SHOOTING MALLARDS FROM A SCULL BOAT. 51 
are killed from a scull boat. You promise to go. Your 
gun is a 10 ga., weighing 10 lbs. Leave all to me; you 
are to be my guest for the occasion, and I propose to 
treat you as a distinguished one, choosing to provide 
all the necessaries for the trip, and promising you a 
very pleasant one, should the weather be auspicious. 
We will use the same shells, loaded 4 1-2 dms. powder, 
well wadded, and 1 1-8 ozs. No. 6 shot; but I shall 
put into our box plenty of No. 8’s,—for should the ducks 
decoy well, the shells will come handy, in fact, just the 
size ; while if they are wild, the 8’s will do nicely for 
cripples. Bring your hip rubber boots with you; they 
may be needed, not that I think they will be, as the 
boat will be perfectly dry, plenty of hay in the bottom, 
and loose fitting shoes, or felt boots will be warmer, 
and much more comfortable. You can throw your long 
boots under the bow, and should it so happen, as it fre- 
quently does, that we run across some pond, overflow- 
ed place, or bayou, where ducks are feeding, we will 
want them to retrieve our birds. 
Yes! I don’t doubt it; am willing to admit he is an 
excellent retriever. Still, we don’t want your dog 
along, for our shooting will be almost, if not entirely, 
from the boat, and he would simply be in the way. 
Better lose a few ducks, than,to have him wet and 
muddy constantly climbing in on the dry hay, splashing 
mud over ourselves and guns, and disarranging, or 
perhaps completely knocking, our blind from off the 
bow. I don’t doubt but it seems strange to you to 
hunt ducks without a dog, but rest assured, it’s the 
correct way in scull boat shooting, as your experience 
will prove before our return. My sack of mallard 
decoys we will throw on the bow when we start out. 
