Chapter XIV: Appendix

The following technical descriptions are taken mainly from “Giraud’s Birds of Long Island,” a work that is now almost out of print, but which is more valuable to the student of nature than some of its more pretentious rivals; and I have interpolated such suggestions and made such alterations as my experience dictated and the purposes of this work demanded. A discourse on the wild-fowl of the Northern States hardly seemed complete without such a description of them as would enable the sportsman to distinguish one from another; and yet it was not within the purview of a work intended for sportsmen, to devote much attention or many of its pages to ornithology. This is therefore condensed into an Appendix, where it will not trouble the general reader, but will be easy of reference when the information it contains is wanted.

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.

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 part of the neck and under plumage, whitish-grey; flanks, darker grey; cheeks and throat white, as are the upper and under tail-coverts. The plumage of the female rather duller.

This bird is nowhere very abundant, but migrates across the Northern States in their entire breadth from ocean to ocean; it obeys the call well, and stools readily if the gunner is carefully concealed. It is the latest in its migrations of the wild-fowl.

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 a half. Female rather smaller.

The brant is not fond of the fresh lakes and streams, but prefers the ocean and its contiguous bays and lagoons; it is far more abundant along the sea-coast than upon the western waters, and in fact I am not aware that I have ever killed one in the inland States. It responds to its peculiar note, stools well, and is often killed in great numbers on the South Bay of Long Island.

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; wings long, broad; tail very short, graduated.

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.

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.

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 neck and breast reddish-brown, approaching to chocolate; fore part of the back light brown, rest of the back darker; rump black; upper tail coverts greenish-black; upper parts of the wings brown, intermixed with grey; breast, sides, flanks, and abdomen, grey, transversely barred with dusky; bill greenish-yellow; feet reddish-orange; tail rounded, consisting of sixteen pointed feathers, nearly white; speculum violet; length two feet, wing eleven inches.

Female smaller than the male; speculum less brilliant; general plumage brown; head and neck streaked with dusky; the feathers on the back and flanks margined with white, with a central spot of brown on the outer webs; bill black, changing to orange at the extremity.

This bird is abundant both at the West and along the coast, but on the fresh water it frequents the mud-holes and shallow marshes, in contradistinction to the open water-ducks that affect the broad unbroken stretches of water.

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 yellowish; feet reddish-orange. Female rather smaller, plumage lighter, speculum less brilliant. Length of male about two feet; wing eleven inches.

These ducks are killed equally in the fresh and salt waters; they come to the decoys warily.

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 semi-circular bands of white, more distinctly on the fore part of the neck and upper part of the breast; sides of the body pencilled with greyish-white and dusky; lower part of the breast and abdomen white, the latter barred with dusky towards the vent; lower and upper tail-coverts and sides of the rump greenish-black; tail greyish-brown, margined with white; hind part of the back dark brown, faintly barred with white; primaries brown; secondaries greyish-brown, tipped with white; middle coverts reddish-brown; a few of the outer secondaries broadly margined with greenish-black; inner scapulars brown, broadly margined with dull yellowish-brown; outer undulated with dark brown and yellowish-white; feet dull orange. Female two inches shorter; about four inches less in extent. Length twenty-one inches and a half; wing eleven.

This is an ugly duck, and not much esteemed by epicure or sportsman.

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 feathers on the nape rather long; lower neck and sides of the breast, with a portion of the upper part of the breast, reddish-brown; rest of the lower parts white, excepting a patch of black at the base of the tail; under tail-coverts same color; flanks brown, barred with dusky; tail greyish-brown, tipped with white; two middle feathers darker and longest; upper tail-coverts white, barred with dusky; lower part of the hind-neck and fore part of the back undulated with brownish and light brownish-red, hind part undulated with greyish-white; primaries brown; outer webs of inner secondaries black, margined with white--inner webs greyish-brown; secondary coverts white tipped with black; speculum brilliant green, formed by the middle secondaries. Length twenty-one inches, wing ten and a half. Female smaller, plumage duller, without the green markings.

This duck is much prized along the sea-coast, but at the West he holds an inferior rank.

PINTAIL.

Sprig-tail--Pigeon-tail--Grey-Duck.

_Anas Acuta_, Wils.

_Specific Character._--Bill long and narrow, lead color; at the tip a spot of black, 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 inches on the sides of the neck; on the hind neck a band of black, with green reflections, fading as it extends on the back--a band of white commencing between the two former, passing down the neck on the lower part of the fore neck; breast and fore part of the abdomen white, tinged with pale yellow--hind part of the abdomen and vent greyish-white tinged with yellow, and marked with undulated lines of brown or dusky; at the base of the tail a patch of black; under tail-coverts black, margined with whitish; two middle feathers black, with green reflections, narrow, and about three inches longer than the rest, which are rather long and tapering; upper tail-coverts ash-grey, margined with yellowish-white, with a central streak of dusky. Rump greyish-brown, marked with undulating lines of white; sides of the rump cream color; sides of the body, back, and sides of the breast, marked with undulating lines of black and white. Primaries brown; shafts brownish-white, darker at their tips; secondaries and scapulars black, with green reflections, the former margined with grey, which is the color of the greater part of the outer web, the latter margined with white; speculum bright purple, with splendid green reflections edged with black, the feathers broadly tipped with white. Length twenty-nine inches, wing eleven. Female with the upper part of the head and hind neck dark brown, streaked with dusky; sides of the throat and fore neck lighter; a few touches of rust color on the chin and on the base of the bill. Upper plumage brown, the feathers margined and tipped with brownish-white; lower plumage brownish-white, mottled with brown; speculum less extensive, and without the lengthened tail feathers so conspicuous in the male.

