| Title: | From Thomas William Magrath, Esq., to the Rev. Thomas Radcliff, Dublin. |
|---|---|
| ID | 4560 |
| Collection | Authentic Letters from Upper Canada [Rev. Thomas Radcliff] |
| File | radcliff/18 |
| Year | 1832 |
| Sender | Magrath, Thomas Wm |
| Sender Gender | male |
| Sender Occupation | farmer |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | London, England |
| Destination | Dublin, Ireland |
| Recipient | Rev. Thomas Radcliff |
| Recipient Gender | male |
| Relationship | friends |
| Source | |
| Archive | |
| Doc. No. | |
| Date | |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | |
| Log | unknown |
| Word Count | 1681 |
| Genre | hunting |
| Note | |
| Transcript | London, March, 1832. My dear Sir, As I supposed would be the case, when I wrote last, blame» has led me to this city; and I shall go forward to Ireland before my return to Canada. I promised to continue the subject of field sports, and having now despatched the beasts, I must try my hand upon the birds. Partridge Shooting The partridge is here a much finer and larger bird than with you, but does not afford half the sport. The coveys, when raised, generally perch in trees and 7 the™' aS t a m e Iy a s barn-door fowl. The best dog to use in this case is of the genuine King Charles breed-who when he finds, will quest, and tree the birds, whose whole attention being fixed on him, as he barks at the bottom of the trees, you may come within half distance if you wish, and pick them off one by one, without disturbing the rest; unless, that by firing at the upper birds first their tumbling through the branches will disconcert the others and make them take wing—even in this case, the lively cocker will follow and tree them again; and unless in the vicinity of a settlement, where they are frequently disturbed, you may shoot three or four brace from the covey without any difficulty. The dog must be trained, not to mind the fallen birds, but to pursue those on wing, and thus, from tree to tree, you may by degrees bag the entire covey, without compunction, as, in this country no one ever thinks of leaving any for breed. Your poaching sportsmen whose main object is a supply for the table, and whose epicurean taste appreciates the delicious flavor of the bird, think this delightful sport; but I cannot agree with them—there is something inglorious in a sitting shot, that a true professor cannot brook. Quails, also, upon a much larger scale than your's, are becoming abundant, as the clearing advances. The Shooting of Woodcock and Snipe It appears extraordinary to a sportsman, coming from the old country, who has been accustomed to shoot woodcocks, in the depth of winter, to find on his arrival here that the summer months are those when that sport is enjoyed in high perfection—not at the moment reflecting, that they, being birds of passage, will be led by instinct to desert the northern latitudes, (before they become bound in impenetrable frost,) for milder climes whose unfrozen springs arc better suited to their manner of subsistence. Ireland is, in many places, remarkable for excellent cock shooting, which I have myself experienced in the most favorable situations, not, however, to be compared with this country, where the numbers are truly wonderful. Were I to mention what I have seen in this respect, or heard from others, it might bring my graver statements into disrepute.—As a specimen of the sport, I will merely give a fact or two of not unusual success, bearing, however, no proportion to the quantity of game. I have known Mr. Charles Reward, of York, to have shot, in one day, thirty brace, at Chippewa, close to the Falls of Niagara— and I, myself, who am far from being a first rate shot, have frequently brought home from twelve to fourteen' brace, my brothers performing their parts with equal success—after dinner, now and then, an amicable disputation will arise as to the number of shots hit, and missed; which is generally decided by reference to the remaining contents of the powder horns, all having been equally filled in the morning. This frequently reminds me of a story I had heard before I left Ireland, of a large party of sportsmen who turned out one day from a most hospitable mansion into the best cover that country afforded, and returned to dinner, after a splendid day's shooting. A convivial evening naturally embraced the subject of their morning prowess—and each exulting in the sport, and elate with his own particular success, enumerated the shots which he had hit and missed. A gentleman present, who was no sportsman, and, of course, entitled to express surprise, took out his pencil, to note, as it were, the wonders of the day, and having exhibited the account, which was stated to him as correct, he rang the bell, and inquired the number of woodcocks brought home that day; this being sent up, bore testimony to the accuracy of the sportsmen's recollection, and upon the whole, their skill and fortune appeared to have