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DUCK SLAUGHTER IN OLD MEXICO In the table lands of central Mexico nearly all the large haciendas have ponds or lakes to catch water during tlie rainy tcason which is later used for irrigation During the winter the ducks con ¬ gregate in immense numbers on such places placesAt At a convenient place ou the bank a frame of heavy timbers is laid and to these are fastened batteries of guns anything that will shoot in some cases iron pipe being used usedThey They sometimes have three tiers fan shaped one above the other and perhaps a hundred or more Buns the first aimed at the water the second slightly above and the third slightly higher still These are fired by trains of powder powderOn On the day selected the peons go in boats and also wading gradually driving all the ducks on the lake into a compact mass in front of the battery At a signal the boats back away and the peons duck under underThe The first tier is fired as the birds are sitting and the other two a fraction of a second later as the birds are taking wing The slaughter is dreadful dreadfulThere There is no record of just the number of birds killed Hut an American who happened to be at a haiienda at the time declares they got L000 that day
