WILD FOWL. 
79 
stood upon the ice around it. They had three firings, both at 
once, and picked up eighty-eight Canvass-backs, and might have 
collected more, had they been able to get to the extremity of the 
ice after the wounded ones. In the severe winter of 1779-80, 
the grass, on the roots of which these birds feed, was almost 
wholly destroyed in James River. In the month of January, 
the wind continued to blow from w. n. w. for twenty-one days, 
which caused such low tides in the river, that the grass froze to 
the ice everywhere, and a thaw coming on suddenly, the whole 
was raised by the roots and carried off by the freshet. The 
next winter a few of these Ducks were seen, but they soon went 
away again, and for many years after, they continued to be 
scarce, and even to the present day, in the opinion of my inform¬ 
ant, have never been so plenty as before. 
“ The Canvass-back, in the rich, juicy tenderness of its flesh, 
and its delicacy of flavor, stands unrivalled by the whole of its 
tribe in this or perhaps any other quarter of the world. Those 
killed in the waters of the Chesapeake are generally esteemed 
superior to all others, doubtless from the greater abundance of 
their favorite food which these rivers produce. At all our pub¬ 
lic dinners, hotels, and particular entertainments, the Canvass- 
backs are universal favorites. They not only grace but dignify 
the table, and the very name conveys to the imagination of the 
eager epicure the most comfortable and exhilarating ideas. 
Hence on such occasions, it has not been uncommon to pay from 
one to three dollars a pair for these Ducks, and, indeed, at such, 
if they can, they must be had, whatever the price. 
“ The Canvass-backs will feed readily on grain, especially 
wheat, and may be decoyed to particular places by baiting them 
with that grain for several successive days. Some few years 
since, a vessel loaded with wheat, was wrecked near the en¬ 
trance of Great Egg Harbor, in the autumn, and went to pieces. 
The wheat floated out in vast quantities, and the whole surface 
of the bay was, in a few days, covered with Ducks, of a kind 
altogether new to the people of that quarter. The gunners of 
the neighborhood collected in boats in every direction, shooting 
