CANVAS-BACK. 295 



SO far out that we despaired of attracting their notice. When 

 directly opposite, however, we commenced vigorously working our 

 divers, and, to our surprise and delight, the flock immediately 

 turned in, and, passing back and forth two or three times, came 

 up most beautifully. 



" This success at once settled the question of the utility of our 

 device, and during the whole of this day, on which there was not 

 suflicient wind to rufile the surface of the water, we had excellent 

 sport, many fowl passing up and down the river, and almost every 

 bunch that were not too far off to see our decoys came up fear- 

 lessly and without hesitation ; with single ducks, or when only two 

 or three were together, we were invariably successful. Day after 

 day, the weather being mild and calm for this time of the year, 

 we tried it with complete success, and to this simple expedient we 

 owed decidedly the best portion of our shooting; its excellence 

 existing not only with regard to the canvas-back, but also to the 

 red-head and scaup-duck. The success with which we met was 

 owing partly to the exceedingly natural appearance of the decoys, 

 for this number of divers scattered through some seventy or 

 eighty gave the semblance of life to the remainder, and, creating 

 a ripple on the water, made them show much better ; besides this, 

 ducks passing at a distance frequently do not see decoys, and a 

 slight motion among the latter is at once sufficient to draw their 

 attention ; this done, their coming up to such well-gotten-up affairs 

 follows almost as a matter of course."* 



HOLES IN THE ICE. 



As the season advances, ducks are frequently obliged to abandon 

 their favorite feeding-grounds in the upper bay, owing to the large 

 masses of floating ice that are constantly coming down the Susque- 

 hanna and the smaller streams they are wont to frequent. The 

 canvas-backs are now driven to great extremes to procure food, 



* See Spirit of the Times, February 5, 1853. 



