130 Where to Hunt 



duck and geese. These club-houses are supplied with 

 all the appliances in the way of decoys and blinds for 

 luring duck and geese. 



The coast-duck shooting and the shore-bird shooting 

 of Massachusetts are excellent. The duck are mainly 

 the coarser varieties of sea-duck, not highly esteemed 

 as food ; but thousands of sportsmen annually partici- 

 pate in coast-duck shooting, which extends from Essex 

 county along the coast to Rhode Island. By the mid- 

 dle of November the migrations are about over. The 

 spring migration begins the latter part of March and 

 continues until May. With the duck come loon, cor- 

 morant, and other aquatic birds, not included in the 

 category of game-birds. 



The highly prized and dainty bird, Wilson's snipe, is 

 a yearly visitor to Massachusetts. They are nowhere 

 abundant as compared with some of the Southern states, 

 but they are hunted diligently, and are killed annually 

 in large numbers. 



There are places along the coast of Massachusetts 

 which are favorable for shore-bird shooting, although 

 the extensive building of cottages at some of the sea- 

 side resorts has, in many instances, driven the birds 

 away from their tarrying places. There are many 

 shore-birds killed annually on the Newburyport 

 marshes, near Ipswich, at Beverly, Revere, Marshfield, 

 Duxbury, Plymouth, and all along Cape Cod. The 

 most common of the shore-birds are the sandpipers, 

 ignored by some sportsmen, but killed annually by 

 thousands. The yellowlegs, both the winter and sum- 

 mer varieties, are quite numerous. 



Of the plover family are the black-bellied, golden, 



