MORNING MALLARD SHOOTING FALL. 137 



for the balance of the boat, so don't you mind 

 anything about it. There, that's good ! Two 

 nervous persons in a boat like this are very 

 apt to get spilled out if they attempt to pass 

 each other. Neither will trust the other ; so in 

 passing, if the boat cants either way, both throw 

 their weights to the opposite side, and, instead of 

 preventing the accident, it is thereby made certain. 

 So remember this : let the one who passes keep 

 the balance. Hark ! just listen to the cracking of 

 the guns in the rice-pond. The poor ducks are 

 catching it now. 



The moon is now in its first quarter, and 

 the nights being quite dark the ducks remain 

 later in the morning; but during the full of the 

 moon, when they can see better, they feed 

 nearly all night, and are ready to take their 

 departure out of danger from the hunters much 

 earlier. 1 have been in places where they were 

 hunted a great deal, and during the full of the 

 moon could hardly get a shot in the rice-ponds 

 until after dusk, when they would come in by 

 hundreds, and at daylight would leave as suddenly. 

 After a very dark night they would seem more 

 anxious to stay a while in the morning, and would 

 stand considerable banging. 



