96 THE SPORTSMAN’S AND TOURIST’S GUIDE. 
the woodlands of nearly every farm. 
Quail are also quite numerous, though 
many are killed by the heavy snows of 
our severe Winters, whole bevies being 
sometimes found in the Spring under the 
deep drifts in the fence corners. Wood- 
cock breed plentifully along the numer- 
ous lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks, trout 
streams, and the surrounding  brush- 
covered bottom lands, whose rich, warm 
soil produces an abundance of food for 
these voracious feeders, and in favorable 
seasons a large brood is reared. Wood- 
duck are also found along these water 
courses. Ruffed grouse, quail, woodcock, 
and woodduck, are the only game birds 
that breed in this latitude, with the ex- 
ception of a few duck and snipe that are 
belated on their northward flight, and 
seck the secluded and inaccessible re- 
cesses of the marshes and swamps adja- 
cent to the lakes and bays, where their 
nests are made and their young reared. 
The wild turkey disappeared long since, 
and is a thing of the past. Of the mi- 
eratory birds which visit this section 
may be mentioned geese—which, how- 
ever, are seldom shot—brant, loon, many 
varieties of duck—principally mallard— 
black, teal, redhead, whistler, widgeon, 
sheldrake, coot, dipper, snipe, plover, 
and curlew, with an occasional rail. The 
Spring shooting of migratory birds 
amounts to but little. Ducks are often 
poor and unfit for food, and snipe make 
so short a stay that comparatively few 
are bagged. A good bag is occasion- 
ally made in favorable seasons if the 
shooter can be kept posted upon their 
arrival, and reaches the ground at once; 
but in case ‘‘ Winter lingering chills the 
lap of May,” and frequent frosts cover the 
marshes with a film of ice at night, it is 
useless to look for snipe. Immense flocks 
of pigeons formerly visited the western 
part of the State in the Spring, but for 
many years the flight has decreased un- 
til the number of these birds now met 
with in this part of the State is insignifi- 
cant. Ruffed grouse are found in con- 
siderable numbers in all parts of the 
State, especially in the vicinity of dense 
cedar swamps, to which they resort for 
food and shelter during the severe storms 
of Winter. At the expiration of the 
close season, whole broods are found to- 
gether in the uplands, and furnish ad- 
mirable sport with the aid of steady, 
well-trained setters or pointers. If, how- 
ever, the birds have been shot at by 
woodecock hunters, they are extremely 
wild, and are only found singly and in 
pairs. A great many ruffed grouse are 
shot around Batavia. A few years ago 
Cayuga Lake, Seneca River, and the 
extensive Montezuma Marshes contigu- 
ous thereto, fairly swarmed with duck, 
and was the favorite resort of sportsmen 
who traveled long distances to enjoy it, 
but the introduction of batteries has ut- 
terly destroyed the sport. The greater 
portion of the birds are driven away to 
other feeding grounds, and the remain- 
der are rendered so frightfully wild that 
they will not decoy, and cannot be shot. 
TWIN LAKES IN THE 
MEG” STATE. 
The Twin Lakes are fast growing into 
favor as a camping and picnic resort, and 
as there is but little of “‘ civilization,” so 
called, on their borders they may be con- 
sidered sufficiently wild for either pur- 
pose. On the mountain tops near at 
hand are lakes as really wild and much 
less frequented than the Adirondacks or 
Maine lakes, and abundantly stocked 
with fish and game. It costs $2.80 to 
get to Twin Lakes Station, via Harlem 
and Connecticut Western railroads, 
“NGE- 
