WILD DUCKS. 271 
ance as possible. A blind of white cloth can be used to 
advantage in winter, if the ground is covered with snow, 
for it not only affords shelter, but is so deceiving at a 
distance that the birds approach it without hesitation. 
The sneak-box, sink-box, or float, is a sort of wooden 
coffin, about six feet long, two feet wide, and thirteen or 
fourteen inches in depth, which has wide flaps to keep it 
afloat and prevent the water from running into it. It is 
SHOOTING FROM BLINDS. 
generally anchored in shallow water, and in the most 
advantageous position, and is painted as near the hue of 
the fluid in which it rests as possible. It is sunk so low, 
by means of weights, that the entrance is on a level with 
the surface of the stream or lake, so that it cannot be 
seen at any distance. It is also occasionally covered with 
brush or sedges. ‘The decoys are placed around this in 
the form of a triangle, at a distance varying from fifteen 
to twenty-five yards, but afew are posted on the plat- 
