94 



THE CANADIAN SPORTSMAN AND NATURALIST. 



renders " Teal's " strictures more uncalled 

 for. The concluding stanza of Longfellow's 

 poem runs thus : 



" And that bird is called the Crossbill, 

 Covered all with blood so clear; 

 In the groves of pine it singeth 

 Songs, like legends, strange to hear-" 



" Strange " indeed ! " Did anyone ever 

 hear a Crossbill singl Wilson says that they 

 have " a loud, sharp, and not unmusical note 

 and chatter as they fly." This scarcely carries 

 out the Poet's description. But Bechstein 

 tells us that it utters harsh, shrill, notes with 

 but little melody. One bird will try to surpass 

 the other : and those are the most esteemed 

 by the fancier which repeat frequently a sound 

 like reits or croits, and which is called the 

 crowing of the Crossbill." How does this 

 account, the correct one, tally with Mr. 

 Longfellow's " songs " ? 



With regard to the destruction of the 

 American Robin, advocated by " Teal," I may 

 remark that that bird is not much of an 

 insectivorous bird, that I do not purpose, in 

 future, to urge any plea in favour of its 

 immunity, inasmuch as during my absence 

 from home in September a number of Robins 

 played sad havoc with my grape-vines, 

 devouring nearly all the fruit. But, as to the 

 "Winter sport" of "shooting Black-birds 

 Thrushes, Larks, Redwings and Fieldfares," 

 I desire to add that I myself enjoyed such 

 " hedge-popping" sport when a boy, in England; 

 and as " Teal " appears fond of poetry I will 

 quote the following stanzas from an old 

 sporting song : 



" When J was but a little boy. 

 And scarce could lift a gun, 

 I oft would leavf each childish toy, 

 And to the fields would run. 



With pistol for my fowling-piece, 



I thought myself a man ; 

 And thus improving by degrees, 



A sportsman's life began. 



At Lark and Redwing and Fieldfare 



My skill I first did try : 

 At every bird that wings the air 



I quickly did let fly.'' 



There, sir, is " Teal to a T- But I, when I 

 became a man, put away such childish sport : 



" When older grown a gun I got, 

 A pointer, too, I bought: 

 And being now a decent shot 

 The stubble-field I sought; " 



aye, and the boos and mountains of Kerry too, 

 where, year by year, before leaving old 

 England lor this my adopted country, I enjoyed 

 sport worthy the name of sport, the enjoyment 



much enhanced by the hard work necessitated 

 in its prosecution. Now, " Teal " when he 

 writes about the pleasure of shooting Black- 

 birds, Larks, &c.,and of indulging in the " good 

 pie they make" must be very hard up for 

 genuine sport, or he must be too greatly ad- 

 dicted to the Lucullus like luxuries of the table. 

 We have read of dishes of Nightingales' 

 tongues, of the more expensive, but not less- 

 to-be-deprecated African draught of liquified 

 pearls ; but I scarcely expected to find the 

 shooting of Blackbirds Thrushes, and Larks, 

 for pies dignified with the term " Sport?" in 

 the pages of your Journal. 



Vincent Clementi. 

 Peterboro, November 19. 1881. 



To the Editor of the Canadian Sportsman and 

 Naturalist : 

 Sir, — Three friends and myself left Montreal 

 on the 4th November, bound on a duck-shoot- 

 ing trip to Lake St. Francis. We anticipated 

 some good sport, but were doomed to disap- 

 pointment, as, on arriving at the lake next day, 

 very few ducks could be seen. We tried 

 several of the best-known places on the lake, 

 for four days, but very few ducks came to our 

 decoys. So, we packed up our traps, and left 

 Lancaster, sadder, but wiser men. We shot 

 about 30 ducks, most of them being Scoters, 

 and Buffle-heads. I shot a long-eared owl. 

 (Otus Wilsonianus) on Ross' Island, which 

 may interest ornithologists. A gentleman 

 informed me that he was shooting on Lake 

 St. Francis, about the middle of October, and/ 

 at that time, Red-heads and Blue-bills, were 

 plentiful. He had some good sport, killing 

 thirty of the above-named ducks in one day. 

 Large Yellow-legs and Jack-snipe were abun- 

 dant, but as the ducks afforded him such good 

 sport, he did not go after the former. An 

 American steam yacht arrived on the lake the 

 day he left. I was informed that these Amer- 

 icans slaughtered several hundred ducks in a 

 week, and one day killed 127 ducks, shooting 

 out of a sink-boat, anchored out in the lake, 

 and having about 200 decoys out. I cannot 

 understand how it is, that the Canadian 

 authorities do not put a stop to these pot- 

 hunters slaughtering our game to supply 

 American markets. If Canadian sportsmen 

 went on United States grounds in pursuit of 

 game, they would very soon be arrested, fined, 

 and their guns confiscated. Therefore, we 

 should retaliate on them. I notice that the 

 Fall ducks vary in their arrival and departure 

 from our lakes, and would advise sportsmen 