been equally good, and that but one shot had been missed out of every five —upon which the same gentleman remarked that there must be some mistake; as he, who had accompanied them to the cover, and had never left it till they did, not carrying a gun, had amused himself, with a knife and stick, tallying every shot that was fired during the day. This fatal tally being produced, and its notches compared with the number of woodcocks, the account assumed a different form, which evinced, that instead of one shot missed in five, there was but one shot hit in six. This admirable lecture upon vain glory, was productive, I am told, of great merriment, the gentleman who instituted the humorous scrutiny, having assured them that he meant not to make any invidious or individual application of his sporting arithmetic, but to leave them to settle the balance among themselves. The woodcock here is smaller than those I was in the habit of seeing at home. When flushed they rise with a kind of whistle. In settlements near a river they are most numerous; but never appear until some clearing has been made. I have never met a woodcock in the wild Bush, in all my excursions. The snipe are pretty much the same as with you, differing a little in plumage; and being less wild, are more easily shot. There is a variety called the great snipe, not very common. The former kind is to be met with every where, and are in such numbers that a tolerable shot may bring home from twenty to thirty brace in a day. Duck Shooting Of the varieties of the duck species I must postpone the description till a future opportunity, as my present letter is drawing to a close. The Wood Duck is so termed from lighting in the trees; and is, of course, very easily shot. The warfare against this sort must be considered a slaughter, rather than a sport Should our friend John Wall bring out with him the Roaring Mag, as he calls his great duck gun, what lanes would he not cut in the countless flocks that seem to court destruction? The common duck shooting affords excellent sport. They particularly abound in a marsh near York, where the amusement is enjoyed in manner following. You get into a canoe or skiff, with a person expert at the use of the paddle, and then proceed quietly along, avoiding the dry sedge and rushes as much as possible; the sound caused by their brushing against the sides of the canoe, disturbs the ducks from their feed, and sets them on the watch; in which case it is very difficult to get a shot. The true method is to proceed with two canoes, that while one remains quiet, the other, making a wide circuit, may come round the flock, and make them fly over the party, in that which is stationary; this method can seldom fail of success. Great steadiness, however, must be observed on board, in default of which many accidents take place. I have known a whole party lose their guns, by the awkwardness of one who, unaccustomed to "the skimmer of the seas," lost his balance, and upset her; treating himself and his companions to a hazardous swim, and wet jackets. In lake shooting, a friend of mine, in letting down the hammer of his gun, discharged its contents through the bottom of the canoe at a considerable distance from shore, when the only mode of safety was to hurry off his coat, place it over the orifice, and sit down upon it firmly; at every swerve of the canoe, a plash of water would break in, making his situation as uncomfortable as dangerous, till at length he reached the shore, immersed above the hips. For river shooting, the Nottawesaga, which runs into lake Huron, is the best duck river I have ever met. Twenty pair a day has been with me a common day's sport. They abound here from the remoteness of the situation, and from their being seldom disturbed. Here are to be found, in great numbers, the large black ducks, the Canard Francois. You come at them in this way—when you perceive a Mock on the water, you must paddle slowly towards them, keeping in the middle of the river; if you go faster than they can swim, they will take wing, but if you proceed quietly, they will continue to swim before you; joined, perhaps, by another flock, but not within shot. When you have driven them thus, for a few hundred yards, run the canoe into the sedge, at the river's side, remaining silent and concealed; presently they will all return down the river to their feeding ground. Wait till they are just passing; determine how many are to fire at them on the water, and how many in the air, and a great havoc is the certain result. Chasing the wounded birds is esteemed good sport. For some days my party eat of nothing but ducks. Too fastidious to be at the trouble of plucking the feathers from the entire body, they merely bared the breast, and cutting it out threw away all the rest, except when the Indians, who were with me, wished to convert the refuse into soup and even then they were not very particular, as to the feathers. Your's, dear Sir, Faithfully, T. W. MAGRATH |
