De WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 
ad 
to make the vessel sit upon the water with the natural 
grace of the swan. ‘To make it still more realistic, the 
archness of the neck, the beautifully shaped head, were 
placed at the prow, while the gondola itself followed 
in shape the body of the bird, while fluted and corrug- 
ated wings extended symmetrically toward the stern of 
the boat. It was m1 such a bargeas this that Cleopatra 
first went forth, and met and conquered Antony,—not 
by force and arms, but with fascinating glances, oriental 
loveliness, and Egyptian splendor. 
I have not seen a swan for years until this spring, 
when my companion and myself had the good fortune 
of securing two. They were evidently travellers bound 
for the distant North, and stopped among us tempora- 
rily for food and rest. There were fifteen in the flock. 
The two we got had separated from the rest, and we 
shot them in the middle of the Mississippiriver, amongst 
floating ice, having first trimmed our low scull-boat to 
represent a drifting cake or ice. They were both old 
birds, one weighing 19 lbs.,and the other a few pounds 
heavier. The heaviest aud largest. one I have had 
mounted,—the other being skinned, rewarded us with 
the nicest down I ever saw, being fully two inches in 
length, and of the purest white. There are no partic- 
ular instructions to be given as to the manner of shoot- 
ing them,—they are too rarely found. Getting them 
is ascribed wholly to luck, the duck-hunter coming 
upon them unexpectedly while in pursuit of wild fowl. 
When the hunter has the rare good fortune to kill 
one, it is a bright spot in his experience, and an event 
which he always remembers with pleasure. 
Their habits are similar to geese. They are exceed- 
ingly wary, always rise up-wind, and should be ap- 
