MID-DAY MALLARD SHOOTING PALL. 161 



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tions of their flights, from what parts they come, 

 and towards which points they mainly appear to 

 be going. You will perhaps see a great many 

 pitching down or lowering their flight over some 

 particular place, especially late in the morning, 

 while few or none seem to be getting up from 

 there. Mark that carefully ; that is a mid-day 

 roosting-place. Others you see earlier in the 

 morning, coming and going continually to and 

 from another place. This is probably a feeding- 

 pond. Again, you may observe a point by which 

 the main body appears to take its flight. There 

 is a good passway for flight-shooting. Still again, 

 you notice a certain point where most ducks, on 

 approaching it, appear to suddenly dart upwards 

 and scatter quickly. You may be assured there 

 is a shooter there. In the evening the ducks 

 will be seen coming from the roosting-ponds and 

 going to the feeding-grounds. Thus you may 

 know, while shooting one day, where to look 

 for them on the morrow. The uninitiated, non- 

 observing numskull depends entirely on fickle 

 luck, and probably spends the day, when not shoot- 

 ing, in fingering the locks of his gun, playing 

 with or talking to his dog, or other thoughtless 

 proceedings, and paying no attention to the flight 



