CANVASS-BACK. 279 



tention; this done, their coming up to such well-gotten up 

 affairs, follows almost as a matter of course."* 



HOLES IN THE ICE 



As the season advances, Dacks are most frequently obliged 

 to abandon their favorite feeding-grounds in the upper bay, 

 owing to the large masses of floating ice that are constantly 

 coming down the Susquehanna and the smaller streams that they 

 are wont to frequent. The Canvass-Backs are now driven to 

 great extremes to procure food, and are almost constantly on 

 the wing in quest of suitable spots to dive down for the still 

 tender roots of the Valisineria. 



At this unfortunate juncture, a cruel advantage is taken of 

 the half-starved condition of the poor Canvass-Backs to entice 

 them Avithin the reach of the murderous guns of those who lie 

 in ambush upon the shores of the Gunpowder, Bush, Elk, and 

 the many other smaller streams that are now frozen over. A 

 large hole of many feet in diameter is cut in the ice directly 

 over some choice feeding-shoal, suflEiciently near, however, to 

 the land to allow its being raked by the guns of those con- 

 cealed behind an ambush erected on the shore for the purpose. 

 Large numbers of Wild Fowl, more particularly the Canvass- 

 Backs, may be killed in this way, and the Shooter can lie still 

 and bang away at the Ducks all day long, as they will often- 

 times continue coming and going as fast almost as he can load, 

 provided they are driven to the extremity we have mentioned 

 above. These seasons of scarcity are not by any means un- 

 usual ; and a friend of the author's informs him that he has 

 killed as many as one hundred and fifty Canvass-Backs over 

 one of these feeding-holes in one day on the Gunpowder River. 



rOINT SHOOTING. 



Several of the above plans of shooting Ducks may be said 

 to be illegitimate ways of sporting, although pursued indis- 

 criminatel}'- by all those of our friends who participate in Wild 



* See Spirit of the Times, February 5, 1853. 



