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FLORIDA AND THE GAME WATER-BIRDS
FLORIDA AND THE GAME WATER-BIRDS
OF THE ATLANTIC COAST AND THE LAKES OF THE UNITED STATES, WITH A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE SPORTING ALONG OUR SEASHORES AND INLAND WATERS, AND REMARKS ON BREECH-LOADERS AND HAMMERLESS GUNS. BY ROBERT BARNWELL ROOSEVELT, AUTHOR OF “THE GAME-FISH OF NORTH AMERICA,” “SUPERIOR FISHING,” “FIVE ACRES TOO MUCH,” “ISMS,” “POLYANTHUS,” ETC., ETC. ILLUSTRATED. NEW YORK: ORANGE JUDD COMPANY, 751 BROADWAY. 1884. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, by the ORANGE JUDD COMPANY, In the Office of
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
In preparing this work, after I had written the account of Florida, which, as a sporting country, had never been fully described, and was to occupy the principal part of my attention, and when I came to the second division, that relating to the game-birds of our waters and coasts generally, I found so much in a book on a kindred subject, which I had written years ago, that I concluded I could do no better than quote from it freely. The directions therein given are as correct now as then, the inf
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CHAPTER I. THE INLAND PASSAGE.
CHAPTER I. THE INLAND PASSAGE.
Florida—so named by its discoverers from the abundance, beauty and fragrance of its flowers. The Land of Flowers—what a beautiful sentiment. Alas, it was never called anything of the sort. Land happening to be first seen by the brave and sturdy warrior but not imaginative linguist, Juan Ponce de Leon, on Palm Sunday, his discovery was called, with due and Catholic reverence, after the day and not after any abundance of flowers, which were probably not abundant on the sand spit where he planted h
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CHAPTER II. IN FLORIDA.
CHAPTER II. IN FLORIDA.
And now we are at Fernandina, in Florida at last. It has been a long but a delightful trip. Of all the yachting we ever did, and all of us have been more or less followers of the sea, that is, the inland sea, since childhood, we agreed unanimously this sail from New York to the South by the inland navigation, was the most delightful. It was an unbroken charm from the beginning to the end, with no more of real danger about it than would have been encountered on Broadway under falling bricks and o
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CHAPTER III. CURRITUCK MARSHES.
CHAPTER III. CURRITUCK MARSHES.
Duck shooting has held its own better than any other kind of sport in the States east of the Mississippi. Ruffed grouse have almost disappeared, woodcock have grown scarcer and scarcer, English-snipe visit us less abundantly, while the bay-birds have nearly ceased to be in sections where they were once overwhelmingly abundant, but it is possible still, on Lake Erie, along the coast, and at many inland places to make a fair, if not, as often happens, an excellent bag, of ducks. But the best place
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CHAPTER I. GAME AND ITS PROTECTION.
CHAPTER I. GAME AND ITS PROTECTION.
By the ancient law of 1 and 2 William IV., chap. 32, under the designation of game, were included “hares, pheasants, partridges, grouse, heath or moor game, black game, and bustards.” Hunting and hawking date back to the earliest days of knight-errantry, when parties of cavaliers and ladies fair, mounted on their mettlesome steeds caparisoned with all the skill of the cunning artificers of those days, pursued certain birds of the air with the falcon, and followed the royal stag through the well
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CHAPTER II. GUNNERY—MUZZLE-LOADERS AND BREECH-LOADERS.
CHAPTER II. GUNNERY—MUZZLE-LOADERS AND BREECH-LOADERS.
To the young sportsman, armed with the finest of implements, and trusting much to them for his success, it is a matter of mortification and surprise how well a bad gun will shoot in good hands; nevertheless, no true sportsman ever lived but, if he were able by any self-denial to scrape the means together, would purchase a valuable and necessarily expensive fowling-piece. Not only is a well made and handsomely finished gun safer and lighter than a cheap affair manufactured for the wholesale trade
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CHAPTER III. BAY-SNIPE SHOOTING.
