40 



MEMOIRS OF THE NUTTALL ORNITHOLOGICAL CLUB. 



finding themselves no longer disturbed, and in urgent need of food, often 

 approached the shores or entered the coves to feed among the lily pads or 

 by diving where the water was shallow. Some of them chose times when they 

 could do this without molestation, and others were too wary and cunning to 

 expose themselves to any serious risks ; but some one with a gun was nearly 

 sure to be on the watch, and every now and then a bird was successfully stalked 

 and shot. Stand shooting with decoys had ceased to be practised regularly by 

 any one. Ruthven Deane and I tried it a few times in the autumn of 1 867, but 

 without much success, for the birds were almost invariably shot at or otherwise 

 frightened away before we could get them within reach. At Smith's Pond, 

 however, a considerable number of Black Ducks and other ' surface-feeding ' 

 water-fowl were taken, during this period, by a man named Frost who shot for 

 the market over live decoys. Small flocks of Dumb-birds occasionally alighted 

 in this pond, and I killed a Ring-necked Duck there in November, 1867. 



With the shooting at Spy and the Mystic Ponds I had no personal experi- 

 ence, but it was reported to be quite as good as that at Fresh Pond, and to be 

 conducted on the same general principles, that is chiefly by means of boats in 

 which the gunners sculled out to the birds soon after the latter had alighted. 

 All these ponds were more or less regularly and frequently visited in autumn by 

 Pied-billed Grebes, Loons, Goosanders, Hooded Mergansers, Black Ducks, Green- 

 winged and Blue-winged Teal, Wood Ducks, Lesser Scaup Ducks, Golden-eyes, 

 Buffle-heads, Scoters of all three species. Ruddy Ducks, Canada Geese and Mud- 

 hens. There were, of course, a few other kinds of water-fowl which occurred 

 rarely or casually. Of those just named the Ruddy Ducks were everywhere 

 shot in much greater numbers than any of the others, although during some 

 seasons a good many Blue-winged Teal, Lesser Scaups, Buffle-heads and Old- 

 squaws were killed. There were local traditions among the older gunners at 

 both Fresh and Spy Ponds of the occasional appearance, in earlier times and 

 usually during heavy northeasterly storms, of immense flocks of Scoters which, 

 like the Dumb-birds, refused to depart after having been once scattered, and 

 were consequently slaughtered in great numbers. Without question some of 

 these stories were well founded, but no such visitations have ever come under 

 my personal obs.ervation, although a few Scoters were seen in Fresh Pond 

 nearly every autumn when I was in the habit of shooting there. 



As a natural result of the constant and ever increasing persecution just 

 described, most of the water-fowl had deserted Fresh Pond when it was taken 

 for a city park in 1884. Since then its shores have been regularly patrolled by 

 policemen who have kept the gunners away. The birds were not slow to note 

 the change and to act upon it. Despite the fact that practically all their former 

 feeding grounds had ceased to exist, they soon began returning to the pond, and 



