PRESERVING AND LURING THE DUCK' 101 



tame, and who aim only at providing a few big drives 

 during the season. It is, however, in the interests of 

 duck-preservers of every grade that I am writing of 

 those who wish to make as much as possible of small- 

 scale shooting, no less than of those who exercise 

 control over shooting of the most pretentious kind. 

 The duck-preserver on a modest scale hopes to 

 augment sport among his own birds by the arrival 

 of wild birds, which in hard weather are certain to 

 visit the ponds if within touch of a duck-frequented 

 district. By feeding late in the afternoon he expects 

 duck dropping in at flight-time to find pickings on 

 the feeding-ground, and to make the pond a regular 

 place of call, if not a temporary home. Hence by all 

 possible precautions he avoids alarming any visitors 

 which may happen to be upon his ponds. During 

 a spell of hard weather duck move far and wide 

 in search of open water. After dark say, an hour 

 after what birds happen to occupy the pond at the 

 time may be put on the wing by a slight noise and 

 without sustaining more than an immaterial fright, 

 and the attendant can then clear all the floating ice 

 from the water he is keeping open. In the same way 

 they may be sprung, and the water raked free from 

 ice, shortly before daylight. 



There is a point, generally quite ignored by most 



