8 The Water-fowl Family 



know the points and blinds, and decoys do not 

 easily deceive. Hence the greatest care in every 

 detail is necessary. The gunner's place of con- 

 cealment should be carefully prepared; it must 

 closely resemble the surroundings, and be as 

 inconspicuous as possible. In places where the 

 slightest change would be noticed, sink boxes are 

 often placed ; blinds sunk below the surface level, 

 on sand-bars or flat marshes. Used in places ex- 

 posed to tide and high water, baled out and care- 

 fully banked up with sand when occasion requires, 

 next to the battery it is most effective as a blind. 

 For those birds whose haunts are the open bays 

 and who shun the marshes, the battery is em- 

 ployed, and when well managed this means is the 

 deadliest of all. Shallow water and quiet weather 

 are necessary for its use. A hundred or more 

 decoys surround it, placed to accommodate the 

 gunner and bring in the birds at the most con- 

 venient angle, which for a right-hand man is the 

 left side. In case ducks come in to the right, 

 a quick gunner can generally swing into a posi- 

 tion to shoot by throwing both feet out of the 

 battery and turning to the right. In all kinds of 

 duck-shooting the most successful gunner is the 

 one who keeps out of sight all the time. This is 

 specially true in shooting from a sink box or bat- 

 tery. While watching for ducks under these cir- 

 cumstances, the eye should be just above the level 



