114 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



plaintive chorus, or occasionally the chirp of a small bird 

 awakened from its night's repose by some intruder. As we step 

 into our boat and leave the shore how the sounds echo on the 

 quiet morning air. These are mornings never to be forgotten. 

 As we row along day dawn begins to appear, the Robin is 

 heard from some tree top singing — for rain we should say if 

 it be a cloudy morning. Soon the Song Sparrow is heard 

 and now the world in general seems waking up. 



But here we are on the grounds and we must get our decoys 

 out. These are all fastened two or three feet apart to one 

 long line by a short line from each decoy, called a lanyard. 

 On one end of this main line we will tie a rock to hold the 

 whole on the bed, and after the decoys are all in the water we 

 will bring the last end up in line with the first, so as to form 

 a half circle, and anchor it as we did the first, after which we 

 move away from them about twenty-five yards and anchor the 

 boat. 



Now we are ready and as daylight increases we begin to see 

 the different kinds of seafowl moving to their several feeding 

 grounds, But here comes a flock of Ducks straight in from 

 the sea where resting on the water they have drifted a number 

 of miles during the night with the current. How eager they 

 look as they see our decoys which they suppose to be their 

 associates of the day before. If we do not shoot at them they 

 will light with the decoys or close by them. Soon, however, 

 they recognize the deception and swimming with their necks 

 stretched to their utmost length, take wing and fly away. 

 And so they will come and go in flocks or from three or four 

 to twenty-five or more; or perhaps two and quite often only 

 one will be seen at intervals until ten o'clock, when if shot at 

 during the time they will light on some other bed, a few 

 returning all through the day to see if we have left their bed 

 or if their comrades are feeding there. 



Should it be in October, when the young birds are going south, 

 no amount of shooting will discourage them, and I have known 



