Evening star., 1919-08-31
NY RICHARD L. CONNER.

ny RICHARD L. CONNER.
OMoRRoW-Labor day-marks
the opening Of tho hunting
season In the District Of CO.
lumbia. The hunting grounds.
however. are limited. and one is per-
mitted TO shoot only on the marshes
Of the Eastern branch north of the
Anacostia bridge and on the Virginia
shore Of the Potomac.
Hours before daybreak the Column
bia and Georgetown lines will carry
hundreds Of enthusiastic gunners who
want to be on hand for the morning
flight Of birds. Following an old GUS
tom. many launches will drop anchor
OF tho hunting grounds some time
this evening. so as to be on hand
when the fun starts. One-half hour
before sunrise the bombardment will
comm mence, and the sound Of the shot
guns will be heard all day long.
Il
Reedbird on toast! Does that bring
back to you recollections Of a pleas
ant evening around the dining table
at your home or perhaps at your
favorite restaurant? How you used
20 anxiously await the time when the
dainty little morsel could be served
with trimmings" Remember last
gear how disappointed you were
when you learned that through .
treaty between the United States and
tho Canadian governments the reed
bird had been placed on the protect
ed list1" The reedbird. as we know 1t,
10 called tho bobolink in the New
England states and In Canada, and as
such is known as a song bird and in
'Sectiverous of character: SO when the
above mentioned international treaty
was promulgated the bobolink was
protected. This little bird. however.
when It starts on Its southern migra-
tion. changes its habits and Is no
longer an tnsectiverous bird. and
when 1t reaches the District Of CO.
lumbia and surrounding territory Its
Rlumage has undergone q change
from q brownish slate color to one
closely resembling our canary bird.
When the reedie arrives after his long
migratory flight he is usually In poor
condition. but after feasting few
days on the wild oats and rice which
grow In abundance on tho marshes
Of the river he is as "fat as butter
end real delicacy.
This little game bird arrives here
about the last week in August and re-
mains practically during the month OF
September, unless cold snap sets In.
when he Immediately starts 'headinS
south" On reaching the southern cli-
mate he makes his home In the i'm
Snense rice fields of the south. and is
then known as the "ricebird" So
much damage was done to the valuable
tice crops by the birds last year that
the Secretary Of Agriculture has issued
/ general order permitting them to be
hunted by the sportsmen this year.
Reedbirds must not be sold. shipped
tor sale or wantonly wasted or destroy
Cd. but may be used for food or trans
torted to hospitals or charitable insti-
tutions for use as food.
Doubtless every one has seen the big
blackbirds which frequent the many
parks of the city. but this "crow
blackie" Is not the bird which the marsh
s'.unters bag. The male marsh blackie
Ii distinguished by the brilliant red on
his wings and is sometimes called the
t'soldier bird" His mates plumage Is
brownish gray with black stripes on
the breast
The blackbird arrives on the feeding
grounds q few weeks ahead Of the reed
bird and does not "pull stakes" for the
south until freezing weather sets In.
The open season runs from September
1 70 February /.
It Is likely that Of all our upland
birds or water fowl none affords the
sportsman more pleasure and keen
amusement than ortolan or sora shoot
ing. Authorities tell us the sora breeds
from central British Columbia and the
Gulf Of st. Lawrence south to Cali
fornia. Utah. Colorado. Kansas. Illi-
nois and New Jersey. and winters south
through Central America to Venezuela
and Peru. He 10 known as the mystery
bird. Where he comes from no one
seems to know: no one knows when he
first arrives and no one seems to have
Dver seen him leave.
To hunt the ortolan, successfully
one must start in about an hour be-