CANVAS-BACK. 275 



The dog being kept in motion, the ducks will not arrest their pro- 

 gress until within a few feet of the water's edge, and oftentimes 

 will stand on the beach, staring, as it were in mute and silly asto- 

 nishment, at the playful motions of the animal. 



" If well trained, the dog takes no notice whatever of the ducks, 

 but continues his fascination until the quick report of the battery 

 announces to him that his services are now wanted in another 

 quarter; and he immediately rushes into the water to arrest the 

 flight of the maimed and wounded, who, struggling on every side, 

 dye the water with their rich blood. 



" The discovery of this mode of decoying ducks was quite acci- 

 dental, being attributed to a circumstance noticed by a sports- 

 man, who, concealed behind a blind patiently awaiting the near 

 approach of the canvas-backs, observed that they suddenly lifted 

 up their heads and moved towards the shore. Wondering at this 

 singular and unusual procedure on the part of this wary bird, he 

 naturally looked round to discover the cause, and observed a young 

 fox sporting on the river-bank ; and the ducks, all eagerness to 

 gaze upon him, were steering their course directly for the shore.* 



" These ducks will not only be decoyed by the dog, but will 

 often come in by waving a fancy-colored handkerchief attached to 

 the ramrod. We have seen a dog fail to attract their attention 

 till bound around the loins with a white handkerchief, and then 

 succeed perfectly well. The toling season continues about three 

 weeks from the first appearance of the ducks, often a much shorter 

 time, as these birds become more cautious, and are no longer 

 deceived in this way. The canvas-back toles better than any 

 other duck ; in fact, it is asserted by some sportsmen that this 

 particular variety alone can be decoyed in this mode. There are 



* Be this as it may, this peculiar faculty of fascination on the part of the dog 

 has long been known and practised on the decoy-ponds of England, to a much 

 more limited extent, to-be-sure, but still sufficient to show that these wild-fowl 

 shooters, or rather netters, understand the whole bearing of the operation. For 

 further information on the subject we refer our readers to Bewick's account of the 

 decoy-ponds. 



