294 GROUSE AND OTHER LAND BIRDS 



man, women and boy able to handle a gun is out. 

 To avoid accidents, which are very rare, indeed, 

 each gun occupies a certain point or station and 

 shoots at all the birds that pass or light in his vic- 

 inity. The ladies keep watch for those that may 

 light near the houses. The bags vary, of course, 

 according to the skill of the shooter and his meth- 

 od of shooting. If he is there for business he will 

 take all the pot shots. He can frequently get five 

 or six in one shot. I have seen fourteen killed in 

 a single shot. A few will only shoot on the wing, 

 but there are many days when the wing shooter 

 comes out ahead. The biggest bag I ever made (it 

 was in 1885) shooting at flying birds, was eighty- 

 two brace in one morning. At Caribou Islands 

 that winter, nets were tried, but they were not 

 very successful, more being got by shooting. In- 

 dians frequently snare them by setting their 

 snares around willow clumps where the birds feed. 

 It is a very simple arrangement. A twig is stuck 

 in the snow, a twine snare is tied to it, a very light 

 support placed under it to hold it in position and 

 it is ready. In walking around, the bird runs in- 

 to it, then tries to rise on feeling the snare, only 

 to tighten the noose. There is a little fluttering 

 and it is all over. 



Like the poor Northern hare they have many 

 enemies, chief among which are the falcons and 

 owls, both horned and snowy, lynx, foxes, etc. 



We have no other winter birds worth mention- 



