132 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 



cold as ice. Since then my boats are built for safety, 

 not speed, l^ow just wait a bit, we don't want the blue- 

 bill decoys too near these ; they are on the best of terms, 

 blue-bills and red-heads ; still we will keep them apart 

 this morning. That's it ! Throw about half a dozen 

 blue-bills together, then string the balance on the outer 

 edge. They are a prying lot, and you will always note 

 a few stragglers outside the main bunch. These mal- 

 lards want to go close to the edge of the rice, just far 

 enough out to be noticeable. You will remember they 

 like to alight right in the edges of the rice. Now take 

 a look. Nice lot, aren't they ? Twelve red-heads, 

 eighteen blue-bills and ten mallards. How surprised 

 some hunter would be if he should come punting 

 through here and suddenly see them. Tell the differ- 

 ence ? Not much, he couldn't ! Because he would be 

 expecting to see ducks in such a place as this. The 

 best of hunters get fooled at times ; only last week, I 

 filled one of these same decoys with shot, mistaking it 

 for a crippled duck that fell where it ,was. Every hunter 

 can recall instances and laughable mistakes made in 

 shooting at decoys, and .very few of us have avoided 

 being caught. Never mind. Sit still and I will push 

 the boat into those tall rushes, just behind that muskrat 

 house. Now take the oars, pull down those tallest 

 rushes, by bending them with the oar, and they will 

 shield the boat, making an excellent blind. We will 

 let Don retrieve those falling in the rushes, but let 

 those lie that drop in open water. Whenever the dog 

 retrieves, help him up on the bow ; he understands that 

 is his place when retrieving. He won't shake himself, 

 — ^has got too much sense for that. 



Have plenty of shells handy, and here, take these. 



