LAKES NEAR NINGPO 1 93 



pole about eight feet long and pushes it 

 along so as to make as little noise as 

 possible while the shooter is firmly seated 

 near the bow, and if the season is fairly 

 favorable a bag of 20 or 30 mallards should 

 be made for a morning or afternoon shoot. 

 Decoys are not used ; as the boat is made 

 to move through the grass the ducks fly up 

 from their feeding places, and usually not 

 more than 30 or 40 yards, giving the 

 shooter the best chances a sportsman could 

 wish for. The ducks cannot as a rule be 

 seen while feeding, and if they could should 

 not be fired at while in the water. I have 

 seen as many as 50 large mallards rise from 

 the water and fly slowly over the tall grass 

 and not more than 30 yards from my boat. 

 It is then that the shooter ought to get in 

 a good right and left, and if he missed 

 should be put on short rations. I have 

 never seen a canvass-back duck in any of 

 the waters of China, but in addition to the 

 mallard, the wigeon, the pintail, and the 

 teal can be found in the greatest abundance. 

 On the lakes also the wigeon and teal can 

 be found in large flocks and large bags of 

 these ducks are often made on a favorable 

 day. About five years ago flocks of 



