The sun., 1901-09-04

have all he can do to load and reload
his gun, and going out the following
day find the marsh deserted.
At the first sign of frost these mys-
terious little feathercd fellows fly south.
The rail bird most generally seen about
our reedy front is the brown bird. They
feed on animal food which they take
Iout of the water. They are expert divers
and can wedge their way through the
rnshes with the ease of a mouse.
The king rail birds are very rare.
They are much larger than the black.
a few have been seen on our marshes
and in dining rooms of well-known sports
mal mere are to be found several OF these
graceful birds stuffed the souvenirs of a
lparticnarly fortunate days shooting
The reed bird or rice bird is n very
sweet meat and is highly valued by
epicures, though it is by no means a
rare bird at this season of the year.
III fact, these little birds can be found
in all the markets while the rail bird
is seldom to be obtained in this way.
As one Of omr society girls put it.
'1'he rail bird is the gentleman's game.
while the reed. not requiring the ex-
penSive method to allure him, is the
bird of the market hunter. No boat or
p,lsher is necessary to the going for reed
birds"
The marshes about the Christiana are
dotted over with gunners every day now.
One portion of this bOggy land has been
leased by coterie of Wilmingtons ex-
pert sportsInen. and rough club house
or building for cunning paraphernalia
has been erected. Belonging to this club
are such well-known men as Charles l.
du Pont. j. i,anforth Bush. James i.
Winchester and Alfred |. du Pont To
this club also belongs James b. Nc
Comb. who has been mn enthusiastic
gunner for many years.
OF the wcll-known men who used to
make the marshes ring with musketry
hut few of them 90 out now. Whether
It Is the sport is not 50 keen M ii was or
these skilful gli.lners have wearied Of the
sport. | know not. but to see one of our
best sportsmen walk nonchalantly down
Market street one morning last week
when the day promised keen sport on the
lniarsh. was surprise to me.
But Mr.. Eml"n Hewes had ns indif-
fcrent an air as ihou,th he had never
been one of the Cracks" Of the marsh.
In talking to one of this coterit who
used to he enthusiastic from the first
opening Of the season until the last bird
had flown. he said that few years ago
| it was not unusual to bring down sixty
or seventy reed birds with one barrel
md that fifty dozen day were often
brought in.
A record of some fine shooting done
on the old Dcrringer marsh some years
ago has been kept and was lncSy
enough to find one of the "big shots
willing to let me read it. What does the
gunner on the ictty think Of this record
l4.132 birds brought ,lown in four tides hy
some few crack sportsmen Of that season
| Among them were Horace II. Cause.
whose record shows 59s birds in his
game bag in the -four days sport. on Sep
trmher 25th. 2sth eth. and 2Sth. Emler,
iIewes ba.gcd 400 Il. T. Walton. VIII,
Nvas the "hi.hcst boat" shows record ni
"a. Andrew g. Wilson. 247: William,
Tones. ASS. and the late George Church
imam brought down 6o7.
| Besides these were Thomas Penny
l,acker Of Kcnnctt Square. Walter ID
Rush. Dr. Linton Smith, and the la,
lnhn Elliott This shows y record nn
nrpassed since.
/ YOUNG MRS. GRTNDY.