190 



RECREATION. 



until last year. When I saw them they 

 seemed perfectly domesticated. 



While I was there Joe took me out one 

 morning to show me how he had trained 

 these tame wild ducks to act as decoys. 

 The evening before, we went out in the 

 yard, and Joe took down a box or coop, 

 having a sliding door, placed it on the 

 ground and gave a peculiar whistle. The 

 whole flock of ducks came waddling over 

 to him and they all wanted to go in the 

 box. Joe said the rascals all knew what 



The stars were still shining when Joe 

 wakened me, and, after a cup of coffee, we 

 reached the boat landing just as the first 

 slight tint of color appeared over the bluffs 

 across the river. A half mile pull brought 

 us to the narrows, where we moored the 

 boat, stem and stern, with poles, as the 

 water was only about 5 feet deep. It was a 

 lovely November morning, with just enough 

 crispness in the air to let one know winter 

 was coming. The lake was like glass, a 

 low lying mist gently rising from the water, 



THEY BEGAN A SERIES OF ANTICS. 



was coming, and that the ones that went in 

 the box would be allowed to go on the lake 

 with him in the morning, hunting the wild 

 ducks, which they considered a great treat. 

 He selected 10 of them to go in the box and 

 closed the door, sending the rest off about 

 their business. 



During the evening the box was sent 

 down to the landing and put in the boat, 

 a flat bottomed scow, 3 feet wide and 14 

 long. The sides were of slabs with the 

 bark on and along the gunwale were holes 

 to receive the stems of bushes which com- 

 pleted the blind. 



and the silence was absolute, save the low 

 boom of a gun 2 or 3 miles down the lake. 

 Joe opened the door of the box, and as 

 the ducks came out he gently patted each 

 one on the back and lifted it over into the 

 water. When all were out, he gave a low 

 whistle. They all swam away about 40 

 yards, and began a series of antics, which 

 I can best describe by calling it a duck 

 circus. They swam around in a circle as 

 fast as they could go, one after the other, 

 as if having a race. Then they had other 

 performances, one of which was that a duck 

 would dive, swim under the water, come up 



