WILD-FOWL SHOOTING. 14! 



ern States, but their great habitat is in and about the 

 Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. Here they 

 find, by deep diving, quantities of a peculiar kind of 

 wild celery ; and it is claimed by many that it is this 

 food which gives their flesh its fine flavor. 



Canvas-backs are exceedingly difficult game to kill, 

 as they are very shy and fly with great rapidity. 

 When not mortally wounded they are very hard to 

 gather up, as they will swim a long time under water, 

 and exhaust the patience of almost any dog in follow- 

 ing them. 



The prices these ducks bring in the markets of the 

 principal cities from Boston to New Orleans are such 

 as to tempt many fowlers in pursuit of them for the 

 mere purpose of gain ; and the shooting of them in 

 the above-named waters at the proper season is a busi- 

 ness of no small magnitude. It is impossible to esti- 

 mate the quantity of these ducks taken in a good sea- 

 son. I have heard of parties bringing away loads of 

 them ; and when we consider the great extent of terri- 

 tory embraced in the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac 

 River district, and contemplate the peculiar adaptive- 

 ness of this territory for furnishing both sustenance 

 and places of rendezvous for ducks, we need not be 

 surprised at the reports which sportsmen bring of their 

 operations there. 



Canvas-back ducks can easily be detected from 

 others, even at a great distance. In flying, their ve- 

 locity is much greater than that of other varieties of 

 ducks ; . and in the water they can readily be distin- 

 guished by their constant habit of diving. 



