D. P. IN GRAHAM. 6 1 



hour to move a hundred yards toward the flock ; so that 

 when I had 400 yards to make to bring me within shooting 

 range, I had a very nice little job before me. Even with all 

 that caution, if I succeeded in getting within 150 or 125 

 yards of the birds I thought I was doing remarkably well. 



Most of my birds were taken at very long range, and I 

 have killed more birds at over 125 yards than at any less 

 distance. I used a No. 10 gauge gun, loaded with all the 

 powder that would burn inside of the barrel, leaving room 

 in my longest shells for only about i^ ounces of No. " F" 

 shot, or about 35 pellets to the load. I found that amount 

 of powder necessary to give penetration enough at that 

 distance. The birds were ordinarily very fat, and I have 

 taken from the body after skinning more than a pint of oil. 

 I found the birds very loath to fly over the land, and took 

 advantage of this circumstance to secure many a shot. 

 When I found them occupying some lagoon or bay connected 

 by a narrow passage to some other body of water, I would 

 take my position on some point of land where the water- 

 passage was narrowest, and with two loaded shells in my 

 hand and two in my gun, w^ould send my assistant around 

 to the opposite side of the flock. When he showed himself 

 within a fourth of a mile of them they would take wing, and 

 if there were no other opening out of the lagoon they would 

 almost invariably take the course I had anticipated, unless 

 the lagoon was too large, when they might alight in some 

 other part of it. If the flock took the outside passage and 

 came within 100 yards of me I expected to get in my four 

 shots and usually kill four birds. 



My first experience among these beautiful birds was in 

 the winter of 1884-5, while on a trip down the west coast of 

 Florida. My yacht was built expressly for my use in col- 

 lecting, being broad and flat-bottomed, large enough to give 

 me good accommodations for living and working, and yet to 

 draw but little water. We took the inside passage from the 

 Island of Malco toward the bay to the south of Cape 



