CHAPTER 111. 



DECOYS. 



One of the most important reqiiisit3s to insure 

 success in wild-fowl shooting, and more especially 

 in the pursuit of the deep-water varieties, is a 

 suitable flock of decoys. They may be made in 

 a multitude of ways, and of several different 

 materials, each of which has its peculiar advan- 

 tages, but at the same time its corresponding 

 defects. The principal objects to be attained by 

 all, however, are naturalness, or a sufficient resem- 

 blance to the species they are intended to repre- 

 sent, with the proper shape necessary to enable 

 them to ride in an erect position during the 

 heavy blows they are often exposed to. This 

 last desideratum is often partially and, I might 

 say, entirely overlooked in the desire to make 

 the decoys as light as possible, and of such 

 shape as to take least room in transportation. 

 With such objects in view, would-be inventors 

 have tried a variety of methods in making them, 



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