160 WILD FOWL SIIOOTING. 
hunters who had certainly had experience enough not 
to confound them. They are very similar, but the 
similarity is more imaginary than real. The canvas- 
back is larger, its head darker, and its bill a deep 
black, while that of the red-head is deep blue or a 
slatish color, The shape of the bill of the canvas-back 
is wedged and long; of the red-head moderately long 
and concaved. These are simple distinctions to be re- 
membered, and any hunter who fails to remember them 
is injustifiably ignorant. They are very tenacious of life, 
their bump of stubbornness being fully developed, and 
they will dive long distances, and prefer death by any 
other means than by human agency. When one is crip- 
pled, it will usually look around for perhaps a second, 
to see where the danger lies, then down it goes, and if 
rushes or cover are near, it is good-bye to that duck,—it 
will not be seen again. When one is crippled it should 
be shot again, and at once. 
They will only decoy where they are accustomed to 
feed, or think there is food for them. At such places 
they come in readily. Decoys of their own kind are best, 
but red-head decoys are almost as good. To shoot 
them from a blind, the hunter should be concealed near 
where they are accustomed to feed, as far into the 
water as possible from the edge of the shore. A low 
boat discretely hidden in the rushes makes an excel- 
lent blind, but it must be well hid, and as near the open 
water as possible. The shooter requires a hard hitting 
gun; a 10 ga. is the proper size, loaded with 5 dms. 
powder, well wadded, and 1 1-8 0z. No. 4,5 or 6 chilled 
shot, No. 4 being the best size. Being swift flyers, 
the hunter should hold two feet further ahead than his 
inclination prompts him to do. 
