150 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 
muzzle flies up at the moment of firing. To obviate 
that you should hold low ; besides, as you are usually 
but slightly higher than the object shot at, the shot 
striking between you and the duck, will glance on the 
water, losing but little, if any, ofits force ; these same 
shots are often the ones that kill the bird. Here comes 
more of them, and for a few minutes you and I are 
kept busy. Then there comes a lull in the flight, and 
feeling assured that we will only get occasional shots, 
we send the dog through the wild rice after the dead 
and crippled, while we pick up those lying dead in the 
open water. You noticed how the dog, a few moments 
ago, passed two dead ones and started after a cripple ? 
Some hunters claim dogs should be trained that way. 
It isn’t necessary ; their natural instinct prompts them 
to do this. The fluttering, moving duck, filled with 
life, trying its utmost to escape, flapping its wings 
against the water, maybe uttering frightened quacks, 
attracts the dog’s attention, and he hastens after the es- 
caping bird. Of course, as time adds knowledge and 
experience toa dog’s hunting education, he sees the 
necessity of first catching cripples; but a young dog 
will also do it, because he loves the excitement of the 
chase. 
While we have been picking up these birds, I noticed 
about half a mile east of us, ducks dropping into some 
spot. There are others there feedingand enticing them 
down. We will go there and place our decoys. The 
day is pleasant, with wind blowing freshly from the 
south,—possibly it is not to your liking, and you recall 
stories of stormy days, northwest winds, lowering and 
threatening clouds ; you look around for the screeching 
gulls, harbingers of violent winds, for then you feel 
