continued to poke at her with the gun 

 as she fluttered about my feet, but she 

 always managed to elude my strokes un 

 til just as the last of her brood climbed 

 out of the water, she slyly edged away 

 and suddenly flew off to another pond 

 some distance. I then ran as quickly as 

 possible to the point where the ducks 

 left the water, yet, though but a few 

 moments had elapsed, the young had 

 concealed themselves so thoroughly that, 

 in spite of the fact that the grass was 

 only three or four inches high and 

 rather sparse, I spent half an hour in 

 fruitless search." The young, before 



they are able to fly, seek grassy lakes, 

 seeming to feel much safer in the shel 

 ter of such retreats. However, as soon 

 as they are able to fly, they seek the 

 river banks and other open places which 

 are the favorite resorts of their adult 

 relatives. Colonel N. S. Goss likens 

 their notes to the sound of "a sort of 

 whew, whew, whew, uttered while feed 

 ing and swimming." This he says "en 

 ables the hunter to locate them in the 

 thickest growth of water plants ; and 

 when in the air the whistling noise made 

 by their wings heralds their approach." 



THE WILD DUCKS OF MARYLAND 



When the adventurous Capt. John 

 Smith, the founder of the first English 

 colony in America, came in the year 

 1608, it was the Chesapeake, signifying 

 in the Indian language, "mother of 

 waters," that received the weary voy 

 ager. With his usual energy, this brave 

 man explored all its tributaries, even a 

 little river, some fifty miles long, whose 

 sister river, uniting with it, form, a part 

 of the bay, some ten miles from the bay 

 itself. This river, once a famous place 

 for wild ducks, he called Willobyre, on 

 a quaint and remarkably correct map. 

 Byre, means in old English, "dwelling," 

 and as grand old willows grow all along 

 its banks, it may be that the name is 

 for "Willow dwelling," or "Where 

 dwelleth the willows." 



Verrozzano in a French ship in 1524, 

 sailed up the coast, and seeing the great 

 Chesapeake, believed it to be the Pacific 

 ocean, but he did not venture to explore. 

 Smith in his diary says, "Our barge was 

 of about two tons, and had in it but 

 twelve men to perform this discovery." 

 One can picture the little boat feeling 

 her uncertain way into unknown waters, 

 by unexplored forests, passing lonely 

 marshes, and silent shores. Tne blue 

 waves danced in the sunshine; the stars 

 shining down in the night were the only 

 familiar objects; the wind sighed 



through the fragrant pines, and no 

 doubt the brave hearts aboard sighed in 

 return. Wherever the sailors looked, on 

 sea, or land, no sign of human habitation 

 met their anxious gaze. No white sailed 

 canoe came flying like a winged crea 

 ture to meet them ; no white walled cot 

 tage shone out from the green shore 

 line, denoting the warm hearth stone, 

 and the pleasant home. Only wild 

 beasts gave an occasional glimpse of the 

 teeming animal life that swarmed in the 

 forests ; herds of deer glanced out of the 

 woodlands, then vanished; wolves and 

 bears prowled the shores for food; ot 

 ters, muskrats and raccoons scampered 

 into holes in the banks. 



But the birds seemed to welcome 

 them, the beautiful, friendly birds, and 

 where they are, is beauty, and life, and 

 joy. Gulls followed the ship, darting 

 through the rigging, encircling about 

 on untiring, and joyous wings ; the great 

 blue heron, the common heron, egret, 

 bittern, plover, and snipe wading in the 

 lowlands, looked on in innocent wonder ; 

 innumerable flocks of ducks scarcely 

 turned aside ; vast armies of reed birds, 

 rails and blackbirds almost darkened the 

 sky as they flew about. 



This was about three hundred years 

 ago, and of all this bountiful animal an* 3 

 bird life, there is only left in any num- 



fiO 