CHAPTER III. BAY-SNIPE SHOOTING.
The various writers on the different kinds of sport in our country have generally devoted their attention to upland shooting; to the quail, woodcock, English snipe, ruffed grouse of the hills, dales, and meadows, to the prairie-chicken of the far west, or to the larger game—the ducks, geese, and swans of our coast; and the few suggestions to be found in Frank Forester’s Field Sports , or Lewis’s American Sportsman , are of little assistance in discussing the mode of capture of their less fashion
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CHAPTER IV. THE JERSEY COAST. “A Girl from New Jersey.”
CHAPTER IV. THE JERSEY COAST. “A Girl from New Jersey.”
Why is it that every one who visits New Jersey comes away with an ecstatic impression of Jersey girls that he never can forget? Lovely they are, it is true, but not more beautiful than other fair ones of America; affable, gentle, graceful, sprightly—but these qualities are common in our angel-favored country. Yet no one that has been blessed with their company can forget them, but carries for ever in his heart the image of one, if not two or three, Jersey girls. These reflections were suggested
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CHAPTER V. BAY-BIRDS.
CHAPTER V. BAY-BIRDS.
Although a cursory account of the various bay-birds, their habits and peculiarities, has been given in a previous chapter, it seems desirable to add a more complete, exhaustive, and specific description. This is attempted in the following pages, and although the ornithological characteristics are taken from Giraud’s Birds of Long Island , which seems to have been the resource of all our sporting writers, nothing else is derived from him; but the facts are stated, either upon personal knowledge,
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CHAPTER VI. MONTAUK POINT.
CHAPTER VI. MONTAUK POINT.
The eastern end of Long Island, that extremity which seems to stretch out like the hand of welcome towards the nations of the old world, beckoning their inhabitants to our hospitable shores, is divided into two long points like the tines of a fork. The upper point shuts in Long Island Sound, and protects our inland commerce from the violence of the “Great Deep;” while the lower prong, which is kissed on the one side by the blue waters of the Peconic Bay, and on the other is buffeted by the billo
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CHAPTER VII. RAIL SHOOTING.
CHAPTER VII. RAIL SHOOTING.
Success in this delightful sport depends as much upon the proper accessories, together with experience in minor matters, as in the great art of properly handling the gun. The best shot, badly equipped, will be surpassed by an inferior marksman accustomed to the business, and thoroughly fitted out for it. The shooting is done among high reeds, and from small, light, and unstable skiffs, which are poled over muddy shallows with an unsteady motion that puts an end to skill which is not founded on l
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CHAPTER VIII. WILD-FOWL SHOOTING.
CHAPTER VIII. WILD-FOWL SHOOTING.
It is not proposed to give any extended account of wild-fowl shooting as practised on the waters of Long Island, or in the neighborhood of the great Northern cities; the unsportsmanlike modes of proceeding which are there in vogue, and which, while contravening all true ideas of sport, insult common sense by the ruthless injury they inflict, have been fully set forth by other writers. In stationing a battery—that imitation coffin, which should be a veritable one, if justice had its way, to every
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CHAPTER IX. DUCK-SHOOTING ON THE INLAND LAKES.
CHAPTER IX. DUCK-SHOOTING ON THE INLAND LAKES.
Out West—’way out West—a very long distance from our eastern cities in miles, but, thanks to steam and iron, a very short one in hours, upon an island lying in a bay that debouches into one of the great chain of lakes, is situated a large, neat, white-painted and comfortable house, where a club of sportsmen meet to celebrate the advent and presence of the wild ducks. The mansion—for it deserves that name from its extent and many conveniences—peeps out from amid the elms and hickories that cover
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CHAPTER X. SUGGESTIONS TO SPORTSMEN.
CHAPTER X. SUGGESTIONS TO SPORTSMEN.
