MALLARD SHOOTING IN ICE HOLES. 119 



days, and his shooting will be excellent each day. It 

 is advisable to scatter corn both in the hole and around 

 its edges on the ice ; put plenty in the hole if the water 

 is shallow. The birds will soon discover this and will 

 come often ; and if the hunter is a good shot, will tarry 

 long. As fast as killed, set up the dead ducks for 

 decoys ; keep on until you have a good sized flock, no 

 fear of having too many, the more the better. In build- 

 ing a blind, advantage must be taken of locality. If in 

 timber, secrete yourself well with a good open place to 

 shoot through. Better have an indifferent blind, and 

 an open place to shoot through, than the best of blinds 

 when you find you cannot shoot without interference 

 of limbs. Should you find the shooting must be had in 

 an exposed pond or river, where a shore blind cannot 

 be made, your ingenuity will be taxed to hide yourself 

 and you must depend as much on quietness and 

 patience, as on a blind. Should the ice be strong 

 enough to bear you, build a small wall 8 or 10 

 inches high of ice or snow to conceal you ; a little hay, 

 a rubber blanket spread over it ; cover yourself with 

 a white cloth, wait patiently ; it's a splendid place for 

 contemplation, especially if the thermometer registers 

 down about zero ; and you can drive away the coldness 

 by thinking of Turkish baths, strawberries and cream, 

 and the church sociables you enjoyed the past summer. 

 One writer speaking of ice-hole shooting, says a 

 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 barrel 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 



