CHESAPEAKE BAY DUCKING. 481 



lowed, not apparently because they cared for the dog, 

 but in order to keep with the bunch. They came up 

 quite close to the shore, and when they were near 

 enough we fired three barrels into them on the water, 

 and three more as they rose, and knocked down a lot of 

 them. We loaded as fast as we could, and the darky 

 ran and jumped into a boat, and pushing off, we began 

 to shoot over the cripples, and gathered from those six 

 shots just forty-seven birds. That is the biggest tole I 

 ever saw made. It was common enough to get ten or 

 twelve, or even sometimes twenty or twenty-five birds 

 in a tole, but any larger number was unusual." 



The blackheads and redheads are regarded as the 

 most inquisitive of all the ducks. It is doubted whether 

 widgeons could be toled at all ; yet on the Connecticut 

 shore I have heard of old-squaws responding to this 

 lure. 



While toling used to be practiced quite extensively 

 from these shores, it has not been in favor for many 

 years, and naturally so, since it is so very destructive. 

 Even those who for any reason may have occasionally 

 taken part in it say that they will not repeat it, and that 

 a duck or two killed on the wing, either flying by or 

 coming up to decoys, give more satisfaction to the man 

 making the shot than a dozen or twenty shot at a tole. 



For many years prior to 1883, night shooting with 

 big guns was practiced in the neighborhood of Havre 

 de Grace and Baltimore by a gang of poachers, against 

 whom the processes of the law were invoked in vain. 

 These men went out at night in skiffs, in the bow of 



