Duck-shooting 67 



in many of the Southern states against abolishing 

 spring shooting. Its advocates claim that at the 

 time of leaving the bays and rivers of the South, 

 wild fowl are still in flocks and unmated; that 

 they are far from the breeding-grounds. As a 

 matter of fact, this protection is more needed in 

 the South than in the North. In the early spring 

 the vast hordes of migratory wild fowl are south, 

 not north. In many instances they are mated, 

 though still in flocks. If there is any reason for 

 protecting wild fowl in the North in April, the 

 same reason holds good for their protection in the 

 South during March. Another fact, that perhaps 

 many of our sportsmen do not appreciate, is that 

 numbers of our water-fowl actually breed in the 

 South. The southern variety of black duck, the 

 blue-winged teal, and the mallard, all nest farther 

 south than has been supposed. It is the duty of 

 every man interested in sporting to use his influ- 

 ence against spring shooting. The effect on our 

 wild fowl, of a universal protection at this time 

 throughout the United States, would be surprising 

 even in the following fall ; if this could once be 

 realized, there would be few sportsmen and market 

 gunners who would not sanction it, even from 

 selfish motives. 



Another cause of the destruction of our water- 

 fowl, that can be to a certain extent corrected, is 

 too large bags by sportsmen. It is only on occa- 



