258 



RECREATION. 



about the pond as if crazy, and are likely 

 to drop right in front of another stand. 



When geese are shot at in the night, the 

 cripples will go ashore and the only way to 

 find them is with a dog. The water spaniel 

 is chiefly used and will trail the birds into 

 the brush. I have followed a goose nearly 

 a mile before I found it. If the crip- 

 ple is a gander and is shot only in the 

 wing, the hunter catches him for a decoy, 

 and he soon becomes as tame as the others. 

 An old gander when caught in the woods 

 will sometimes put up a hard fight and gen- 

 erally leaves a sore spot wherever he hits 

 with his powerful wings. 



Silver lake, situated in the 4 towns of 



Pembroke, Kingston, Halifax and Plymp- 

 ton, is the best place in Massachusetts for 

 geese ; that is, there are more killed at that 

 pond than at any other 2 ponds in the 

 State. There are 6 stands on the lake, 

 and when all are occupied there are over 

 800 decoy geese used there. Widgeon 

 Point, owned by Mr. Thomas Arnold, has 

 always proved the best stand on the lake. 



Spring shooting is doing much harm to 

 the sport. Most of our sportsmen are op- 

 posed to spring shooting, yet a few persist 

 in going. Our goose shooters, as a rule, 

 are neither pot hunters nor game hogs, and 

 the average kill at most stands is not over 

 one goose a day during the season. 



AMATEUR PHOTO BY PERRY ARCHIBALD. 



A DIFFICULT TRAIL. 

 Highly commended in Recreation's Fifth Annual Photo Competition. 



