WILD DUCKS. 283 
If a person would become satiated with wild-fowling, he 
has only to visit Chesapeake or Delaware Bay, or such 
States as Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon, and 
California, and Florida and Texas in winter, for the birds 
in these regions may be compared to the sands of the sea, 
if so bold a simile is permissible. 
Good retrievers are essential to success in duck shoot- 
ing from the shore, for, without them, many birds would 
CHESAPEAKE BAY DOG. 
be lost. The favorite retrieving dogs along the coast are 
the Chesapeake Bay breed, which cannot be excelled for 
work in cold or heavy water, and which, when trained, 
have no rivals in their special business, as they are 
strong, courageous, and very intelligent. Poodles are 
not used, notwithstanding their many excellent qualities, 
and Irish retrievers are also comparatively scarce. 
Having mentioned the systems of wild-fowling prac- 
tised throughout the Continent, I may as well resume a 
short description of the various species of ducks, 