This duck is more abundant in the neighborhood of the great lakes than along the margin of the ocean; in epicurean qualities it ranks with the black 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 colors of the rainbow; a narrow white line from the base of the upper mandible, passing over the eye; a broader band of the same color behind the eye, both bands mingling with the long feathers on the occiput; throat and upper portion of the fore neck pure white, a band of the same color inclining towards the eye; a similar band on the sides of the neck, nearly meeting on the nape; lower portion of the neck reddish-purple, the fore part marked with triangular spots of white; breast and abdomen dull white; sides of the body yellowish-grey, undulated with black; the feathers towards the ends marked with a broad band of black, succeeded by a band of white; tips black; tail and upper tail-coverts greenish-black; lower tail-coverts brown; sides of the rump dull reddish-purple; rump, back, and middle portions of the hind neck, dark reddish-brown, tinged with green; a broad white band before the wings, terminating with black; lesser wing-coverts and primaries brown, most of the latter with a portion of their outer webs silvery white; the inner webs glossed with green towards the ends; secondaries tipped with white; their webs blue, glossed with green; the inner webs brown, their crowns violet-blue; secondaries black.

Female, upper part of the head dusky, glossed with green; sides of the head, upper portion of the sides of the neck, with the nape, greyish-brown; a white patch behind the eye; throat white, the bands on the sides of the neck faintly developed; fore part and sides of the neck, with the sides of the body, yellowish-brown, marked with greyish-brown; breast and abdomen white, the former spotted with brown; lower tail-coverts greyish-white, mottled with brown; tail and upper tail-coverts dark brown, glossed with green; rump, back, and hind neck, dark brown, glossed with green and purple; bill dusky, feet dull green. The crest less than that of the male, and plain dull brown. Length twenty inches; wing eight inches and a half.

This is an extremely beautiful duck, but of moderate size; it is rare on the sea-coast, but absolutely swarms during the month of September among the lily-pads of the Western swamps. Fed upon the berry of this plant, called at the South chincapin, it becomes fat and deliciously tender. It does not pay much attention to decoys.

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, passing down on the nape, where it is separated by the terminal portion of the crest, which is dark blue; lower part of the hind neck, a small space on the fore neck, and the sides of the body, undulated with lines of black and white; lower portion of the fore neck and upper part of the breast reddish-brown, distinctly marked with round spots of brownish-black; abdomen yellowish-white, faintly undulated with dusky; a patch of black under the tail; outer tail-feathers buff, inner white, with a large spot of black on the inner webs; tail brown, margined with whitish, the outer feathers greenish-black; upper parts brown, faintly undulated with black and white, on the fore part of the back; outer scapulars similar, with a portion of their outer webs black; lesser wing-coverts brown-ash; greater coverts tipped with reddish-cream; the first five secondaries velvety-black; the next five bright green, forming the speculum, which is bounded above by pale reddish-buff, and on each side by deep black; before the wing a transverse, broad white band.

Female smaller; head and neck streaked with brownish-white and dusky, darker on the upper part of the head; lower parts reddish-brown, the feathers margined with dusky, upper parts dusky-brown, the feathers margined and spotted with pale reddish-white, without the chestnut red and the green on the head; the black patch is wanting, as is the white band before the wings, the conspicuous spot on the wings is less extensive. Its short and narrow bill is at all times a strong specific character; length fifteen inches; wing seven inches and a half.

This is an excellent little duck, too confiding for its own security, but capable of saving itself by great rapidity of flight. It is greatly attracted by decoys, and will generally alight among them if permitted.

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 sides of the body spotted with blackish-brown; breast and abdomen barred with the same color; lower tail-coverts blackish-brown; tail brown, margined with paler, the feathers pointed, a patch of white on the sides of the rump; back brownish-black, glossed with green; the feathers on the fore part of the back and lower portion of the hind neck margined with yellowish-white; primaries brown; inner webs of the secondaries same color; outer vanes dark green, which form the speculum; secondary coverts brown, the outer broadly tipped with white, the inner tipped with blue; tertials dark-green, with central markings of deep buff; feet dull yellow.

Female without the white patch on the sides of the head; throat white; lower parts greyish-brown, the feathers spotted with darker; upper parts blackish-brown, the feathers margined with bluish-white and pale buff; smaller wing-coverts blue; speculum green; secondary coverts the same as those of the male; length fourteen inches, wing seven inches and a half.

This species greatly resembles the last.

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-brown, excepting the lower tail-coverts and a band across the vent, which is black, some of the feathers partly green; flanks brownish-yellow pencilled with black and blackish-brown; inner secondaries dark green with terminal spot of white; outer secondaries lighter green; primaries dark brown, their shafts white, with dusky tips; lesser wing-coverts light blue; speculum golden-green; rump and upper tail-coverts greenish-black, a patch of white at the sides of the rump; tail dark brown, the feathers pointed, broadly edged with white, of which color are the inner webs of the three outer feathers.

Female with the crown dusky; upper plumage blackish-brown, the feathers edged with reddish-brown; breast yellowish-white, marked with semi-circular spots of white. Young male with similar markings on the breast; length twenty inches and a half, wing ten.

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.