The word “sport” has been more abused, ill-treated, and misapplied than any other in our language; of a high, pure, and noble signification, it has been debased to unworthy objects; of a restricted and refined significance, it has been extended to a mass of improper matters; from its natural elegant appropriateness, it has been degraded to vulgar and dishonest associations. The miserable wretch who lives on the most contemptible passion in human nature, and with practised skill cheats those who
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CHAPTER XI. DIRECTIONS FOR BUILDING A BATTERY.
CHAPTER XI. DIRECTIONS FOR BUILDING A BATTERY.
A battery , or sink-boat as it is called in some parts of the country, is a narrow box with a platform around it, so arranged that the weight of the shooter will sink it so nearly level with the water that the ducks will not notice it when it is hidden among the stand of stools that are always anchored around it. The box is almost square, narrowed a little on the bottom and at the foot, twenty-two inches across at the head, eighteen at the foot on the top, and four less on the bottom; the two en
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The Goose.
The Goose.
Genus Anser , Briss. Generic Distinctions. —In this class of birds, the bill is shorter than the head, rather higher than broad at the base; head small, compressed; neck long and slender; body full; feet short, stout, and central, which enables them to walk with ease; wings long; tail short, rounded....
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The Wild Goose.
The Wild Goose.
Canada Goose. Anas Canadensis , Wils. Specific Character. —Length of bill from the corner of the mouth to the end, two inches and three-sixteenths; length of tarsi, two inches and seven-eighths; length from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, about forty inches; wing, eighteen; the head and greater portion of the neck black; cheeks and throat white. Adult with the head, greater part of the neck, primaries, rump, and tail, black; back and wings brown, margined with paler brown; lower pa
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The Brant.
The Brant.
Barnacle Goose—Brent Goose. Anas Bernicla , Wils. Specific Character. —Bill black; head and neck all round black; a patch on the sides of the neck white; upper parts brownish-grey, the feathers margined with light greyish-brown; quills and primary coverts greyish-black; fore part of breast light brownish-grey, the feathers terminally margined with greyish-white; abdomen and lower tail-coverts white; sides grey; feathers rather broadly tipped with white. Length two feet; wing fourteen inches and
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The Swan.
The Swan.
Genus Cygnus , Meyer. Generic Distinctions. —Bill longer than the head, higher than broad at the base, depressed and a little widened towards the end; upper mandible, rounded, with the dorsal line sloping; lower mandible flattened, with the angle very long, and rather narrow; nostrils placed near the ridge; head of moderate size, oblong, compressed; neck extremely long and slender; body very large, compact, depressed; feet short, stout, placed a little behind the centre of the body; tarsi short;
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The White Swan.
The White Swan.
American Swan. Cygnus Americanus , Aud. Specific Character. —Plumage, pure white; bill and feet black; length of the specimen before us, four feet; wing twenty-one and a half inches. These magnificent birds, the most majestic of the game-birds of our continent, are rarely shot to the northward and eastward of Chesapeake bay, but are much more abundant in the far West—even to and beyond the Rocky Mountains....
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Fresh-water Ducks.
Fresh-water Ducks.
Genus Anas , Linn. Generic Distinctions. —Bill higher than broad at the base, widening towards the end, and about the same length as the head; the upper mandible with a slight nail at the end; neck rather long; body full; wings moderate, pointed; feet short, stout, and placed behind the centre of the body; walks with a waddling gait; hind toe furnished with a narrow membrane....
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Mallard.
Mallard.
Green Head, English Duck, Grey Duck (female), the Duck, the Wild Duck. Anas Boschas , Wils. Specific Character. —Speculum bright purple, reflecting green, bordered with black; secondaries broadly tipped with black; secondary coverts towards their ends white, broadly tipped with black; adult male with the entire head and upper part of the neck bright green, with a few touches of reddish-brown passing from the forehead, on the occiput; middle of the neck with a white ring; the lower part of the ne
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Black Duck.
