WAfilNESti OF THE BLACK DUCK. 273 



large (more so than mallard) and very powerfully built, 

 they can carry away an enormous deal of shot. 



I can well remember a circumstance illustrative of this. 

 There was a marsh close to my head-quarters last year. 

 To while away the afternoon, I took my gun, and, with my 

 landlord, started to explore some open water reported about 

 a mile from home; for the late frosts had been severe, and all 

 places that did not possess a rapid current were ice-locked. 



The early portion of our tramp had been extremely un- 

 profitable, but as we were crossing a narrow creek on the 

 most unstable of bridges, temporarily constructed of fence- 

 rails purloined from the arable land of a neighboring farm- 

 er, a brace of black duck flushed within twenty yards of us. 

 My companion, as he was holding on by the skin of his 

 teeth to escape a ducking, could not shoot. I, who was 

 situated in a less precarious position, could ; so, making a 

 violent effort to pull myself together, I put in both barrels ; 

 the first shot told its execution by cutting out a handful of 

 feathers, the second by dropping the object at which I aim- 

 ed it stone-dead. However, the wounded bird went off 

 with such velocity and power, that but little hope was en- 

 tertained of recovering it ; and as its retreating form grad- 

 ually diminished in the distance, remarks to that effect 

 passed between us, although both continued to gaze after 

 it as long as its retreating form was in view. My friend's 

 sight being better than mine, some seconds after I had 

 turned my attention to other matters, informed me that 

 my bird was down, and he thought he could find it. After 

 a long and troublesome detour we reached the place, and 

 the retriever recovered it in a few minutes. On examina- 

 tion, there was not a shot in the head, but the body was 

 riddled to such an extent as to induce one to surmise how 

 it was possible for the machinery of the body to work un- 

 der such circumstances. 



12* 