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 and upper tail-coverts blackish; wing-coverts grey, speckled with blackish; primaries and secondaries light slate color; tail short, the feathers pointed; lower part of the breast and abdomen white; flanks same color, finely pencilled with dusky; lower tail-coverts blackish-brown, intermixed with white; length twenty-two inches, wing nine and a quarter.

Female, upper parts greyish-brown; neck, sides, and abdomen the same; upper part of the breast brown; belly white, pencilled with blackish; rather smaller than the male, with the crown blackish-brown.

This is without question the finest duck that flies, as it is the largest and gamest; it is abundant late in the season, but wary.

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; scapulars the same; primaries brownish-grey; secondaries lighter; back greyish-brown, barred with fine lines of white; rump and upper tail coverts blackish-brown; tail feathers greyish-brown, lighter at the base; lower tail-coverts brownish-black, rather lighter than the upper; length twenty inches; wing nine and a half. Female about two inches smaller, with the head, neck, breast, and general color of the upper parts brown; darker on the upper part of the head, lighter on the back; bill, legs, and feet, similar to those of the male.

This duck, as it is scarcely distinguishable from the canvas-back, and has mainly the same habits, is but little inferior to that incomparable bird.

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; a broad white band crossing the secondaries and continues on the inner primaries. Adult male with the forehead, crown, throat, and upper part of the fore neck brownish-black; sides of the head, neck, and hind neck, dark green; lower portion of the neck all round, with the upper part of the breast, purplish-black; rest of the lower parts white, undulated with black towards the vent; under tail-coverts blackish-brown; tail short, dark brown, margined and tipped with lighter brown; upper tail-coverts and rump blackish-brown; middle of the back undulated with black and white; fore part black; wings brown, darker at the base and tips; speculum white, formed by the band crossing the secondaries and inner primaries; scapulars and inner secondaries undulated with black and white; secondary coverts blackish-brown, undulated with white. Female with a broad patch of white on the forehead; head, neck, and fore part of the breast umber brown; upper parts blackish-brown; abdomen and lower portions of breast white; scapulars faintly marked with white.

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 and wings brownish-black--a large patch of white on the latter, formed by the larger portion of the secondaries and the tips of its coverts; legs reddish-orange. Length twenty inches; wing nine inches. Female head and upper part of the neck dull brown; wings dusky; lower parts white, as are six of the secondaries and their coverts; the tips of the latter dusky. About three inches smaller than the male.

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 the head a triangular patch of white; the entire breast and sides of the body pure white; abdomen dusky white; tail rounded, greyish-brown; upper tail-coverts lighter; under tail-coverts soiled white; back and wings black, with a patch of white on the latter. Female upper plumage sooty-brown, with a band of white on the sides of the head; outer webs of a few of the secondaries same color; lower part of the fore neck ash-color; breast and abdomen soiled white; tail feathers rather darker than those of the male. Male fourteen and a half inches long; wing six inches and three-fourths. Female rather smaller.

The dipper is quite plentiful everywhere in the Northern States, but not much valued.

OLD WIFE.

South Southerly, Old Squaw, Long-Tailed Duck.

_Fuligula 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 bill black at the base; anterior to the nostril reddish-orange, with a dusky line margining the nail; fore part of the head white, the same color passing over the head down the hind neck on the back; eyes dark red; cheeks and loral space dusky-white, with a few touches of yellowish-brown; a black patch on the sides of the neck terminating in reddish-brown; fore neck white; breast brownish-black, terminating in an oval form on the abdomen--the latter white; flanks bluish-white; primaries dark brown; secondaries lighter brown, their coverts black; a semi-circular band of black on the fore part of the back; the outer two tail feathers white--the rest marked with brown, excepting the four acuminated feathers, which are blackish-brown, the middle pair extending several inches beyond the others. Female without the long scapulars or elongated tail feathers; bill dusky-green; head dark, greyish-brown--a patch of greyish-white on the sides of the neck; crown blackish; upper parts dark greyish-brown; lower parts white. Length of male from the point of the bill to the end of the elongated tail feathers twenty-three inches; wing eight inches and five-eighths. Female about six inches less in length.

This bird is abundant along the coast, but is generally tough and fishy.

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.

SHELL-DRAKE.

Goosander Weaser.

_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 part of the back ash-grey; the feathers margined and tipped with greyish-white, lighter on the rump; upper tail-coverts grey, the feathers marked with central streaks of dusky; tail feathers darker; primaries dark brown; wing coverts and secondaries white, the outer webs of the latter edged with black; the basal part of the greater coverts black, forming a conspicuous band on the wings; under tail-coverts white, outer webs marked with dusky grey, which is the color of the greater part of the web; bill and feet bright red. Female with the head and upper part of the neck reddish-brown; throat and lower neck in front white; breast and abdomen deeply tinged with buff; upper parts and sides of the body ash-grey; speculum white. Length of male, twenty-seven inches; wing, ten and a half. Female about three inches smaller. Young like the female.

RULES FOR TRAP-SHOOTING

OF THE

NEW YORK SPORTSMEN’S ASSOCIATION.

RULE I. _Traps, Rise, and Boundaries._--All matches shall be shot from H and T plunge-traps. Rise for single birds to be twenty-one yards; and for double birds eighteen yards. The boundaries shall be eighty yards for single birds, and one hundred yards for double birds, which, in single-bird shooting, shall be measured from a point equidistant from, and in a direct line between, the two traps; in double-bird shooting from a point equidistant from, and in a direct line between, the centre-traps.

