BLUE-BICLL. 1538 
any other duck. They like to alight up-wind, and 
always do so. Should they come down-wind, they will 
come with speed almost incredible, and with set wings 
will pass swiftly by, and over the decoys, apparently 
with no intention of returning. ‘This is simply a ruse 
of theirs, for after flying perhaps seventy-five, possibly 
two hundred, yards, they will whirl, and coming up- 
wind, come low over the water and afford excellent 
shots, right in easy killing distance. When they at- 
tempt this flight, coming swift as an arrow past you 
down-wind, don’t allow the temptation to get the better 
of your judgment, and foolishly fire at them. Be calm, 
and wait for their return. As they pass you, cluck at 
them. This produces a sound similar to the bird in 
feeding, and has an excellent effect on them, making 
them less suspicious. Should your bump of self-esteem 
be unusually well developed, and although an amateur 
duck-shot, you have a local reputation as a trap-shot at 
inanimate targets, try one of these single fellows, com- 
ing with the strong wind, when from an elevation of 
seventy-five yards he suddenly concludes to come down 
and light among thedecoys. His height is too great to 
make the descent at once,—he knows it, and forcing 
himself to his greatest speed, he sets his wings, and 
darts toward the water, then slightly curves his wings, 
forming a deep, crescent-shaped bow, and fully forty 
yards from you and thirty-five yards high you seek to 
bring him down. No time for judging height, velocity, 
or anything requiring thought, no matter how quickly 
it can be made, for you see descending a short, plump 
body of black, blue, slate and white, and like a shoot- 
ing star he goes past, and you can almost imagine a 
faint blue streak following him as he passes you. As 
