BLUE- HILL. 151 



. breaks up and floats down the river. The ice parts from 

 the bank, and stretches into black and white cakes from 

 shore to shore ; it rubs together, clashes and crumbles, 

 piles over and surges under, forming ice-floes of every 

 conceivable size, description and shape. Then it is 

 they are enjo3''ing themselves the most, and, clambering 

 into one of these floes, in immense droves or flocks they 

 will float down the river in indolence, taking things easy, 

 while receding banks and trees form a panorama that 

 seems very enjoyable to them. Then it is that the 

 hunter standing near an inland pond, or secreted in some 

 well protected blind, wonders what has become of all the 

 ducks, and plays with his gun or consoles his dog, with 

 the assurance that it will soon be four o'clock, and then 

 the evening flight will surely begin. At this same time 

 the hunter in the scull-boat is helping himself to the 

 cream of the day. By stealthily propelling his scull 

 through floating ice, with his boat loaded with ice, re- 

 sainbling an ice cake, he guides it lithely, stealthily, and 

 in a serpentine manner through narrow channels of great 

 cakes of floating ice, and kills duck after duck. While 

 they enjoy this floating down the river, it is simply a 

 diversion from the more laborious, yet necessary part of 

 their existence, viz. : earning a living. In the wide, deep 

 river they find nothing to eat, neither do they try. They 

 simply come here to have a picnic and doze the time 

 away. After enjoying their fun, they settle down to 

 business, and repair to the ponds, little lakes and shores, 

 there satisfying their sharp appetites. Then is the time 

 to shoot them over decoys, and decoys in profusion 

 should be used, — ^the more the better, as the water will 

 be from tliree to ten feet deep. Wooden decoys must 

 be used. They should be placed in the open, plainly 