Black Duck.
Dusky Duck. Anas Obscura , Wils. Specific Character. —General plumage dusky; speculum green, reflecting purple, bordered with black; secondaries tipped with white. Adult with the forehead, crown, occiput, and middle space on the hind neck brownish-black, the feathers slightly margined with greyish-brown; cheeks, loral space, and sides of the neck dusky grey, streaked with black; throat reddish-brown; general plumage dusky, lighter beneath; under wing-coverts white; speculum brilliant green; bill
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Gadwall.
Gadwall.
Welsh Drake, German Duck. Anas Strepera , Wils. Specific Character. —Speculum white; secondary coverts black; upper wing-coverts chestnut red; general plumage dusky grey, waved with white; abdomen white. Adult with the bill bluish-black; head and upper part of the neck grey, streaked with dusky—darkest on the upper part of the head, as well as the middle space on the hind neck; lower neck, upper part of the breast and fore part of the back blackish-brown, the feathers marked with semicircular ba
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Widgeon.
Widgeon.
Bald-pate. Anas Americana , Wils. Specific Character. —Bill short, the color light greyish-blue; speculum green, banded with black; under wing-coverts white. Adult male with the loral space, sides of the head below the eye, upper part of the neck and throat, brownish-white, spotted with black; a broad band of white, commencing at the base of the upper mandible, passing over the crown; behind the eye, a broad band of light green, extending backwards on the hind neck about three inches; the feathe
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Pintail.
Pintail.
Sprig-tail—Pigeon-tail—Grey-Duck. Anas Acuta , Wils. Specific Character. —Bill long and narrow, lead color; at the tip a spot of block, at the corner of the mouth a spot of similar color; neck long and slender; speculum bright purple, with reflecting deep green bordered with black; the feathers broadly tipped with white; tail long and pointed. Adult male with head, cheeks, throat, upper parts of the neck in front and sides, dark brown; a band of light purple behind the eye, extending about three
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Wood-duck.
Wood-duck.
Summer-Duck. Anas Sponsa , Aud. Specific Character. —The pendant crest, the throat, upper portion of the fore neck, and bands on the sides of the neck white, with the speculum blue, glossed with green and tipped with white. Adult male with the bill bright red at the base, the sides yellow; between the nostrils a black spot reaching nearly to the black, hooked nail; the head is furnished with long silken feathers, which fall gracefully over the hind neck, in certain lights exhibiting all the colo
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Green-winged Teal.
Green-winged Teal.
Anas. Anas Crecca , Wils. Specific Character. —Bill black, short, and narrow; the outer webs of the first five secondaries black, tipped with white; the next five plain rich green, forming the speculum; secondary coverts tipped with pale reddish-buff. Adult male with a dusky band at the base of the bill, of which color is the throat; a faint white band under the eye; upper part of the neck, sides of the head, and the crown, chestnut brown; a broad band of bright green commencing behind the eye,
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Blue-winged Teal.
Blue-winged Teal.
Anas Discors , Wils. Specific Character. —Bill bluish-black and long in proportion with the other dimensions of this species; smaller wing-coverts light-blue; speculum purplish-green. Adult male with the upper part of the head black; a broad band of white on the sides of the head, before the eye margined with black; rest part of the head, and upper part of the neck greyish-brown, with purple reflections on the hind neck; chin black; lower parts reddish-brown; lower part of the fore neck and side
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Spoonbill.
Spoonbill.
Shoveller. Anas Clypeata , Wils. Specific Character. —Bill brownish-black, about three inches in length, near the end it is more than twice as broad as it is at the base; much rounded and closely pectinated, the size of the upper mandible at the base having the appearance of a fine-toothed comb. Adult male with the head and the neck for about half its length glossy green, with purple reflections; lower part of the neck and upper part of the breast white; rest of the lower plumage deep chestnut-b
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Sea-Duck.
Sea-Duck.