RULE II. _Scoring._--When a person is at the score and ready to shoot, he is to call “pull;” and, should the trap be sprung without his having given the word, or in single-bird shooting should more than one bird rise at a time, he may take the bird or birds, or not; but if he shoot, the bird or birds shall be charged to him. The party at the score must not leave it to shoot, and must hold the butt of his gun below his elbow until the bird or birds rise; and in case of infraction of this provision, the bird or birds shall be scored as missed.

RULE III. _Rising of Birds._--A bird must be on the wing when shot at. All contingencies from missfire, non-explosion of cap, gun not cocked, etc., etc., are at the risk of the party shooting.

RULE IV. _Recovering Birds._--It shall be optional with the party shooting to recover his own birds, or to appoint a person for that purpose. He shall in all cases walk directly up to the bird and take it without injury; and, in case of doubt, hand it to the Judges for their decision. If a bird flies outside the bounds it shall be scored as missed. Should a bird alight upon a tree, house, or any other resting-place within the bounds, after it has been shot at, the party shooting, or his deputy, shall proceed immediately to the spot, and if the bird does not fall, without any extraneous means being used, such as throwing clods, stones, sticks, or using poles, etc., within three minutes from the time it alights, it shall be scored a miss.

RULE V. _Flight of Birds._--In double shooting, both birds shall be on the wing when the first is shot at; if but one bird flies, and but one barrel is fired or snapped, the birds shall in no wise be scored, whether hit or missed, but the party shooting shall have two more birds; or if both birds fly and are killed with one barrel, he must shoot at two other birds.

RULE VI. _Placing the Traps._--In single-bird shooting the distance between the traps shall be eight yards; in double-bird shooting, as four traps are used, the H and T traps shall be set alternately, and four yards apart. When five traps are used, they shall be four yards apart.

RULE VII. _Powder and Shot._--The charge of shot shall not exceed 1½ ounces. All the guns shall be loaded from the same charger, except in cases of breech-loaders, when the Referee may open one or more cartridges to ascertain if the charge of shot is correct.

RULE VIII. _Ties._--In case of a tie at single birds, the distance shall be increased five yards, and shall be shot off at five birds. In case of a second tie, the distance shall again be increased five yards, and this distance shall be maintained till the match is decided. The ties in double-bird shooting shall be shot off at twenty-one yards rise without any increase, at five double rises.

RULE IX. _Judges and Referee._--Two Judges and a Referee shall be appointed before the shooting commences. The Referee’s decision shall be final; he shall have power to call “No bird,” in case any bird fails to fly; and may allow a contestant another bird in case the latter shall have been baulked, or interfered with, or may, for any reason satisfactory to the Referee, be entitled to it. If a bird shall fly towards parties within the bounds, in such a manner that to shoot at it would endanger any person, another bird may be allowed; and if a bird is shot at by any person besides the party at the score, the Referee shall decide how it shall be scored, or whether a new bird shall be allowed.

THE END.

INDEX.

Accidents from muzzle-loaders, 42.

Accidents in rail-shooting, 197.

A day’s shooting in New Jersey, 106.

Adventure in New Jersey, 99.

“A Girl from New Jersey,” 98.

American golden plover, 143-179.

American gun-makers, 63.

American ring-plover, 158;
swan, 306.

Anas, bernicla, 304;
canadensis, 304;
genus, 306;
boschas, 306;
obscura, 308;
strepera, 308;
Americana, 309;
acuta, 310;
sponsa, 312;
crecca, 314;
discors, 316;
clypeata, 317.

Ancient and modern hunting, 8.

Apparatus necessary for breech-loader, 37.

Appendix, 303.

Barnegat Bay, 22.

Barnegat pirates, 117-118.

Bartram’s sandpiper, 152.

Bass-fishing out West, 261.

Bathing-party on Jersey coast, 103.

Batteries, 20;
description of, 21, 205;
condemned, 21, 22, 25.

Bay-birds, 19;
definition of, 66;
improper modes of pursuing, 20;
batteries, 20, 21, 22, 25.
(See Bay-Snipe.)

Bay-snipe, shooting, 66, 103, 104;
none in England, 58;
what are, 66;
traits of, 103;
sociability of, 103;
peculiarities of, 136;
“trading,” 104;
skill required for shooting, 67;
sport of shooting, 68-106;
shooting on the Jersey coast, 106;
the French gentleman’s beautiful shot, 69;
rivalry in shooting, 70;
number bagged at one shot, 70;
flight of uncertainty as to, 71, 85, 86-87;
season for sport, 71-72;
flying, mode of, 72;
flight, line of, 73-86;
lead migration of game birds, 18;
flight, direction of, 73-74;
period of incubation, 73;
varieties of, 74;
sickle-bills, 75;
jack-curlew, 76;
plover, 109;
marlin, 76;
willet, 77;
golden plover, 77-112;
black-breast, 77;
yelper, 77;
yellow-legs, 77;
brant-bird, 78-132;
robin-snipe, 78;
dowitcher, 78-132;
krieker, 78-131;
pursuit of; best mode, 78;
stools, 79-80, 82-83;
calls, 79, 83-84;
stands, 79;
wooden stools best, 81;
whistling, 84;
cries of the birds, 84;
shooting, uncertainty of, 85;
gun to be used for, 87-90;
charge and powder for, 87-91;
how to carry the gun, 87;
shooting, dress for, 90;
names of; confusion as to, 91;
names of, varieties of, 91;
names of, scientific, 92-109;
varieties of; Bartram’s sandpiper, 110;
frost-bird and frost-snipe, 92-113;
meadow-snipe, 92;
beach-bird, 92;
fat-bird, 92;
short-neck, 92;
pectoral sandpiper, 92;
horsefoot snipe, 92-132;
varieties of, discussion about, 109;
which are good eating, 93;
stringing, how to be done, 94;
migration of, 94;
localities for, 94-95, 97;
not killed south of Virginia, 95;
at Quogue, 96;
sport spoiled by establishment of watering-place, 96;
at Squan Beach, 97;
at Barnegat, Egg Harbor, Brigantine Beach, 97;
shooting in New Jersey, 106.

