258 AMERICAN- GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 



trained to act as decoys. Several of these "rigs "are 

 found along the Atlantic Coast, from Long Island to 

 Florida, but they are more numerous at Shinnecock 

 Bay, near New York, than in any other part of the 

 country, that being the great resort for the wild-fowlers of 

 the Metroijolis during the shooting season. 



The decoys are generally wing-tipped birds which have 

 been cured; but they are frequently the offspring of 

 captives, which have bred in confinement. These are fed 

 regularly twiee a day during the shooting season; but 

 during the summer they have a good deal of freedom in 

 selectmg their own food, for as soon as one of their 

 wings is clipped they are allowed to roam wherever they 

 wish. They become so accustomed to their home after 

 awhile that they return to it every night to be ted, no 

 matter how far out on the bay they may have gone. A 

 good "rig" usually consists of from fifteen to forty 

 birds of both sexes. When these are to be used they 

 are placed in coops and taken to the shooting grounds 

 in a boat. These grounds usually consist of bars or 

 spits of land which run into the sea, and on which are 

 placed coffin-like boxes of various lengths, and deep 

 enough to allow a man to lie down in them. They are 

 often trimmed with sedges, so as to give them as natural 

 an appearance as possible, for if the wily geese had the 

 most remote suspicion of their character, they would 

 give them a wide berth. The decoys are staked out 

 on this bar at irregular intervals, being fastened to the 

 posts by means of a hopple, or leather strap wliich goes 

 round the leg. The best caller, or honker, Avhich is 

 generally an old and "educated" gander, is placed 

 some distance away from the main flock, so that he 

 may give expression to his feelings of loneliness. A 

 good honker of either sex is considered invaluable, for 

 on it depends, to a large extent, the success of the day; 

 hence, those who possess such a prize would not sell it 



