Chincoteague Ducks

STOCKTON, Worcester County, Md., Nov. 6. -- This year the redheads and bluebills are unusually late to arrive here in Chincoteague Bay. Last year at this time they were on the shoals in great numbers. The fact of our having no heavy storms, I think, will account for their late arrival. To-day the wind is blowing hard from the N.E. with snow and rain, and it looks as if we were about to have an old fashioned gale. This will bring the ducks down from the upper waters.

There are plenty of small ducks and any number of cubheads, whistler or golden-eyes or jinglers -- it is astonishing what a number of names each duck has to go by. From any point or blind on the bay you can get a dozen or so before 9 o'clock any morning. They are very nice and fat and make better shooting than redheads or bluebills, as they fly singly or in pairs, never bunching and are remarkably swift on the wing, requiring much more skill than bunch shooting. But when you are informed that there is nothing in the house and you had better not come home without a dinner it makes some difference -- at least it does to me.

There are a good many geese and some few swan, but no brant yet. The shooting is all done from shore or from blinds stuck out on the shoals. There are no sinkboxes here; a good battery well covered with decoys would do great work. Late in the winter there are parties here who shoot the geese and brant with lanterns and big guns. This is to be deplored, but it seems we either have no law here or no one willing to apprehend the culprits.

The quail have been very plentiful in this county; last year they were protected, and the result was fine shooting when birds have been scarce everywhere else. Our cover is very heavy here, and notwithstanding the enormous amount of shooting that has been done we still have plenty of birds, but it takes lots of work, a good dog and a good shot to make a good bag. O. D. FOULKS.