Beach-bird, 113, 145.

Beach on Jersey coast, 101.

Beach-robins, 148.

Beetle-headed plover, 141.

Big yellow-legs, 165.

“Bill,” and the names of the plovers, 113.

Bill’s ghost stories, 120.

Bill’s house, 116.

Birds, wounded, what becomes of them, 237.

Birds, definition of term, 9.

“ game, which are, 10;
in restaurants out of season, 15;
protection of, 10, 13, 14;
services rendered by, 11, 12;
out of season, 16;
legal time for killing, 17;
singing birds, murder of, 13;
season for killing different kinds, 17, 18, 19;
migration of game-birds, 18.

Black-bellied plover, 112-141.

Bald-pate duck, 309.

Black duck, 308.

Black-head duck, 320.

Blue-bill duck, 320.

Blue-winged teal, 316.

Blind for shooting, 106.

Blind-snipe, 157.

Blue-bills, 238.

Blue-fish, season for, 133.

Bony fish, 134.

Black-breast, 141, 156.

Brant-bird, 148.

Breech-loaders, 32, 37;
advantages of, 42, 287;
objections to, 43, 48-49;
superiority of, 33;
history of, 33;
Lefaucheux, 33;
mode of using, 34, 35;
safety of, 39;
cartridge for, 34, 39, 50, 62;
needle-gun, 36;
Jeffries gun, 36;
English gun, 37;
impervious to wet, 41;
apparatus necessary for, 37;
recoil of, 41;
refilling cartridges, 54, 57;
trial between breech and muzzle-loaders in 1863, 44;
pigeon match with, 44;
discussion as to in “The Field,” 43;
the dead shot, 48-59;
heating of gun, 58;
useful for killing snipe, duck, and rail, 60;
compared with muzzle-loaders, 60;
Dougall’s invention, the lockfast, 61;
price of, 62;
must be imported, 64.

Broad-bill, 238, 320.

Brown-back, 171.

Bull-headed plover, 112-141.

Buffel-headed duck, 322.

Butter-ball duck, 322.

Calls for birds, 79, 83-84.

Canvas-back ducks classified as sea-ducks, 237;
comparison between them and mallards, 237, 318.

Carrying gun, 87.

Cartridges for breech-loaders, 34-39;
safety of, 39;
impervious to wet, 41;
objections to answered, 50;
filling, 50;
refilling, 54-57;
extractor, 54;
missfires with, 56;
best kind, 62.
(See breech-loaders.)

Cedar-birds destroy worms, 11.

Change of guns, 28.

Change of seasons for birds, 113.

Charadrius, helveticus, 112, 141;
pluvialis, 112, 143, 179;
semipalmatus, 113;
vociferus, 113, 146;
hiaticula, 145;
rubidus, 147.

Charge used for shooting bay-birds, 87.

“Charley’s,” 101.

Cheap guns, 28.

Chesapeake Bay, ducks on, 20.

Cleaning gun, 89.

Close times for killing game-birds, 17.

Clubs, sportsmen’s, 14;
Western, 219.

Coast of New Jersey, 106.

Comparison between breech and muzzle-loaders, 60.

Confusion in names of birds, 91.

Cook’s “Tommy,” 98.

Crabtown, 100.

Crack shots, 274.

Cross-shots, 278.

Cries of birds, 84.

Curlew, 76, 133, 173;
Esquimaux, 176.

Cygnus, genus, 305;
Americanus, 306.

Dead birds, stools made of, 82.

“Dead-shot,” the, 48, 58-59.

Deceptions by gun-makers, 30.

Decoys, 79.

Defence of sporting, 273.

Definition of game in English law, 7.

Delaware rail-shooting, 197.

Depredations of worms checked by birds, 10-11.

Derivation of name of “plover,” 111.

Description of plover, 111.

Dipper-duck, 322.

Doe-bird, 176.

Dogs, for wild-fowl shooting, 207;
for all shooting, 208;
varieties of, 209;
training of, 210;
colors of, 211;
Newfoundland, 209, 212;
retriever, 209;
at the South, 209.

Dougall’s invention--the “lockfast,” 61.

Dowitch, 171.

Dowitcher, the, 78, 132, 171.

Dress for shooting, 90.

Ducks, game, 10;
time for killing, 17-18;
where plentiful, 20;
Classification of, 237;
flavor of, 236;
shooting, 219;
with breech-loader, 60;
sport of, 213-227;
localities for, 213;
weather for, 214;
on inland lakes, 219;
sportsmen’s club out West, 219;
adventures in West, 221, 226;
Mud Creek bridge, 229;
record of shooting in the West, 233;
talk about sport, 233;
canvas-backs and the wild celery, 235;
shot to be used for, 238;
Henry, 282;
how to shoot the ducks, 255;
Irish gentleman’s shot, 256;
among the weeds, 258;
punting, 259;
fresh-water, 306;
mallard, 306;
greenhead, English, grey, wild, 306-310;
gadwall, Welsh drake, German, 308;
widgeon, bald-pate, 309;
pintail, sprig-tail, pigeon-tail, 310;
wood, 312;
summer, 312;
green-winged teal, 314;
blue-winged teal, 316;
spoonbill, shoveller, 317;
sea duck, 318;
canvas-back, 318;
red-head, 319;
broad-bill, blue-bill, scaup, black-head, raft, 320;
whistler, golden eye, great-head, 321;
butter-ball, buffel-headed, spirit, 322;
old wife, south-southerly, old squaw, long-tailed, 323;
Merganser, 324;
shell-drake, goosander weaser, 325.

