8 AMERICAN GAME. 
wind upon him, so much so that the acuteness of his 
senses has given rise to a general idea that he can detect 
danger to windward by means of his olfactory nerves. 
This is, however, disproved by the observations of that 
excellent sportsman and pleasant writer, John Colqu- 
houn of Luss, as recorded in that capital work, “The 
Moor and the Loch,” who declares decidedly, that al- 
though ducks on the feed constantly detect an enemy 
crawling down upon them from the windward, will cori- 
stantly, when he is lying in wait, silent and still, and 
properly concealed, sail down upon him perfectly unsus- 
picious, even when a strong wind is blowing over him 
full in their nostrils. 
For duck shooting, whether it be practiced in this 
fashion, by stalking them from the shore while feeding 
in lakelets or rivers, by following the windings of open 
and rapid streams in severe weather, or in paddling or 
pushing on them in gunning-skiffs, as is practiced on the 
Delaware, a peculiar gun is necessary for the perfection 
of the sport. To my taste, it should be a double-barrel 
from 33 to 36 inches in length, at the outside, about 10 
guage, and ten pounds weight. The strength and weight 
of the metal should be principally at the breech, which 
will answer the double purpose of causing it to balance 
well and of counteracting the call. Such a gun will 
carry from two to three ounces of No. 4 shot, than which 
I would never use a larger size for duck, and with that 
load and an equal measure of very coarse powder— 
