166 



AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



Everybody knows the Screech Owl. He lives in the trees of the 

 Orchard, and sometimes is very noisy. Sometimes he roosts in the 

 cedar trees, and I find on the gfround, pellets that are composed for the 

 most part of mouse fur and bones. But I have found them to consist 

 of feathers that look suspiciously like the English Sparrow wears. 



Every man that is fond of shooting, notes the approach of fall and 

 winter with evident satisfaction. He pictures to himself long V-shaped 

 columns of slowly moving noisy-mouthed wild geese, and swift, silent 

 flocks of wild ducks. Yesterday; I saw in a shute far out in the river 

 and surrounded by ice a number of Canada Geese. They are, since 

 the extermination of the wild Turkey, king of our game birds. And 

 like the Turkey they too might have been exterminated, were it not for 

 their unceasing vigilance. It is indeed a lucky gunner that brings one 

 of them to earth. Those who have hunted them tell me that at night, 

 when a flock has settled down on a sandbar a number of pickets are 

 stationed out so they can observe the approach of any enemy, in lime 

 to warn the sleeping flock. It is almost impossible to approach them, 

 even on the darkest night. The method usually employed in hunting 

 them is as follows: The hunter, on locating a flock, pulls his boat far 

 around them till he is above them so the current will carry his boat 

 down on them. He lies down in the boat, trusting to the curient to do 

 its work, and never showing himself above the rim of the boat. If he 

 is fortunate enough to float down among them, unsuspected, he will 

 probably get one or two. Two sixteen year old boys of my acquaint- 

 ance secured a couple in this way recently, but since then I have seen 

 the strategy fail. Before the boat had floated within three hundred 

 yards of the birds they showed their suspicion by craning their necks, 

 and a moment later all took wing and were ofif. 



Wild ducks are another favorite game bird. They may be seen on 

 the river any day. Mallards, Sprigs (Pintails), Greenwings and Black- 

 jacks (Scaups) are probably most common during the winter. 



Jan. 3, '05. Edgar Boyer 



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