Genus Fuligula. Generic Distinctions. —In this class the head is rather larger, neck rather shorter and thicker, than in the preceding genus (Anas), plumage more dense, feet stronger, and the hind toe with a broad appendage, which is the principal distinction....
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Canvas-back.
Canvas-back.
Fuligula Valisneria , Wils. Specific Character. —Bill black, the length about three inches, and very high at the base; fore part of the head and the throat dusky; irides deep red; breast brownish-black. Adult male with the forehead, loral space, throat, and upper part of the head dusky; sides of the head, neck all round for nearly the entire length, reddish-chestnut; lower neck, fore part of the breast and back black; rest of the back white, closely marked with undulating lines of black; rump an
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Red-Head.
Red-Head.
Fuligula Ferina , Wils. Specific Character. —Bill bluish, towards the end black, and about two inches and a quarter long; irides yellowish-red. Adult male with head, which is rather large, and the upper part of the neck all round, dark reddish chestnut, brightest on the hind neck; lower part of the neck, extending on the back and upper part of the breast, black; abdomen white, darker towards the vent, where it is barred with undulating lines of dusky; flanks grey, closely barred with black; scap
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Broad-Bill.
Broad-Bill.
Blue Bill, Scaup, Black Head, Raft Duck. Fuligula Marila , Linn. Specific Character. —The head and neck all round, with the fore part of the breast and fore part of back, black; the sides of the head and the sides and hind part of the neck dark green, reflecting purple; length of bill, when measured along the gap, two inches and five-sixteenths; length of tarsi one inch and three-eighths; length from the point of the bill to the end of the tail nineteen inches; wing eight inches and five-eighths
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Whistler.
Whistler.
Golden Eye, Great Head. Fuligula Clangula , Linn. Specific Character. —Bill black, high at the base, where there is quite a large spot of white; head ornamented with a beautiful crest, and feathers more than an inch long and loose; insides yellow; the entire head and upper part of the neck rich glossy-green, with purple reflections, more particularly so on the throat and forehead; rest of the neck, with the entire plumage, white; sides of the rump and vent dusky grey; tail greyish-brown; back an
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Dipper.
Dipper.
Butter Ball, Buffel-Headed Duck, Spirit Duck. Fuligula Albeola , Linn. Specific Character. —Bill blue, from the corner of the mouth to the end about one inch and a half, the sides rounded, narrowed towards the point; head thickly crested, a patch behind the eye and a band on the wings white. Adult male with the plumage of the head and neck thick, and long forehead; loral space and hind neck rich glossy green, changing into purple on the crown and sides of the head; from the eye backwards over th
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Old Wife.
Old Wife.
South Southerly, Old Squaw, Long-Tailed Duck. Faligula Glacialis , Linn. Specific Character. —Length of bill, from the termination of the frontlet feathers to the point, one inch and one-sixteenth—the upper mandible rounded; the sides very thin; the bill rather deeply serrated, and furnished with a long nail; tail feathers acute. In the male the middle pair of tail feathers are extended about four inches beyond the next longest, which character is wanting with the female. Adult male with the bil
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Merganser.
Merganser.
Genus Mergus , Linn. Generic Distinctions. —Bill straight, higher than broad at base; much smaller towards the end; upper mandible hooked; teeth sharp; head rather large, compressed; body rather long, depressed; plumage very thick; feet placed far behind; wings moderate, acute; tail short, rounded. ...
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Shell-Drake.
Shell-Drake.
Goosander Wenser. Mergus Merganser , Wils. Specific Character. —Forehead low; head rounded, crested; bill bright red, the ridge black, high at base; upper mandible much hooked. Adult male with the head and upper part of the neck greenish-black; lower portion of the neck white; under plumage light buff, delicately tinged with rose-color, which fades after death; sides of the rump greyish-white, marked with undulating lines of dusky; fore part of the back and inner scapulars glossy black; hind par
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