424 DUCK SHOOTING. 



hardly be launched, ducking in line is not practiced, 

 but when spring comes, and the milder days of March 

 and April are at hand, it is often resumed. At this 

 time, however, the birds are mated, or are seeking 

 mates, and many of them are shot over decoys. Old- 

 squaws and coots, alike, come up to decoys well at this 

 season, and seem to pay little regard to the boat which 

 is anchored out on the feeding ground, of course in 

 perfectly plain sight. 



The gunner rows out to the place where he has ob- 

 served the birds to be feeding, and throwing out his 

 decoys, anchors his boat not more than twenty-five 

 yards from them, and then, getting down in the bot- 

 tom, remains there out of sight. Perhaps the birds 

 imagine the boat, which is usually painted white, to be 

 one of the pieces of the ice that was so lately floating 

 around in the bay; but, at all events, they come up 

 readily to decoys, and often afford good shooting. By 

 this time many of the old-squaws have assumed their 

 summer plumage, and beautiful birds they are as they 

 rest lightly on the water, and with tail held upward 

 at an angle, and lowered head and thickened neck, pur- 

 sue their mates. At this season rarely, when the 

 weather is foggy, there will come to such a gunner an 

 occasional opportunity for a shot at a flock of migrat- 

 ing geese, confused by the fog, and flying low over the 

 water. This is regarded as great luck, for what the 

 grizzly bear is to the big game hunter of the West, the 

 great gray goose is -to the gunner on the New England 

 shore. 



