270 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING. 
behind an ice-blind, for in coming near such spots they 
sweep partially around before alighting, and present their 
sides. A volley poured into them at that time is sure 
to bring down several, for the wing-tipped strike the 
ground so heavily that some are killed by the fall, and 
those that are not may be readily disposed of. Ducks 
frequently seek the shelter of timber in blustry weather. 
Large bags can then be made near almost any wood- 
land stream or tarn; and also in the spring, when 
the lower lands are inundated by the rise of the rivers, as 
they resort thither to feed on the vegetation and insects 
that float on the water. When driven from such places 
by shooting, they return in a short time, either singly, in 
pairs, or in trips, and if the sportsman has a good 
shelter he may tumble them over as they pass him, or 
when they are preparing to alight. Whatever the season 
may be, it is necessary for a man to keep as much out of 
sight as possible, to avoid making a noise, and to have 
his clothes as near the color of the ground and woods as 
he can. The clothing should be white in winter, and a 
sedge, drab, or butternut hue at all other times. 
The ordinary methods employed for capturing ducks 
in the West are similar to those for bagging geese. These 
are, shooting from blinds, with or without decoys; shoot- 
ing from sneak-boxes, sneak-boats, and punts. A blind 
is generally made of the branches of trees, brushwood, 
weeds, grass, leaves, and such other vegetation as would 
give it the appearance of a natural thicket. The boughs 
are stuck into the ground, close together, and all open- 
‘ings, which are likely to allow the gunner to be seen, are 
closed with the lighter material. A shelter of this kind 
should not be higher than the shoulders of a man when 
he stands up, as he needs a clear space to enable him to 
note the movements of the ducks and to handle his gun 
promptly. Others are made of boards, screened with 
brush or trees, in order to present as natural an appear- 
