CANVAS-BACK. 299 



ART OF SHOOTING DUCKS. 



"We have now nearly drawn to a close the whole subject of wild- 

 fowl shooting ; but little remains to say further, except, perhaps, 

 an effort on our part to instruct beginners in the art of shooting 

 ducks, both on the wing and water. Without some instructions on 

 this head, and a great deal of practice besides, we can assure the 

 most determined tyro that he would make but a poor show of 

 shooting among the skilful duckers of the Chesapeake. He might, 

 however, stand an equal chance with the oldest of them, provided 

 he could ever be so fortunate as to meet with canvas-backs in the 

 same predicament that a correspondent of the Spirit states that 

 some punters found a flock of black and gray ducks on the ice of 

 Little Creek, in Canada ; that is, too fat to fly, and wanting in 

 energy sufficient to get out of the way when pursued. 



The particulars of this sporting incident being so very curious 

 and unique, we think it worth while to transfer to our pages the 

 extract of the letter containing the details, leaving it for naturalists 

 and sportsmen to explain the phenomenon as they best can. As 

 for ourselves, we do not feel inclined to believe that ducks could 

 become too fat to fly, in the month of December, in the bleak 

 regions of Canada, and doubt very much whether such an occur- 

 rence could be so general under any circumstances, no matter how 

 plenty the most nutritious food might be. Might not the singular 

 conduct of these fowl be attributed rather to sickness produced by 

 some unnatural cause, or perhaps the eating of some deleterious 

 substance forced upon them by the severity of the weather ? How- 

 ever, here is the extract ; we give it as we find it : 



"By-the-by, talking of cold, I have a most extraordinary cir- 

 cumstance to tell you in the sporting way. Two punters last week 

 went to the Long Island marsh, which has been for some time 

 frozen up, for the purpose of trapping. Walking along the ice near 

 the creek, I think called Little Creek, they saw a great number 

 of ducks on the ice, and crawled up very cautiously to get a shot. 

 They were, however, much surprised, on coming near them, to find 



