The Maryland Season

STOCKTON, Md., Nov. 8. -- The summer has passed, and the long, lovely days of fall are with us -- days when it is perfect happiness just to be alive.

At one time it looked as if the summer would go by with no beach birds to our score; all July we waited with not a bird; the summer was cool and dry, with no water in the ponds, and no place for the birds to feed. Then August nearly passed, when at last there came a run of overflow tide, followed by heavy rains, and the yellowlegs and dowitchers swarmed in like the famous locusts of Egypt. It made grand sport; day after day we piled them up, two and three hundred of a morning until the flight was gone. These flights lasted far into October, sometimes resting only for a day, then again two or three days would be their stay; but after the first flight, which lasted two weeks, none were with us in numbers more than three days at a time.

So far the fall has been very warm and pleasant, with few ducks on the shoals, except coots and shell ducks, which no one bothers. A heavy northeast dry storm has been blowing for several days, with a shifting to the north, and bluebills and redheads are coming in fast, the dark line of feeding beds are showing up nicely on the open shoals. This time last year the shooting was fine, but through the whole season everything, even our quail, appear to be from two to three weeks late. I am using both a double and single battery this year; all my old patrons are much pleased with this, as two shooting together make it far more companionable, with no long waits for turns. Where but two are in the party they shoot from morning util night, every day they are here. In the single box one man can shoot all day, or two can take turns. We have plenty of grass feed on the shoals and there is no reason why the fowl should not be with us in numbers exceeding last year's flight, which was the finest I ever saw here.

Like all other localities I can hear from, we have more quail here than ever before, but with many coveys of very small birds.

O. D. FOULKS.