118 CURRITUCK MARSHES. 



excursions in the past, or travel by a new railroad 

 just finished which passes twenty miles from the 

 traveller's destination, a place known from the name 

 of the enterprising widow lady who formerly owned 

 it, as Van Slyck's Landing. By boat the entire 

 day is spent in the journey, and by rail it is not 

 much shorter, but the boat arrives so late that it is 

 not always possible to make the trip across from the 

 landing to the club house the same night. Opposite 

 Van Slyck's are the two most famous and successful 

 sporting clubs in that section of the United States, 

 the Currituck and the Palmer's Island clubs. They 

 own or control immense tracts of land, and below 

 them to the southward the bay widens out so that 

 there is no chance to kill ducks to advantage. 

 There are a few good stands at Kitty Hawk Bay, 

 thirty miles further south, and at the lower end 

 of Eoanoke Island Eaft ducks can be shot from 

 batteries. Then again along the eastern shore of 

 Pamlico Sound, at Hatteras and Ocracoke inlets and 

 in the western part of Core Sound, to the south of 

 Barker's Island, there is good duck, and in its season 

 brant shooting, but these places can only be reached 

 by the fortunate sportsman who has his own private 

 conveyance. Therefore it may practically be said 

 that the Palmer Island marshes are the ultima tliule 

 of duck shooting. 



As a general thing, there is attached to every 

 sporting club some old experienced gunner full of 

 wild-fowl lore and quaint and curious phrases, who 

 is a mine of interesting information to him who will 



