AMERICAN WOODCOCK 75 



wholesale slaughter during a long winter season in the South. A 

 good account of the barbarous sport, called fire hunting, as practiced 

 in Louisiana, is given by Dr. E. J. Lewis (1885), as follows: 



The shooter, armed with a d<mble-barreled gun, and decked with a broad- 

 brimmed palmetto hat. sallies forth on a foggy night to the "ridge." where 

 the cocks are now feeding in wonderful numbers. His companion on these 

 expeditions is generally a stout-built negro, bearing before him a species of 

 old-fashioned warming pan, in which is deposited a goodly supply of pine knots. 

 Having arrived on the ground, the cocks are soon heard whizzing about on 

 every side: the pine knots are quickly kindled into a flame, and carried over 

 the head of the negro. The shooter keeps as much as possible in the shade, 

 with his broad-brimmed palmetto protecting his eyes from the glare, and 

 follows close after the torch bearer, who walks slowly ahead. The cocks are 

 soon seen sitting about on the ground, staring widely around in mute astonish- 

 ment, not knowing what to do. and are easily knocked over with a slight pop 

 of the gun, or more scientifically brought to the ground as they go booming off 

 to the marshes. 



The lurid glare of the torch only extends to a distance of 20 yards or so 

 around the negro ; the sportsman must, therefore, be on the qui vive to knock 

 the birds over as soon as they rise, otherwise they will immediately be shrouded 

 in the impenetrable darkness of night. 



These excursions are carried on with great spirit, sometimes continue the 

 whole night through, and the slaughter of the cocks is often very great : with 

 an experienced " fire hunter " it is no unusual occurrence to bag in this way 50 

 couple before morning. 



DISTKIBUTION 



Range. — The eastern L T nited States and Canada. 



Breeding range. — North to southern Manitoba (Brandon, Portage 

 la Prairie, and Winnipeg) ; northern Michigan (Palmer, Sheldrake 

 Lake, and Mackinac Island) ; southern Ontario (Bracebridge, Madoc, 

 and Ottawa) ; southern Quebec (Montreal) ; southern New Bruns- 

 wick (Grand Falls and North River); and Nova Scotia (Pictou). 

 East to Nova Scotia (Pictou, Halifax, and Yarmouth) ; Maine 

 (Rockland and Portland) ; Massachusetts (Winchendon and Bos- 

 ton) ; Rhode Island (Newport) ; Connecticut (Saybrook) ; New Jer- 

 sey (Morristown, Laurenceville, Tuckerton, and Sea Isle City) ; 

 Maryland (Baltimore, and Cecil, Dorchester, and Worcester Coun- 

 ties) ; District of Columbia (Washington) ; Virginia (Locustville, 

 Norfolk, and Lake Drummond) ; North Carolina (Walke and New 

 Bern) ; South Carolina (Summerville and Capers Island) ; Georgia 

 (Savannah, Blackbeard Island, Okefinokee Swamp, and St. Marys) ; 

 and Florida (Jacksonville and Micanopy). South to Florida (Mi- 

 canopy and Tallahassee) ; Alabama (Autaugaville and Pleasant 

 Hill) ; Mississippi (Cedar Grove) ; Louisiana (Covington) ; and 

 Texas (Sour Lake). West to Texas (Sour Lake) ; Arkansas (Clin- 

 ton and Newport) ; eastern Kansas (Neosho Falls) ; eastern Ne- 



