DECOYS. 59 



the decoy be washed over with a thin dressing of 

 shellac, it will prove much more impervious to 

 water. This should be done before painting, and 

 no varnish should be put on afterwards, as it 

 makes the decoy too glaring when in the sun. 

 When thoroughly smooth, a heavy coat of priming 

 should be put on, of some neutral tint that will 

 not show too plainly through the coloring coat; 

 all of which should be mixed with raw oil, and 

 without an artificial drier. The priming should 

 be allowed to harden thoroughly before the colors 

 are put on. No priming is used on many of the 

 decoys for sale in the gun-shops ; consequently, 

 they soon become water-soaked and heavy, and 

 the colors indistinct. Artists' tube colors should 

 be used, being more lively and durable than com- 

 mon paint, and costing but little more ; and the 

 nearer the painting resembles the coloring of the 

 natural duck the better. A small brass wire staple 

 or piece of leather is to be fastened to the lower 

 part of the breast, to attach the line to. A piece 

 of lead, about four ounces in weight, formed as 

 shown in the figure, should next be screwed on 

 to the bottom lengthwise, like a keel, and the de- 

 coy is complete. 



For shoal- water duck-shooting, flat-bottomed, hoi- 



