46 WILD FOWL SHOOTING, 
muddy shore, or enjoying a constant holiday among the 
pond-lilies, flags, and wild rice. 
They are easily decoyed, easily approached, and easily 
killed. Shooting them over points they will come like 
a flash, sometimes in immense droves, flying low and 
with incredible swiftness, no sailing or circling around 
for them, with heads pointed for some feeding spot they 
come swift as thought, and quickly flirting their little 
bodies first one side, then the other, drop right in among 
the decoys, often within twenty feet of the hunter. 
They appear to have perfect control of themselves when 
flying, and will alight square into rice spots or water, 
when going at their greatest speed, pitching down very 
similarly to a snipe or woodcock. An idea of the great 
speed with which they fly may be had from this apt 
illustration, given by one who evidently has had large 
experience with them : 
“ Let a blue-winged teal get it into his head that he 
is a little late to hit an appointment, or that ‘he wants 
to see aman’ a longish bit away, and a hundred miles 
an hour is decidedly too slow to meet his notion. A 
streak of lightning, well greased, is now hardly an ex- 
aggerated simile, and after an astonished glimpse of a 
dark spot swims above your head like an unlighted 
meteor, you are ready to believe that if he were going 
straight away from the muzzle of your gun, and the 
shot following a half second later, it would be about an 
even race with odds in favor of the bird, if anything.” 
At such times, when they are going at a speed of 
from one to two hundred miles an hour, there is no time 
for dallying on aim but the shooter should hold as near 
as possible (the bird being estimated at 385 to 40 yards) 
10 to 15 feet ahead of it. Should the bird fly over his 