Dusky duck, 308.

Eating, which birds are best for, 93.

England, no bay-snipe nor rail in, 58.

England, trial of breech-loaders in, 44-47.

English guns, German palmed off as, 30.

English guns preferable, 37.

English law defines game, 7.

English snipe, 114;
seasons for, 133.

English duck, 306.

European woodcock, 8.

Farmer’s interest in protecting birds, 10.

Fat-bird, 92-160.

“Field,” the, on breech and muzzle-loaders, 43.

Field-plover, 152.

Fight for shooting stands, 126.

Fighting, reflections on, 129.

Filling cartridges, 50.

Firing gun too close to companion, 70.

Fish, blue, seasons for, 133;
bony, 134.

Fishing at the West, 261.

Flight of bay-snipe, 72-73, 86;
direction of, 73.

Flight of game-birds, led by bay-snipe, 18;
order of flight, 18.

Flight of plover, 153.

Food, which birds are best for, 93.

Frank Forester on plover, 112.

French gentleman’s beautiful shot, 69.

Fresh-water ducks, 306.

Frost-birds and frost-snipe, 92, 113, 143, 157.

Fute, the, 176.

Fuligula, genus, 318;
valisneria, 318;
ferina, 319;
marila, 320;
clangula, 321;
albeola, 322;
glacialis, 323.

Gadwall, 308.

Game, definition of in English law, 7;
protection of, 10, 14-15;
purchase of at unseasonable times, 15;
at restaurants, 15;
legal times for killing, 17;
upland game disappearing, improper pursuit of, 20;
bay-birds not killed as game south of Virginia, 95.

Game-birds, definition of term, 9, 273.

Game-laws, 14.

“Gap,” the, 260.

Geese, game-birds, 10;
description of varieties, 303.

Genus strepsilas, 148;
totanus, 163;
limosa, 168;
numenius, 173;
anser, 303;
cygnus, 305;
anas, 306;
fuligula, 318;
Mergus, 324.

German guns, 30;
duck, 308.

Ghost stories of Jersey coast, 120.

Giraud on plover, 112.

Godwit, 133, 168, 170;
great marbled, 168.

Golden plover, 77;
specific character, 143, 179;
at Nepeague Beach, 185.

Golden-eye duck, 321.

Goose, the, 303;
wild, 304;
Canada, 304;
brant, 304;
barnacle, 304;
brent, 304.

Goosander weaser, 325.

Grass plover, 152.

Grassy point, 255, 268

Greater yellow-shanks, 165.

Great pond, Long Island, 187.

Great-head duck, 321.

Green-head duck, 306.

Green-winged teal, 314.

Grey duck, 306, 310.

Grey plover, 152.

Grouse, time for killing, 18.

Guns, good and inferior, 27;
first used for feathered game, 7;
changing, 28;
for bay-birds, 87, 90;
cheap, dangerous, 28;
light, necessary, 29;
difficulty of distinguishing between good and bad, 30;
German, palmed off as English, 30;
importers of, practise deceptions, 30;
how to distinguish good from bad, 31;
how to select, 31;
how to carry, 87, 286;
protect and clean, 87, 88, 89;
Manton’s theory, 32;
breech, shape of, 32;
breech-loaders, 32-37;
advantages of, 42;
objections to, 43-48;
superiority of, 33;
history of, 33;
Lefaucheux, 33;
Jeffries, 36;
English preferred, 37;
Dougall’s invention--the lockfast--61;
the dead-shot, 48, 58-59;
makers of in America, 63;
fired too close to shooting companion, 70;
recoil of gun, 280;
load for, 281;
shot for, 282;
rules for safety, 284.

Habits of plover, 153-160.

Hackensack rail-shooting, 201.

Hawking in olden time, 7.

“Henry,” 252;
his advice, 252;
he shoots with the author, 264.

Horsefoot snipe, 92, 132, 148.

How to clean, carry, and protect the gun, 87, 88, 89.

How to string birds, 94.

How to approach plover, 155.

Hudsonian curlew, 173.

Hunting in olden time, 7.

Hunting, comparison between ancient and modern, 8.

Imported guns best, 63.

Improper pursuit of game, 20.

Incubation of bay-birds, 73.

India-rubber stools, 83.

Inferior guns, 27.

Inlet, closing of, 134.

Interest of farmer to protect game-birds, 10.

Irishman’s duck-shooting, 255.

Jack-curlew, 76, 173.

Jacks, 133.

Jack-snipe, 160.

Jakey’s tavern, 102.

Jeffries’ breech-loaders, 36.

Jersey, a girl from, 98.

Jersey coast shooting, 106.

Jersey courts and damages, 180.

Jersey, bathing in, 103.

Jersey coast, a day’s shooting on, 106.

Judgment required in bay-bird shooting, 70.

Kentuckian’s bass-fishing, 261;
his wager, 263.

Kildeer plover, 113-146.

