3l6 DUCK SHOOTING. 



of the somewhat changed methods prevaiHng there at 

 the present time. He says : 



Up to June, 1897, the shooting was carried on by- 

 three clubs, the Monomoy, Providence and Manchester, 

 so-called, during a season of five weeks, the Monomoy 

 taking three weeks and the Manchester and Providence 

 one each. At that time the membership of the Mono- 

 moy proper was only fifteen. On the date mentioned 

 such of the Providence and Manchester members as 

 were left took shares in the Monomoy Club, the num- 

 ber of shares being increased to twenty-five and the 

 number of boxes to five. 



The feed having changed so that the birds did not 

 come in to shore as in the past, we were obliged to push 

 the boxes further out, and where it became necessary, 

 on account of the strong tides and the high waves and 

 strong winds, to cover some of the boxes with canvas, 

 thereby precluding the use of live decoys, except in the 

 very mildest of weather. We then found that they 

 were not acting satisfactorily under the unnatural foot- 

 ing of canvas. 



The birds gradually became more shy, and appreciat- 

 ing that they were of a gregarious nature, we largely 

 increased the number of our wooden decoys, so that 

 where we used to have twenty-five or fifty birds to a 

 box we now have about two hundred decoys, which has 

 materially helped our scores. 



