WILDFOWL ON THE CHESAPEAKE. 419 



Extraordinary stories have been related respecting 

 the vast numbers of aquatic birds which used to haunt 

 the waters of the Chesapeake a generation or so 

 ago ; resident settlers upon its shores state they " have 

 seen the sky darkened with them, and the Bay like 

 driven snow, as their white backs glistened in the 

 sun; when they rose it was like one continuous roll 

 of thunder." * These birds had all certain well-known 

 lines by which they moved from one part of the bay 

 to another: here the professional fowler lay in wait 

 for their coming, either in a " sink boat " or other 

 " blind " anchored on the water, and surrounded by 

 decoys; or else upon some spit running out into the 

 water where, as Colonel Hawker advises, holes were 

 sunk wherein the fowler concealed himself, until the 

 unsuspecting fowl were close upon him. This continual 

 persecution has of latter days driven away the greater 

 part of the birds. The canvas-back however, also 

 frequents the great lakes, and other waters of the 

 interior, wherever in fact the wild celery, or the wild 

 rice, grows in abundance. There are always great col- 

 lections of aquatic fowl of many kinds to be found where 

 these valuable game-supporting water-plants do well; 

 for so far, we believe both of them are peculiar to 

 America, as they have never been successfully naturalized 

 in Great Britain or elsewhere, though at first sight there 

 does not seem to be any apparent sufficient reason 

 why they should not be so. 



Concerning the first, Valisneria Spiralis, or wild 

 celery, we have already said something ; its chief 

 habitat may be said to be on the head waters of the 



* See anecdote related in Shooting on Upland, Marsh, and Stream, 

 Edited by W. B. Leffingweli, 1890, p. 414. 