Killing song-birds, 13.

“ game-birds out of season, 15.

“ birds, game-laws, 14.

“ legal times for, 17, 18, 19.

“ by batteries, 21, 22, 25;
by pivot-guns, 23, 25;
by sail-boats, 24.

Killing snipe, ducks, and rail, gun for, 60.

Krieker, 78, 131, 160.

Lakes at the West increasing, 268.

Lattimer Marsh, 266.

Laws, game, 14, 15.

Lefaucheux gun, 33-64.

Legal times for killing, 17-18.

“Lester’s,” 180.

Light gun necessary, 29.

Limosa, 133;
fedoa, 168;
Hudsonica, 168.

Little yellow-legs, 166.

Long Island, South Bay, 20.

Long-legged sandpiper, 157.

Lockfast, the, 61.

Loading, accidents from, 42.

Long-billed curlew, 174.

Long-tailed duck, 323.

Localities for bay-snipe, 94-97.

Lucky man’s duck-shooting, 240.

Mallard, 306.

Manton’s theory, 32.

Marbled godwit, 168.

Marlin, 76, 168, 170;
ring-tailed, 170.

Match, shooting, in England, 44.

Meadow-snipe, 92, 160.

Merganser, 324.

Mergus, 324.

Migration of birds, order of, 18;
of bay-birds, 94.

Missfires with breech-loader cartridge, 56.

Montauk, sport at, 188;
Point, 178.

Mud-creek bridge, 229.

Muskrat traps, 266.

Musquitoes, 90, 101, 125, 135.

Muzzle-loaders and breech-loaders, 27.

Muzzle-loaders, accidents from, 42.

“ and breech-loaders, trial between, 45;
discussion about in field, 43;
pigeon match between, 44;
compared, 60.

Names of bay-birds, confusion as to, 91;
varieties of names, 91;
scientific species, 109;
of plovers, “Bills,” remarks, 113.

Needle-gun, 36.

Nepeague Beach, 180.

New York snipe, 132.

New Jersey, sport in, 106;
a girl from, 98;
adventure in, 98;
bathing in, 103;
wreckers in, 116;
pirates of, 117;
ghost stories about, 120;
courts and damages, 130;
fight for stands, 126.

Numenius, 133;
Hudsonicus, 173.

“ Longirostris, 174.

“ Borealis, 176.

Number of birds bagged at one shot, 70.

Olden-time hunting, 7.

Old-squaw duck, 323.

Old-wife duck, 323.

Ortley family in Jersey and the fight, 126.

Ox-eye, 162.

Pectoral sandpiper, 92-160.

Peculiarities of bay-birds, 136.

Pigeon-match in England, 44.

Pigeon-shooting practice, 2-4.

Pigeon-tail duck, 310.

Pintail duck, 310.

Potomac, ducks on, 20.

Pivot-guns, condemned, 23-25.

Plover, shooting, directions for, 188;
a game bird, 10;
kinds of, 109;
discussion about, 110, 111;
Frank Forester and Giraud on, 112;
charadrius helveticus, 112, 141;
pluvialis, 112, 143;
black-bellied, 112, 141;
bull-head, 112, 141;
ring-neck or ring, 113;
semipalmatus, 113;
Wilson’s, 113;
piping or beach-bird, 113, 145;
melodius, 113;
kildeer, 113, 146;
vociferus, 113, 146;
“Bill’s” remarks about names of, 113;
specific character of each species, 141;
black-breast, 141, 156;
beetle-headed, 141;
American golden, 143, 179;
frost bird, 143;
hiaticula, 145;
sanderling, 147;
rubidus, 147;
turnstone, 148;
genus strepsilas, 148;
brant-bird, 148;
strepsilas interpres, 148;
horsefoot snipe, 148;
beach-robins, 148;
sandpiper, 150;
robin-snipe, 150;
red-breasted sandpiper, 150;
tringa cinerea, 150;
tringa rufa, 150;
upland plover, 152;
grey, grass, or field, 152, 179.

Plover, American ring, 158.
(See bay-birds and bay-snipe.)

Poachers, 15.

Pond-lily channel, 269.

Punting for rail, 192.

Quail, a game-bird, 10;
not migratory, 10;
time for killing, 17-18.

Quail snipe, 171.

Raccoon Beach, 23.

Rail, a game-bird, 10;
none in England, 58;
shooting, 190;
flight of, 191;
description of sport, 191, 202;
in boat, 192;
Delaware sport, 194, 197;
breech-loader best for, 192;
charge for, 195;
best places for rail-shooting, 199;
rail in Illinois, 199;
varieties of, 201;
short-billed and long-billed, 201;
Hackensack shooting, 201;
eating of, 203.

Raft-duck, 320.

Red-head duck, 319.

Red-backed sandpiper, 156.

Red-breasted sandpiper, 150-171.

Restaurants having game out of season, 15.

Ring-plover or ring-neck, 113-158.

Ring-tailed marlin, 170.

Rivalry in bay-snipe shooting, 70.

Robberies by ducks from each other, 235.

Robins, service of, 12.

Robin-snipe, 78-150.

Rules for trap-shooting, 326.

Sail-boat used to pursue ducks, 24.

Sand-fleas, 135.

Sanderling, 147.

Sandpiper, 133, 150;
Bartram’s, 110, 152;
pectoral, 92, 160;
red-breasted, 150;
red-backed, 156;
long-legged, 157;
Wilson’s, 162.

Scaup, 238, 320.

Scientific names for birds, 92.

