The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-03-20
IH.AR.B|IlvlIC|ERS'
RING.
sAll8 Signs May Fail. But When.
the Sl1atl Begin to8Run
Winter It's Over
VAST FL0CkS OF wi [ D FOWL :. 4
Lover Chesapeake Resting Place s
81 Myriad Bodies III B'iIrt.dt[sss
Fishermen Go toJt1ic Waves. D.
,spctlal to 1'hetrimes-i5ispatall,)

Esssfil 2 -lVTlE 1919 3jIh tEA
special to ENTHUSIASTICALLY
4 YoRlt,rOMN. VA March 1o.-,rllc long
looked FOR sNnd, in all his adorable fat L'-
Il ness is about to rnatcrldlizc IN these
waters. ard With his advent al he natural
prcnon,enn follow in regular line IA
,rhe sp,ingtinlc migration OF lhe large
flocks .or aquatic birds. which seek
northern latludcs for the summer sea-
.on. AS now III It's height, and affords
Interesting spbctaclcs TO tic novice. The
ycry5 prevalent idea of tho utter destruc-
Con Of game birds receives quite a re-
- Verse on beluldirg the vast flocks Of
.hesc birds on their journey. Nearly
Fl rrnrySnrlctr OF water fowl is to be seen,
The chief attraction iii the procession
being The Beautiful swan. one VINO has
#neye, seen, these beautiful snow-whltcs
birds cannot realize their delicate lil;es
,indS magnificent plumagc. lie lower
M,lters OF the Chesapeake are literally
alive With these fcathcrcd beauties, $as.
many as five hundred In n flock belllS
8s !, very common occurrence. Large flocks
,,t geese and ducks, neutrality-suspicious. OF
raft fowl, the tossed coot and the
" 7onely louls mi1,Slc iii the great procession
IL Observation-Disclosures ,&
'Ps,Egss- TIi I1A lfAININEItl. f4tE.
5s More closely allied with the sliad than
t,iy.of these is ;lilathcr rare bird, little.
Known tojtle general public, and seldom
{ seen even lNstbusc who seek his huunts.i
III This ritrc specimen Of, the water-fowl%is
Tho shad gannett, and u right royal bird
4lc is. This stranger is OF the species of
fish h.lwl1 c;lglc-shaped, being 5rearly
;is.largo;ls the great bald eagle Of Amer
lean iamc. His plumuge is light gray,
t,,tr,
White. The spread Of the wings Is ex-
trcn,ely large, measuring four and one,
lirit3to five feet across on very ordinary
specmcns.s i,,stt
The gannett has clawetl toes like a large
IL gull, a long, sharp bill like Il lpon,, and
S,lll5 enormous mouth and throat to Which
stis attached II large gullet, like the. peli-
can. t sits on tho water Ike the gull,
either alone or IN flocks, like geese. 1t
&iis6 vo:ncions, and lays the fish hawk
Sor eutAa badly is the shade when in quest
MoG.its lNrticulr prey, the shad, on which
it mostly subsists. Old fishermen gladly
welcome the ganEett, as he revcr makes
q mistake in locating the fish. and is
never seen unless 1t he. during the shhd
y season. following the fish as they travel
I Iorth.
Tho manner in which the bird clutches
his prey is quite peculiar ard very pic
@&turesque. Ascending TO probably any
where frorl seventS-five to one hundred
feet i'll the air, he poiscs for Il moment
Nj as still rs 70 statue, and then shoots
8fdcWnward With lH speed Of Il rifle ball
s1o al depth oftentimes of fifty feet or,
more, and Woe be- unto the luckless shad
& which chances to have engaged his at
IGNITION.
lie never misses a chance stays under
~ the surface five minutes at n time, and
z when he returns the fish has dlsap-
pcared IN the natural knapsacls which
nature has provided
BIRD LlIyTLE KNOWN.
Fishermen who have followed the water
4 Tor lifetime show great ignorance OF
the strange gannctt. and in this whole
section only one man had ever had one
IN his LANDS TO examine, and that case
was due to one of them committing self
destruction BY choking itself between
pound poles. AS to getting shot at one
of them, the man doesn't live that has
ever succeeded in baggng one.
While but a very few of the birds have
MS vet becnpseen here, ( they will become
y more plentiful in April and, disappear dur
Ing May. :.tg J.ti 800
Stepped III Il grca, deal or Tie various
@snperstitions that surround ordinary NOR
tails. the. good flshcr-folt have some
whimsE peculiarly their own, One of the
II strnngest ide;lAi mi direct connection with
OF our ancestors. was the signs OF The
common carthworm, which denoted the
lncscllcc Of the fish
"A When The fisherman, had gotten his nets
iii order he patiently and calmly watched
tho operations Of tho aisleworm to ud-
Mise him when losiset them. When the
tumble. lowly. rcpulsivc reptile began
& house cleaning, and piled the superfluous
grains OF sand IN Il systematic heap
around the entrance to his liome the
time was opportunc. and the fisherman
lost no time lii getting himself in shape
Tor tic sliad
This advice has tho additional honor of
being absolutely reliable, and those who
believe t are stnunch admirers Of the
sasacity Gf one OF the lowest things hat
inhabits the earth,
CLANS HIGH.
llams ARC bringing higher prices among
The buyers than have ever been dreamed
# OF IN this country Tho meek and lowly,
but wi,hnl, quite eloquent Divayc, is
bringing 50 cents por hundred with pros
Icc,s for still higher figures Generally
the price of clam ranges from rs TO
- cents; 30 cents, Which was paid IN the
sluel part of las, season, being con-
sdcrcd quite an cnormitN. AS mat
ter OF fact clans are exceedingly scarce.
which may possibly De something OF an
incentive 10 their fancy figures.
Local supplies Of both corn and forage
are wofullS slim, and causing no end
Of worry for the patient farmer and his
more patient stock, This scarcity Is due
z ii Il great measure to the terrible winter
any possibly past, AMI stock Of all kinds
llhyG Jared rathcf common. with their
best cnnearors, farmers cannot catch up
With the pace Of the fleeing month,
oyster planters, especially those who
make SitpCIHltN of barrel stock huua
Jared rather better than usual during The
season now drawing 70 its close, The
II stock has bosn fat and rather above
ilio average, bringing better Prices than
4 IN ordinary years The season has been
z cutie an extraordinary one.
BIG POTATO PLANTING
Inquiries among the truckers elicit the
fSct thai potatoes are being more puncr-
ally planted than usual, and Of greater
acreage than usually allotted by te in
ayidual They seem 10 pin their falh