D4. THE SPORTSMAN’S AND TOURIST’S GUIDE. : 
and the numerous inlets and coves in | duck, pin-tails, bald-pates, green-winged 
that vicinity, Travis Point, Coan River, 
with its creeks and shoals, Presley’s, Cu- 
bitt’s, and Hall’s crecks, and finally the 
Little Wicomico River, empting into the 
Potomac a few miles below Chesapeake 
‘Bay is reathed, are all well-known as 
desirable feeding-grounds for water-fowl. 
On the Maryland side of the Potomac, 
commencing at Oxen Creek, between the 
City of Washington and Alexandria, and 
then in Broad Creek, just below that city, 
ducks are always found inseaon. Fol- 
lowing on down the river, are reach- 
ed Hatton’s Point, Piscataway Creek, 
Chapman’s Point, Pamunky Creek, Mat- 
tawoman Creek, Wade’s Bay, Chicomux- 
en Creek, Smith’s Point, Lower Thomas 
Point, Nanjemoy Creek, Blossom and 
Windmill Points, Port Tobaceo River, 
Pope’s Creek, Lower Cedar Point, Pic- 
cowaxton Creek, Swan Point, Neal’s 
Creek, the Wicomico River, St. Catha- 
rine’s Sound, Bullock’s, St. Catharine’s, 
St. Margaret’s, and Blackiston’s Islands, 
and then St. Clement’s Bay, Kaywood’s 
and Higgin’s Points, St. George’s Creek 
just below Piney Point, the St. Mary’s 
River, with its numerous creeks and in- 
lets, Calvert Bay, and finally Point Look- 
out, at the mouth of the river. Along 
the whole course of the river, in the 
creeks and shoal waters upon either side, 
the ducks, geese, and swan find the va- 
rious marine plants and grasses, water 
insects, crustacea, &c., upon which they 
feed and grow fat. 
» Generally the ducks begin to arrive 
at the localities enumerated from their 
breeding-grounds in the North, between 
the middle and latter part of October, 
when some of the smaller species, such as 
the buffle-head, make their appearance, 
and they are in the course of three or 
four weeks followed by the mallard, dusky 
teal, blue-winged teal, red-head, and last- 
ly, the famous canvas-back; but the lat- 
ter never abundant until severe weather 
sets in. The swan and geese arrive about 
the same time as the canvas-backs, and 
and they are in the course of three or 
svon distribute themselves over the Ches- 
apeake Bay and the neighboring rivers 
that empty into it. When the birds first 
arrive they are very poor, and their flesh 
vas no desirable flavor on account of 
their protracted flights. A few weeks’ 
rest on their chosen Southern feeding- 
grounds, and the abundance of their fa- 
vorite food which they procure, soon 
puts them in excellent condition, and 
they become tender and juicy. 
The marshes and low lands bordering 
on the Patyxent River, in Maryland, are 
generally filled with snipe about the Ist of 
April, and sportsmen from Baltimore and 
Washington usually have some delight- 
ful shooting there about that time, a good 
shot often bagging as many as fifty to 
seventy-five birds in a day’s tramp over 
the meadows and marshes, from which 
the reeds and grass are always burned in 
Febuary, preparatory to snipe shooting. - 
Good white-perch fishing can be had 
on the Upper Potomac in the neighbor- 
hood of the chain bridge.and Little Falls, 
They usually ascend the river with the 
shad, and from the Ist to the 20th of 
April bite ravenously at common angle 
worms. They remain in the deep holes 
of the Upper Potomac where the bottom 
is very rocky, until about the 1st of May, 
and then return to the salt water, but are 
caught at all times lower down the river, 
their favorite haunts being in the neigh- 
borhood of Aquia Creek, where the wat. 
er begins to get brackish, and between 
that point and Blackiston’s Island they 
are always plentiful. Many black bass 