Scolopacidæ, 132, 170;
noveboracensis, 132, 171;
flavipes, 166;
fedoa, 168.

Seasons for bay-birds, 71.

Sea-duck, 318.

Semipalmated tatler, 164.

Shell-drake, 325.

Shooting, dress for, 90;
match in England, 44;
on Jersey coast, 106;
rail, 190;
from boats, 192;
duck, 216;
at the West, 220;
art of, 274;
trap, rules for, 326.

Short-billed curlew, 173.

Short-neck, 92.

Shot, the dead, 45, 58;
by the French gentleman, 69;
for ducks, 238;
what is a good one, 277;
cross, 278;
aim, 279;
recoil, 280;
crack, 274;
load, 281;
quickness, 283;
practice, 283.

Shoveller duck, 317.

Sickle-bills, 75, 133.

Sickle-billed curlew, 174.

Sir Francis Francis, 277.

Sneak-box, 114

Snipe, a game-bird, 10;
time for killing, 17;
when it stools, 133;
migration of, 18;
time for bay-snipe, 19;
batteries, 20;
no bay-snipe in England, 58;
killed by breech-loaders, 60;
English snipe, 114, 133;
shooting bay-snipe, 66, 103;
what are so-called, 66;
winter-snipe, 156;
peep, 156;
blind, 157;
frost, 157;
meadow, 160;
jack, 160;
quail, 171;
snipe, 170.
(See bay-snipe.)

South-southerly duck, 323.

Spoonbill duck, 317.

Spirit duck, 322.

Sprig-tail duck, 310.

Sport, misapplication of term, 271, 272;
when in perfection, 19;
spoiled by batteries, 20;
by watering-places, 96;
at South and West, 22, 220;
at Barnegat Bay, 22;
at Nepeague Beach, 180.

Sporting, defence of, 273.

Sportsmen, term misapplied, 13, 271;
protect birds, 14;
club in the West, 219;
shooting there, 220;
suggestions to, 271;
art of shooting, 274;
shot, 275.

Squan Beach, 97.

Stands, 79;
fight for, 106.

Stools, 79-80;
India-rubber, 83;
dead birds, 82;
wooden, 81.

Stories of Jersey pirates, ghosts, and wreckers, 119;
of the lucky man’s duck-shooting, 240;
of the unlucky man’s trout-fishing, 245.

“Stratton’s,” 187.

Strepsilas, genus, 148;
interpres, 132, 148.

Swallows serviceable, 12.

Summer-duck, 312.

Swan, 305;
White, 306;
American, 306.

Table of shots with breech-loaders, 45, 46.

Tatler, 166;
semipalmated, 164;
tell-tale, 165.

Tell-tale tatler, 165.

The beach, New Jersey, 101.

The “dead shot,” 48.

The Englishman’s woodcock-shooting, 126.

The fight for stands, 126.

“The Field,” 43.

The French gentleman’s shot, 69.

The Jersey girls, 98.

The “lockfast,” 61.

Times for killing birds, 17, 18, 19.

Totanus, 133, 163;
semipalmatus, 164;
vociferus, 165;
flavipes, 166.

“Trading,” 104.

Traits of bay-birds, 103.

Trap-shooting, 288;
where pursued, 288;
obtaining pigeons for, 289, 291;
assistants for, 291;
skill in, 291;
tame and wild pigeons compared, 292;
how to keep pigeons for, 293;
varieties of traps, 294, 299;
retrieving of birds in this sport, 295;
missfires, 296;
guns and load for, 296-298;
number of birds which may be killed in succession, 297;
English rules, 298;
ties, 298;
New York State Convention of 1865, 299;
plunge and spring traps, 299;
decay of trap-shooting, 300;
rules for, 326.

Trial of breech-loaders in England, 43.

Tringæ, 133;
Bartramia, 110, 152;
hiaticula, 158;
cinerea, 150;
rufa, 150;
alpina, 156;
himantopus, 157;
pectoralis, 160;
semipalmata, 162;
pusilla, 162.

Turkey, 9.

Turnstone, 132, 148.

Unlucky man’s trout-fishing, 245.

Upland game disappearing, 19.

Upland plover, 152.

Use of song-birds, 12.

Varieties of bay-birds, 74;
discussion as to, 109.

Varieties of names of bay-birds, 91, 109.

Virginia rail, 201.

Wager about duck-shooting, 263.

Water-fowl, time to kill, 18.

Watering-place, spoils sport, 96.

Welsh drake, 308.

West, the sportmen’s club there, 219;
adventure in, 221.

Western sport, 22.

Willet-shooting, 114.

Willet, 164.

Winter-snipe, 156.

Wilson’s plover, 113.

Wilson’s sandpiper, 162.

Wild rice of the West, 224.

Wild celery stolen from canvas-backs by widgeons, 235.

Wild-fowl shooting, 205;
in batteries, 205;
at the West and South, 206;
dogs for, 207;
localities for, 213;
how to shoot, 215.

Whistling for birds, 83.

Whistler duck, 321.

White swan, 306.

Widgeon, 319.

Wild duck, 306.

Woodcock, European, 8;
a game-bird, 10;
time to kill, 17;
shooting by the Englishman, 126.

Wood-duck, 312.

Wooden stools, 81.

Worms, depredations of, 11.

Wreckers of Jersey coast, 116.

Yellow-legs, 77, 166;
big, 165;
little, 166.

Yellow-shanks, greater, 165.

Yellow-tatler, 166.

Yelper, 77, 165.