46 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 



muddy shore, or enjoying a constant holiday among the 

 pond-lilies, flags, and wild rice. 



They are easily decoyed, easily approached, and easily 

 killed. Shooting them over points they will come like 

 a flash, sometimes in immense droves, flying low and 

 with incredible swiftness, no sailing or circling around 

 for them, with heads pointed for some feeding spot they 

 come swift as thought, and quickly flirting their little 

 bodies first one side, then the other, drop right in among 

 the decoys, often within twenty feet of the hunter. 

 They appear to have perfect control of themselves when 

 •flying, and will alight square into rice spots or water, 

 when going at their greatest speed, pitching down very 

 similarly to a snipe or woodcock. An idea of the great 

 speed with which they fly may be had from this apt 

 illustration, given by one who evidently has had large 

 experience with them : 



" Let a blue-winged teal get it into his head that he 

 is a little late to hit an appointment, or that ' he wants 

 to see a man' a longish bit away, and a hundred miles 

 an hour is decidedly too slow to meet his notion. A 

 streak of lightning, well greased, is now hardly an ex- 

 aggerated simile, and after an astonished glimpse of a 

 dark spot swims above your head like an unlighted 

 meteor, you are ready to believe that if he were going 

 straight away from the muzzle of your gun, and the 

 shot following a half second later, it would be about an 

 even race with odds in favor of the bird, if anything." 



At such times, when they are going at a speed of 

 from one to two hundred miles an hour, there is no time 

 for dallying on aim but the shooter should hold as near 

 as possible (the bird being estimated at 35 to 40 yards) 

 10 to 15 feet ahead of it. Should the bird fly over his 



