through the reeds. He has had built
for himself this year a cunning skiff of
galvanized iron.
Yes" said Mr.. Wagner to Star re-
porter yesterday, I've got a metal boat.
had a metal one seventeen years
ago. and it ran smoother than any
skif ever saw. I could get on the marsh
III it before anybody else. I've tried my
new one. and it's very satisfactory.
think we are going to have good season.
There are considerable number of ortolan
already here, and reed birds seem to be
coming along pretty fast. The policemen
the river front have been doing splendid
work. Men are not going to risk shooting
birds before the season opens when it's
liable to cost them 81 bird.
Good Law Suggested.
There ought to Re law passed to pre-
vent marsh shooting on alternate days"
continued Mr.. Wagner. THAT sort of n
law is what saved the duck shooting at
Havre de Grace. When I used to go there
it was only permitted to shoot ducks every
other day, and consequently the focks
were given time to rest, were not kept con-
stantly frightened, and better sport re-
suited. The same sort of law governing
the Eastern branch marshes and the other
grounds near Washington frequented by
reed birds and ortolan would have the same
effect. Under the presen: system reed
birds are not given a chance. hardly, to
light. and after two or three DAYS steady
shooting they are driven away. Every cid
marsh hunter has seen thousands of them
leaving when the guns were out In force
hope our association will take this mat
ter up next winter and have the Law pass
ed. Then we'd have a longer season and
better sport
Care Should He Taken.
Too much care cannot be exercised BY