294 lewis's AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



^^c have before us a late number of the Sjnrit of the Times, 

 which contains an excellent article on duck-shooting, wherein is 

 described a very ingenious plan adopted by the writer for impart- 

 ing this particular motion to the decoys on a still day ; and, as the 

 expedient is quite novel as well as practicable, we shall transfer 

 the description of it in the words of the author to these pages, 

 feeling sure that it will prove serviceable to some of our sporting 

 friends under like circumstances : — 



" Ducks not decoying well on calm days, of which we had quite 

 a number in December, we hit upon a somewhat novel expedient 

 to attract their attention to our decoys. A dozen stakes of about 

 two feet in length were firmly driven into the soft bed of the river, 

 at a distance of some forty yards from the blind, so that at low- 

 water their upper ends were quite a foot beneath the surface. 

 Through the tops of these stakes, on which we had bored holes of 

 an inch in diameter, having rings of stout iron wire inserted in 

 them to prevent chafing, were passed strings of the proper length, 

 one of the ends of which was carried into the blind, while the others 

 were attached to the necks of the decoy-ducks. These latter were 

 anchored by heavy anchors at such a distance from the stakes that, 

 when pulled upon by the strings, the anchors remaining firm, they 

 were suddenly drawn head-foremost beneath the water, represent- 

 ing very fairly the diving of the real fowl. The ends of the strings 

 within the blind were attached to small sticks, four in number, 

 being three to each, and one person could thus manage at the same 

 time all or a portion of the decoys. 



"Around these divers, (as we termed them,) which were scattered 

 over a considerable extent of water, were set the usual number of 

 decoys, taking care to place the latter so as not to interfere with 

 the action of the strings of the former. Not being aware of its 

 ever having been tried before, we were exceedingly anxious about 

 the result of our experiment ; and on the first calm day, all being 

 prepared, we looked anxiously for the appearance of a flock of 

 ducks with which to test its success. A bunch of canvas-backs 

 passing down the river soon came in sight, but holding their way 



