. The American sportsman: containing hints to sportsmen, notes on shooting, and the habits of the game birds and wild fowl of America . rops, more par-ticularly to the oatfields of New England, which they visit incountless multitudes. Towards the middle of Auffust, forsakingtheir feeding-grounds in the North, the familiar clink of thereedy is heard on every side in the neighborhood of Philadelphia,and may be distinctly recognised on a still evening, as they pass 212 lewiss AMERICAN S P 0 II T S M A N. in multitudes over the city. During tlie first few days of theirappearance in these parts, th
. The American sportsman: containing hints to sportsmen, notes on shooting, and the habits of the game birds and wild fowl of America . rops, more par-ticularly to the oatfields of New England, which they visit incountless multitudes. Towards the middle of Auffust, forsakingtheir feeding-grounds in the North, the familiar clink of thereedy is heard on every side in the neighborhood of Philadelphia,and may be distinctly recognised on a still evening, as they pass 212 lewiss AMERICAN S P 0 II T S M A N. in multitudes over the city. During tlie first few days of theirappearance in these parts, they seem to confine themselves to thecornfields and upland meadows, waiting as it were the furtherripening of the reeds; after this, they descend to the banks of theDelaware and Schuylkill, which are now overrun with the rankgrowth of the wild oats, Zazania aquatica, which produces a smallseed in great profusion. Feasting luxuriantly for several days onthis nutritious food, they soon become extremely fat,—in fact,nothing but compact balls of delicious meat, each one a daintymorsel for the eager palates of our epicurean SHOOTING THEM. The war of musketry is now heard incessantly from brightmorning till dark night, all along the banks of our rivers, and themarkets are soon overstocked with the innocent victims of many arusty old barrel, only brought into requisition once a year, inreed-bird season. If the weather should be very warm, as itmost frequently is at this time of the year, the birds spoil very soonafter being killed, and consequently remain but a short time in thehands of the hucksters and game-dealers, Avho are very glad todispose of them at from twelve to twenty-five cents per dozen, ac-cording to the returns of the previous days shooting, which, ofcourse, depends in a great measure upon the wind and weather. Reed-birds are shot on the meadows below our city, or in thereeds from a boat. Great numbers are often brought down at asingle shot, as they generall
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Keywords: ., bookauthorle, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjecthunting
