214 FACT AGAINST FICTION, 



little distance were having something to eat, 

 I heard one say, after tlie three cheers were 

 given, ^'Well, I'm blessed if I should be in a 

 hmnour to cheer, after having had such a 

 bucketting as those ducks have had to-day." 

 Since the shooting day above mentioned, the 

 next bag consisted of one hundred and seven- 

 teen head of fowl, duck, and teal. 



In every part of a shooting decoy there should 

 be made varied ^' sittings " for the ducks. The 

 larger and more important ones should face the 

 east and south-east, to catch the first rays of 

 the morning sun; for the ducks just then come 

 home from their night flights and feedings, 

 and want to dress and dry their feathers, just 

 as much as we should do on retiring to our 

 firesides. They like nice dry, short, velvety 

 turf to do this on, it being comfortable to their 

 feet, and of a texture that will not dirt nor stick 

 to their breasts ivhen in a recumbent posture — a 

 sheltering bank of three feet in height behind 

 them, as before alluded to, and tlie sittings in width 

 of from three to six feet, so that there may be 

 room for all and no o^uhhing of tails against the 

 back of the sitting, for that is a contingency ever 



