INLAND AND ON THE SHORE 69 



ones, except on the score of weight. To the wild- 

 fowler who fails to keep his body dry Nature is 

 certain to present an unpleasant account sooner or 

 later. Spirits do not stave off cold, but induce it. 



Secondly, the duck-shooter must remember that 

 his success among duck depends very largely upon the 

 precautions he takes in order to match the shade of 

 his clothing with that of the background against 

 which the birds will see him, and that the less con- 

 spicuous he is the better will be his prospects of 

 making a bag. Trouble taken by the wild-fowler to 

 render himself inconspicuous is never trouble wasted. 

 If you fancy one shade of cloth may, perhaps, be 

 too light to blend with natural tints, and another 

 perhaps too dark, choose the lighter one. To screen 

 the face effectively it is an excellent plan to carry a 

 veil made of fine mosquito net to cover the entire 

 head, the material being dyed to the desired shade. 

 There should be openings in it for the eyes and 

 mouth. 



It may be remarked that, by night as well as 

 by day, duck are not so very infrequently put on theit 

 guard by a flash of light glinting from the gun- 

 barrels, a shot being thus lost. Few men care to dis- 

 figure, even temporarily, the barrels of a shoulder 

 gun ; but those who do so by painting them a suitable 



