1 10 GAME-BIRDS AT HOME. 



the bird you thus fire at towers with thumping 

 wings, while his comrades climb the airy stairs be- 

 hind him without sending even a feather to com- 

 fort you. And beware how you let this flock of 

 blue-bills get too nearly over your head before 

 you fire. Like dark spirits from the under- 

 world they come up out of the circle of reeds 

 straight for your head their wings hazy with 

 speed. You correct your last mistake by shift- 

 ing the gun ahead until the leader disappears 

 behind the barrels. All very well ; but you have 

 lost a valuable second, and the birds are so nearly 

 over your head when you fire that, though the 

 leader whirls over dead, he falls on a long slant- 

 ing line into the reeds, so far behind that you will 

 lose several good shots in trying to find him. 



Of course there are days on the best grounds 

 and in the best duck season when neither the 

 evening nor the morning flight is very good, 

 though water-fowl throng the lakes and sloughs. 

 At such times, when they move at all it is more 

 over the water than over the adjacent land, where 

 one can hide well enough for a good shot. It is 

 difficult to tell what is a good duck day. But on 

 a bad one, a big box or barrel sunk tc the edge 



