6l6 DUCK SHOOTING. 



to see a crippled bird fall in the water and swim away 

 toward the marsh and to see a dog going after it, turn 

 when he reaches the place where it fell, or the path 

 where it passed, and follow the watery trail to the 

 marsh, and then up on to the bank. 



In some cases it is possible that the dog may smell 

 blood which has flowed from the bird's wound and left 

 its odor on the water, but I do not think that such an 

 explanation will account for the dog's actions in a ma- 

 jority of cases. 



I am inclined to believe that particles of grease de- 

 tach themselves constantly from the well oiled plumage 

 of the ducks and geese and float upon the water, and 

 that it is the odor of these particles which the dog 

 smells and follows. It is often to be observed that to 

 the leeward of a duck which has fallen in the water, 

 or of a live decoy, there is an area of water smoother 

 than the surrounding water — a sort of "slick" — which 

 is probably caused by the oil which comes from the 

 bird's plumage. This hypothesis would seem to ac- 

 count for the power of the Chesapeake Bay dog to fol- 

 low the trail of a swimming duck over reasonably 

 quiet waters. 



