° 1910 J Fay, The Canvas-hack in Massachusetts. 375 



included in the lot of twenty-five that went through the express office 

 between October 25 and 31.) 



Nov. 1. Seven seen, one shot, Allan Keniston, Great Pond, Edgartown. 



Fall. Caught male alive, still in possession, Allan Keniston, Great 

 Pond, Edgartown. 



Nov. 1-7. Four, W. Nichols, Great Pond, Edgartown. 



Nov. 1-7. Six, Chester Pease, Great Pond, Edgartown. 



Nov. Three, Kapawac Club, Great Pond, Edgartown. 



Nov. 19. Two males, two females (six shot from flock of 50, of which 

 two were not retrieved), W. R. Baldwin, Great Pond, Edgartown. 



Nov. 19. Large flock of 50 seen, close to beach, W. R. Baldwin, 

 Great Pond, Edgartown. 



Nov. 19. Thirty seen in one flock, Allan Keniston, Great Pond, Edgar- 

 town. 



Dec. 13. One hundred and fifty seen in pne flock, W. Nichols, Great 

 Pond, Edgartown. 



Dec. 16. Four (fifty seen in one flock), J. E. Look, Great Pond, Edgar- 

 town. 



Fall. About twenty-five killed. in Watcha Pond, E. F. Adams, Edgar- 

 town. 



Fall. About 50 (estimated) killed in Great Pond, Edgartown, Walter H. 

 Renear. 



Fall Knows personally of 35-40 killed in Great Pond, Edgartown, Allan 

 Keniston. 



N. B. Perhaps some will doubt the correctness of these records, since 

 the majority from Martha's Vineyard are from local gunners, on the ground 

 that they may have confused Canvas-backs with Redheads or some other 

 ducks. In the first place, I have been very careful as to whom I have 

 consulted, choosing only those whom I know personally and whose knowl- 

 edge of the varieties of ducks is unquestioned. In the second place, there 

 is no pond in Massachusetts, or possibly in New England, where there is 

 the number or variety of ducks found here; hence the local sportsmen are 

 remarkably well posted on the different species. It is not the same here 

 as in most places on Cape Cod, where the natives probably know only two 

 or three kinds of ducks. Even the young boys, who perhaps own but a 

 single-barreled gun, and shoot only a short time in the morning before 

 school begins, know not only the distinguishing marks of the ducks close to, 

 but can readily distinguish them on the wing. I doubt if there are many 

 places in the State where such a condition exists. 



Summing up from the above table of Martha's Vineyard for 

 1909, we find that even leaving out of consideration the twenty- 

 five ducks that passed through the express office the last week of 

 October, there were nearly fifty ducks killed on Great Pond, 

 Edgartown, — which is about the number estimated by the gun- 



