78 AMERICAN GAME. 



wind upon him, so much so that the acuteness of his 

 senses has given rise to a general idea that he can detect 

 danger to windward by means of his olfactory nerves. 

 This is, however, disproved by the observations of that 

 excellent sportsman and pleasant writer, John Colqu- 

 houn of Luss, as recorded in that capital work, " The 

 Moor and the Loch," who declares decidedly, that al- 

 though ducks on the feed constantly detect an enemy 

 crawling down upon them from the windward, will con- 

 stantly, when he is lying in wait, silent and still, and 

 properly concealed, sail down upon him perfectly unsus- 

 picious, even when a strong wind is blowing over him 

 full in their nostrils. 



For duck shooting, whether it be practiced in this 

 fashion, by stalking them from the shore while feeding 

 in lakelets or rivers, by following the windings of open 

 and rapid streams in severe weather, or in paddling or 

 pushing on them in gunning-skiffs, as is practiced on the 

 Delaware, a peculiar gun is necessary for the perfection 

 of the sport. To my taste, it should be a double-barrel 

 from 33 to 36 inches in length, at the outside, about 10 

 guage, and ten pounds weight. The strength and weight 

 of the metal should be principally at the breech, which 

 will answer the double purpose of causing it to balance 

 well and of counteracting the call. Such a gun will 

 carry from two to three ounces of ~No. 4 shot, than which 

 I would never use a larger size for duck, and with that 

 load and an equal measure of very coarse powder 



