452 DUCK SHOOTING. 



spread over it, cover yourself with a white cloth, wait 

 patiently ; it's a splendid place for contemplation, espe- 

 cially if the thermometer registers down about zero. 

 You can drive away the coldness by thinking about 

 Turkish baths, strawberries and cream, and the church 

 sociables you enjoyed last summer. 



One writer, speaking of ice hole shooting, says a 

 good way to build a blind is : "Take a barrel, chop a 

 hole through the ice so the barrel will slip through, nail 

 pieces of scantling on the sides of the barrel, fill the bar- 

 rel with water until it sinks down far enough, then bail 

 the water out, first cutting narrow edges through the 

 ice, push the scantlings down, give them a half twist, 

 and they will hold the barrel where wanted. Put in 

 hay and push snow against the sides and top of the bar- 

 rel to hide it, and the blind is complete." No doubt this 

 would work, but it would hardly pay to go to so much 

 trouble. The only good way is to shoot from the shore, 

 as first mentioned ; any other manner has drawbacks 

 that will more than offset the pleasure derived. 



Never take any chances in trying to get duck shoot- 

 ing around ice. Better not get a shot than attempt to 

 get to some place where there is a flight, and then take 

 chances of breaking in. If you haven't a boat or a good 

 dog, and know you cannot get the dead birds without 

 retrieving them yourself over ice that might be weak ; 

 turn your back to that hole and walk away ; you have no 

 right to take any such chance, and no wise man will do 

 it. Death by drowning is said to be an easy death. If, 

 then, you prefer death in this way, choose summer- 



